How do I solve 23 down in Times Cryptic 29535?

Question

Accepted Answer

23 down reads "Long, elegant, but topless" (4 letters); the answer is WISH. It's a deletion clue: start with a word the clue points to, then drop one or more letters. Indicators include 'endlessly' (lose the last letter), 'beheaded' (lose the first), or 'heartlessly' (lose the middle). The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Long, elegant, but topless (4)

23D — Long, elegant, but topless (4) — WISH