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17a. Talk about important little bird!(4) ?i?i

It should be 'chat' but that doesn't fit with your existing letters at all.

I thought it might be "Chat", until I got the letters that I have. I keep thinking "Kiwi", but can't see why.

just got it.
sounds like Key-Wee.

Well done, Trevor. I should have got that one being in the antipodes. Cheers.

Thanks Rosecart.
A couple that I can't quite see.
15d. Man of steel bitter about disorder after uprising(8) (Answer = Bessemer?), but how does "bitter" equate to "be"?
And...
40d. Item on reservation sounds a bit soft to fill pastry case(5,4) (peace, pipe)??

Hi Trevor.

15d. Man of steel bitter about disorder after uprising(8) (Answer = Bessemer?), but how does "bitter" equate to "be"? This is (I think) ... BEER (bitter) containing SSEM (mess=disorder backwards).

40d. Item on reservation sounds a bit soft to fill pastry case(5,4) (peace, pipe)?? I think ... PEACE (sounds like piece=a bit) and PIPE (a kitchen tool used to 'pipe' stuff into pies, icing onto cakes etc.., not that I really know anything about cooking).

Thank you JimC.
Doh!
I was thinking "about disorder after uprising" was "re(about) mess(disorder)".

On further thought, I wonder if 40d PEACE sounds like Ps (i.e. several letter P) which is an abbreviation for 'piano' = musical instruction to play softly.

I think it goes: bit = sounds like piece + "p" for softly, as you say, written inside "pie".