Cryptic food and drink

[Wandering Bob]

Dunno why your confused

If I knew why I was confused, then I wouldn't be

but the other one is obvious: politician = ?

Yes - I got that within 15 seconds of looking at the clue

I'm beginning to think that I haven't heard of this spice - or, at least, it's refusing to make itself known to me

Not giving up though

 

[Morning Glory]

I'm beginning to think that I haven't heard of this spice - or, at least, it's refusing to make itself known to me

That could be a confusion. If I said 'pepper' perhaps that would help. The confusion is that the answer has two meanings in culinary terms.

 

[Wandering Bob]

If I said 'pepper' perhaps that would help

Yes - I've got it instantly. I had that particular word in my head hours ago - but I rejected it as not being a spice.

To be fair, you did write 'spice?' as though you weren't sure either

 

[Morning Glory]

Yes - I've got it instantly. I had that particular word in my head hours ago - but I rejected it as not being a spice.

To be fair, you did write 'spice?' as though you weren't sure either

Spice with a ? was because I was making a pun on the fact that that 'spice' is a current much used drug. So it was a way of making the clue into a fun sentence regarding the MP.

And to confuse things further - pimento can mean allspice as well as the pepper.

 

[Morning Glory]

Must be someone else's turn to set a clue.

 

[Wandering Bob]

pimento can mean allspice as well as the pepper.

I didn't know that - I should have checked before dismissing it too quickly

 

[Morning Glory]

In the absence of other clue setters*, here is another:

Mad alien queen in sturdy footwear finds vegetable (8)




*Where are you @Duck59 - this is your thread!?

 

[Wandering Bob]

Mad alien queen in sturdy footwear finds vegetable (8)

Nice one - I thought you'd done your usual trick of putting in too many words, in order to bamboozle

But no, that is elegant

I used to grow them but they take so long to cook

 

[Wandering Bob]

@morning glory - by way of return, here's another (possibly harder) one

Accountant in island gets accolade for starters (9)

 

[Morning Glory]

Nice one - I thought you'd done your usual trick of putting in too many words, in order to bamboozle

But no, that is elegant

I used to grow them but they take so long to cook

Microwave them or bake them in foil.

 

[Morning Glory]

Accountant in island gets accolade for starters (9)

Not the faintest idea here.

 

[Wandering Bob]

Not the faintest idea here.

OK - clue recast as :

Accountant in US island gets accolade for starters (9)

 

[Morning Glory]

OK - clue recast as :

Accountant in US island gets accolade for starters (9)

You think that helps?

 

[Wandering Bob]

You think that helps?

It narrows it down a lot...

 

[Morning Glory]

There are many thousands of islands in the USA. Just in Alaska there are 2670named islands, a couple hundred more in Washington. Every state is dotted with islands in it's lakes and rivers or just off the coast. In the Great Lakes alone there are over 35,000 islands and 10,000 or so are in the USA.