QUICK CLUES

ACROSS

1 Finder’s payment (6) 4 Countries, nations (6) 9 Female parent (3)

10 Plastic for electronic payment (5,4) 11 American cafe (5) 12 Blow up (7) 14 Disheartened (11) 17 Become happier (5,2) 18 Imperfection (5) 20 Having eight sides (9) 22 Feathery scarf (3) 23 Wearying (6)

24 Baby swan (6)

DOWN

1 Cure (6)

2 Adult females (5)

3 Water storage lake (9) 5 Knotted item of

neckwear (3)

6 Delicately scented

bloomer (3,4)

7 Edge along furtively (5) 8 Secretly monitoring telephone conversations (4‑7)

13 Sorely (9)

15 One who votes (7)

16 Narrow channel of

sea (6)

17 Highlands

smallholding (5)

19 Belonging to a city (5) 21 Firearm (3)