Toughie No 493 by Notabilis
Hints and tips by Bufo
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
I hoped for something more challenging this week and I got it. This was a proper toughie and thoroughly enjoyable with a set of perfectly fair clues. I did consider giving it 5 stars for difficulty but then decided that the few pints of porter I had in the Burton Bridge Inn last night might have contributed to my slow time. My one complaint about the puzzle is that the grid is another of those substandard ones that Big Dave likes to harp on about. This one has 4 isolated corners and a middle section containing more unchecked letters than checked ones. This particular diagram always makes the solver’s life difficult.