The Spectator N0 2475

[Matakari]

Good morning,
Just HINTS this time to help me discover the poem, please!
Many thanks in advance!
ACROSS:
19 Drink last short (5) : PE?TE ( PEETE)?
24 Old hat £100,000, it’s restored by feather-dresser (7) : ?LU?I?? (PLUMING/PLUMIER)?
42 Constant oak bewitched a thousand very big, big birds (7) : ?O?????
46 Colours of sandpiper Hank freed (4) : ?E?? (REDS)?
DOWN:
1 Honest lad trained under aged fellow (6) : AEF???
4 Tailed sardine knight clumsily guts (7) : IN?A??? ( INNARDS )?
41 Fine noise from Alderney institute (4) : ?OOI

[margarettom]

46. Another name for the bird.

[Neveracrossword]

4 Yes, 'sardine' loses the 'e', last letter + gains N, knight in chess terms.

[Neveracrossword]

10 Your first two letters are wrong. The drink is non-alcoholic, think of coffee.

[roslyn251254]

try and get a few letters in the diagonal (top left to bottom right) to discover the poet (you won't need many of them!) Then try googling a couple of the unclued with the poet. 21d is a good one to use....

1d AEF??? ....last 3 letters are anagram of lad ...defn is honest

[margarettom]

4. Anagram of sardine shortened and letter for knight

[margarettom]

Sorry. Answered already.

[roslyn251254]

24a ...last 3 letters are anagram of ist

[Matakari]

Thanks, all! Parsing of 24(A) for which I have "flutist" is hazy to me. I've got the author of the poem, thanks Roslyn, so it should be interesting from here onwards...

[roslyn251254]

24a is PLUM ist

[Neveracrossword]

Glad we could help, Matakari.