Massage revered figure after which there's no going back

Latest answer — September 02, 2026

28 Across

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Clue explained

RUBICON is the river associated with the expression “cross the Rubicon”, after which there is no going back. It is RUB, massage, followed by ICON, a revered figure.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A landscape view of the Rubicon River in Italy

Telegraph Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, September 02, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Go westwards over motorway, having walked
  2. 5Upper-class bishop leaves rum cocktail measure
  3. 9Studio curtains ordered, hosting new RSC production
  4. 10Finale of Byron poem that might bring a lump to the throat?
  5. 11Crazy pub, goodness!
  6. 12Giant conger-eel regularly sliced
  7. 15Native American agreed to put on cotton cloth
  8. 16Daffy actor playing Mickey Mouse?
  9. 17Terminate bank clerk
  10. 19Surrey town's blemishes reported
  11. 21Burden ordinary youngster carries
  12. 22Disgraced president naked?
  13. 23Skip – very clever dog – denied good run
  14. 26Klopp counsels us to work, work harder
  15. 27Dismissed job in far-flung location
  16. 28Massage revered figure after which there's no going back

Down

  1. 1Film, one that went down, in the main, rather dreadfully?
  2. 2Sun, Daily Star etc put out work of fiction
  3. 3Urge American to visit British drinking establishment
  4. 4Men travelling in Black Country
  5. 5Work from Potter after getting fired?
  6. 6Left at home finally gutting fish
  7. 7Notes produced by the Speaker for the lobby?
  8. 8Oriental religious festival ending in afternoon
  9. 13Doctor set up appropriate theme
  10. 14Holiday snap
  11. 17California agent rejected old West Indian song
  12. 18End in torn clothing
  13. 19Tesco use recycled bags one found in Liverpool
  14. 20Exercise leg and bottom?
  15. 24Engine Charlie parked in station, out of Water?
  16. 25Taxi carrying southern strikebreaker

The answer to “Massage revered figure after which there's no going back” in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword is RUBICON — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 2, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 28-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Massage revered figure after which there's no going back” answer

RUBICON (7 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is RUBICON.

What does RUBICON mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of RUBICON is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • (in piquet) an act of winning a game against an opponent whose total score is less than 100, in which case the loser's score is added to rather than subtracted from the winner's

When else has “Massage revered figure after which there's no going back” appeared?

The Telegraph Cryptic reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 2, 2026 (most recent) → RUBICON. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Massage revered figure after which there's no going back”?

The answer is RUBICON, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 2, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Massage revered figure after which there's no going back”?

7 letters: RUBICON.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 2, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 28-Across.

Can “Massage revered figure after which there's no going back” have a different answer?

Yes — The Telegraph Cryptic sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's Telegraph Cryptic answers?

The full grid for September 2, 2026 is on the Telegraph Cryptic answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

The Telegraph Cryptic Crossword is published by The Telegraph; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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