Crossword Genius

Demanding much in either effort or money (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

exacting

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'demanding much' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'either effort or money' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'money' could be 'tin' (old-fashioned slang term for money) and 'tin' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for exacting that I've seen before include "Making great demands like difficult task" , "Requiring great effort - sounds precise" , "Unreasonable in making demands" , "Difficult and onerous" , "Insisting upon" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph, The Globe and Mail and The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.