Spectator 2530

[Matakari]

Good evening, I’m stuck on the following and would appreciate some
Hints/Answers, thanks!

ACROSS:
12 Faithful follower trailing Welsh cyclist (7) : ?EE????
16 Praise no more the Spanish rascal (5): LO???
40 Female fish is out casing island (5) : ?L?S?
46 Queen escorted by man with woman (both Afrikaner) (5) : ?E?O?

DOWN:
4 Men astride English donkeys (6): ?????S
8 Orchard sheltering special composer (5) : ?O???

[bookbinder]

Do you want answers or hints?

[Matakari]

Let me go with the hints first, thanks!

[Neveracrossword]

Matakari, our hints often don't help - and other ABers give y
ou answers? Do you just want a list, or do you want parsings too?

PS You have mistakes in quite a few...

[bookbinder]

...but you already have hints in the form of the clues.

[Matakari]

I would appreciate the parsings, NACW.

[Neveracrossword]

Matakari, maybe clearing some of your wrong letters will help. If you can fix the clues that gave you those, you might not need quite so much help.
40 A. Both are wrong
46 Both are wrong.
12 Your first E is wrong.

[Matakari]

Ok, I've just got the quote and the the poet, so I should now be able to fix my clues.

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Matakari - glad you persevered. The large number of letters in the quotation and the name should fill up a huge chunk of the grid and, with any luck, make the rest easier.

[Neveracrossword]

PS... and it's still a crossword rather than a quiz or puzzle!

[bobbinwales]

Have you got new patterns for them clues above now then Matakari?
I have an idea for 8d but it would depend on your O being wrong and Neveracrossword hasnt said that was wrong

[bobbinwales]

Ignore that was thinking Grove but realise now its something else- S inside a composer name

[Neveracrossword]

Bobbinwales, I'm sure you've got the right answer for 8 D. Sometimes the composers can be obscure, but that one was OK!

[Matakari]

Good morning, NACW and bobbinwales, I've got all of the above clues sorted out and am on the homestretch now.

[bobbinwales]

Cheers. What did you get for 4d as that one eluded me. ??

[Neveracrossword]

Matakjari, thanks for the progress report - and I'm sure you got a lot more enjoyment out of doing much of this one unaided!

Bobbinwales, Genets, donkeys. Gents, men, with E. English, inside (astride).

[bobbinwales]

Thanks. I thought it was spelled jennets so discounted it