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this is tough - I have all the downs, so it's not a question of shifting letters as many of the acrosses seem to have different letters and numbers of letters ...

I thought this was a cleverly constructed puzzle,…………………

Note by Admin - Post amended as I am informed “ Reveals the mechanics of the endgame, unasked for, and only a few hours into the first day.”

Agreed, muraria. Picaroon is always high-class, in my book, and this was very nicely done

After some confusion at the start, once the penny dropped, this became a highly entertaining solve that went in all too quickly. Then I got stuck on 24a with the wrong sense of "Ready consume." Another cup of coffee and D'oh!

Great stuff, Picaroon.

Is it just me or does the cryptic bit of 8 across ignore the first two letters? Seems badly clued. Enjoyable puzzle though.

8a is fine, nickbev. If you think it isn’t, you may not have fully understood the entry method, in my view.

Yes, quisling, I thought 8a was a neat touch.

Very pretty! As always, while it might take a few hours to solve, how long must it take to construct? Full of admiration.

Apologies for sharing rather too much too early, got carried away by the construction, which I thought was excellent

I didn’t think it was bad, muraria, so no need for an apology at all, but I understand why they err on the side of caution, especially when puzzles have such a long shelf-life. It’s very difficult to help when people post specific issues early on, as nickbev did