Toughie 1141 by Elgar
The Real McCoy
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Calder Valley. There’s been a-stomping in the hills all week and it’s finally arrived. The Cruciverbal equivalent of Vlad the Impaler is back and make no mistake, this is a real beast of a puzzle. I know we don’t often talk times, but this took far longer than any crossword I have tackled so far this year. If I’m honest and I hope Elgar forgives me, I didn’t exactly feel the elation I normally feel when the last answer goes in. There is much to enjoy and admire in this puzzle and it is so much better than many of the puzzles I solve elsewhere, but there was just something about this that left me feeling I had taken too long and I felt I couldn’t blame it on me feeling under the weather.