ACROSS 1 Mischievous fairies (10) 8 A friendly agreement between states (7) 9 US state (5) 10 Willingly (4) 11 Hard up (4) 12 The gist (3) 14 A salad plant (6) 15 Definitive (6) 18 Focal point (3) 20 Garden tool (4) 21 Danes (4) 23 Unyielding (5) 24 Adaptation (7) 25 Removes moisture from (11) DOWN 1 Rabble-rouser (7) 2 Slag heap (4) 3 The king of the fairies (6) 4 Irish city (8) 5 Resort on the Moray Firth (5) 6 The leading sheep in flocks (4-7) 7 Putting into words (11) 13 Commonplace (8) 16 Consolidates (7) 17 Freeloader (6) 19 Brass instrument (5) 22 A stupid person (coll) (4) Monday’s solution Grid J Across: 7 Simone, 8 Orison, 9 Isla, 10 Bulgaria, 11 Matter, 12 Sicken, 14 Octets, 17 Jerkin, 19 Nuthatch, 21 Lisa, 22 Either, 23 Nannar. Down: 1 Siesta, 2 ‘Iolanthe’, 3 Member, 4 Oodles, 5 Nina, 6 Eosine, 13 Carolina, 15 Cousin, 16 Saturn, 17 Johann, 18 instar, 20 Ha-ha.
