Thanks...finding this very difficult this week !...still struggling with 15a...Fruit - one's engaged in regular payment for valuable food item (8)...I have N?T?I?E?
I presume its something like NUTRIENT but can't find anything that fits.
Sorry...just had another thought. 3d is ALPHABET and 14d is LITTLE ROCK, so can't now see how NUTRIENT can fit. Curiouser and curiouser as Alice once said.