Azed 2052

[gordonia]

Any help with these clues wouild be appreciated. Thank you.
15 across- New column,curtailed with time,for laureate(8)????LIST Fabulist?
16 across- Oath from Jock-"It's a wee bittie hard"(5)H?IT?
4 down- Male on track having turned up for colourful birds(6) M?R??S
17down- A short book on Eton taken out when one pleases(8,two words)
??O?ON?E

[kayakamina]

16 haith

4 merops

17 a vol onte

[Nical]

16 A. Might be Haith, a Scottish interjection, so maybe an oath?

[quinie]

16a haith

[kayakamina]

Sorry gordon omitted 15a

N obelis(k) t

[quinie]

15a Novelist?

[kayakamina]

Why novelist quinie ?

[quinie]

Brilliant kayakamina. My answer was just a shot in the dark. Clever clue and cleverly solved.I did answer to ignore novelist but omitted to press submit!

[gordonia]

Many thanks K,Nical,and quinie. I had thought of haith and merops but couldn't see the connections. :-))

[quinie]

Like you,gordonia, I couldn't work out merops from the clue. m(male) but track backwards ? track-spoor not spore. kayakamina might enlighten us.Perhaps a mistake by setter?

[kayakamina]

quinie

I understand that the clue has been queried with the setter, as 'spore'
does not appear in Chambers as 'track' or as an alternate to spoor.

[cruciverbali]

I suspect there is a 'we hear' missing from 4 down quinie