STAND in any pub long enough, and you’re likely to hear one or two cross words.

But few locals have been recognised in puzzle form, in the way that one York pub was last week.

Brigantes, in Micklegate, has already won a plethora of awards in recent years, but now it has been honoured by a national newspaper like never before: as the theme for a cryptic crossword.

Local readers of the Daily Telegraph last Friday who dared to try its ‘Toughie’ puzzle may have found a strange sense of familiarity descending as they worked their way through the clues.

York Press:

Former manager Kev Jones hands over a framed copy of the puzzle to current staff

Several answers were the names of staff members. Then successive clues at 12 and 14 across revealed the answers Mickle and Gateau. And then, at 28 across, sharp readers will have worked out that the nine-letter solution to “Old people take it with bangers and mash” was an anagram of “it” and “bangers” and also the name of an old tribe: namely, Brigantes.

Other clues gave the names of breeds of dog, including Beagle, Alsations and Airedales, in honour of the pub’s dog-friendly approach, and the final clue, 25 down, was “City brewery: no further stock (they’re closing)” - giving the answer York, formed from the last letters of brewery, no, further and stock.

The puzzle was the work of York resident John Henderson, who sets crosswords for the paper under the name Elgar.

He told The Press: “For some time, I have been basing Elgar puzzles on their number in my series (so number 111 was based on Nelson, number 112 on the emergency services etc). Well, Friday’s was number 114 - and I themed it on the establishment that is at 114 Micklegate.”

John’s wife Jane created a special souvenir copy of the puzzle and solution, which was presented to the pub staff to go on display.