Exit is a regular contributor of puzzles at S&Bs – here is his puzzle for the 2026 York event.
Exit mentions that there is no theme to this puzzle, but there is a passing reference in one clue to one of the venues – we are not in York this weekend, but we note that one of the venues is the Dick Turpin pub – see 28ac.
This was an enjoyable puzzle to solve, although there were two new words for us and we needed some help with the biblical reference in 13ac and the ancient Greek drama in 29ac.
An anagram (‘fantastic’) of OPERA round (‘featuring’) U (2nd letter of Jupiter)
CHE (Guevara – ‘revolutionary’) D (first letter or ‘start’ of dossier) after FILe missing the last letter (‘incomplete’)
TODOS is Spanish for ‘all’
ANAL (obsessive) + an anagram (‘distraught’) of GEIShA missing (‘losing’) ‘h’ (husband)
EXTRA (more) DIcTION (talk) with ‘c’ (first letter of criminal) missing (‘fleeing’)
Double definition – although we had to check the first – in the bible, Joshua’s father was apparently called Nun
A reversal (‘back’) of EGAD LO (look)
SERENE (composed) round AD (bill)
Hidden in cheAPER TUREen
An anagram (‘confused’) of USURPEr missing (‘ousting’) the last ‘r’ (king)
fAIRy missing the first and last letters (‘naked’)
A clue-as-definition: ACADEMIC (scholarly) IAN (Scot?)
An anagram (‘sadly’) of PEG HAS RIP
ST (saint – ‘good fellow’) after (‘joining’) gANG missing the first letter (‘leaderless’)
HIGHWAYman (Dick Turpin) missing ‘man (‘unmanned’)
THE (article) BESt (‘superlatively good’) missing the last letter (‘almost’). We were puzzled by the reference to ‘7’, but apparently there is an ancient Greek drama called “Seven against Thebes” – we learn something every day!
Double definition(?) – the first suggesting being dressed up for a date, but not having one
ONS (Office for National Statistics – ‘government number-crunchers’) LAUGH (show amusement) T (last letter of at)
ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) CIA (spies)
An anagram (‘bruised’) of RIGA ELF
LAG (delay) AN (article) – a new word for us
Hidden (‘part of’) in etHOS ANN Adopted
DAWN (sunrise) round R (middle letter of March)
Hidden (‘has’) in fAT HERO MAle – another new word for us
Quadruple definition (Norwich is a diocese)
An anagram (‘awkwardly’) of TEA I CLUED
ETERNal cITY (‘Rome, it’s said’) missing (‘short of’) a l and c (alternate – ‘regular’ – letters of garlic)
R (first letter or Rihanna) in ‘EARING (trial, missing the ‘h’, as Cockneys – ‘Eastenders’ – are renowned for)
REAP (harvest) PLY (work)
An anagram (‘disastrous’) of ENGLISH – we have never come across a ‘shingle’ haircut before – but it is in Chambers
JET (black) SET (group)
ALE (beer) PH (Public House)
AllOW (permit) with the two ‘l’s (left) replaced by RR (right) – ‘changing hands twice’