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Haven't quite got all the highlighting and finishing touches done yet but, before I carry on, can I just check one of "symbols of the witnesses" ...

Is one of the symbols' last letter (an F) also a highlighted letter in the book title - It's just that all the other letters seem to be separate from the title so wonder if I've gone wrong?

I used an L for that one (same animal though).

Thanks Drxx but I've even more confused now - how can you change a letter? I don't know what you mean by changing the F to an L

The symbols are given very specifically in all the pages I've read - it's C??F

Yes, but I think the difficulty of creating a very tight thematic grid meant a little artistic licence had to be taken (and a c??f is a b??l of sorts). The L version fits neatly into its allotted space, like the rest of them, brendan.

The C??F is frequently described as an ?X or a B??L, symbolizing strength.

Oh dear, that's very disappointing, for the sake of one letter which, by the way, is actually there in the 3rd word of the title and in contiguous cells with the other 3 letters (top right), Vagans has chosen to needlessly change one of the words.

I'm beyond deflated by that - I don't know, maybe I'm just upset after the shameful action in the cricket - whatever!

Regardless, I always am very appreciative of you help Drxx:-)

I can't even be bothered to finish this now which is such a shame as I'd drawn the central cross with a luminous green, written the witnesses in a deep red under a highlight of puce - I know that sounds it wouldn't go but I promise you it looks beautiful - what a shame 😥

I think Vagans' grid is a lovely thing, Brendan. It's sacrificed symmetry as well, of course - but so does the theme (at least in the slavish way we're used to in crosswords). The groupings of the 4 symbols in the quadrants are well placed, there are no double-unches, a good average word length overall and some very interesting words in themselves.

AThanks Drxx but we're never going to agree on this.

I've just looked again in Chambers dictionary and nowhere is bull mentioned under calf or calf under bull - yes I know there are bull-calfs but that is what the text says.

The saddest thing of all, to my view, is that the M?? is in the top right in contiguous, the L??? in the bottom right, the E???? in the bottom left and the C??? is in the top right in contiguous cells - so what that one of them has already been highlighted - what is worse, using the same cell twice or completely and needlessly changing one of the words in the text for a supposed synonym that appears nowhere in Chambers dictionary?

Anyway, I've made my point, the crossword is in the bin and I'm going to take my friend's dog for a walk in Wapping woods but the sun is shining:-)

... 'where' the sun is shining:-)