Saturday, November 23, 2013 — A Thoughtful Former President

Introduction

Once again, we get a puzzle from Cox & Rathvon with no clear theme. Today, I've dipped into the down clues for inspiration for a title.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

1a   MANITOBA* — anagram (upset) of BOATMAN I

Lake Manitoba^[7] is Canada's thirteenth largest lake (4,624 km²) and the world's 33rd largest freshwater lake. It is located in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which is named after the lake.

5a   MA(G)MAS — G ($1000) contained in (invested in) {MAMA (Mom) + S ('s)}

9a   MU|SINGLY — MU (Greek character) + SINGLY (alone)

Mu^[5] is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet (Μ, μ).

10a   S(HER)PA — HER (that woman) contained in (into) SPA (whirlpool)

11a   _REE|VE_ — hidden in (appearing in) fREE VErse

12a   CO|DESIGNS — CO-DESIGNS (shares the invention of)

14a   SHILLEGAGHS* — anagram (shaking) of HELLISH GALS

A shillelagh^[5] is a thick stick of blackthorn or oak used in Ireland, typically as a weapon.

18a   C(OF|FEE T)ABLE — CABLE (wire) containing (wrapping) OF FEET (pedal; as an adjective)

21a   AS|I|A M|IN|OR — AS I AM (the way I live) + IN (†) + OR (Oregon)

23a   N(O)UNS — NUNS (sisters) containing (penning) O (Orator's first [letter])

24a   LEEWAY — spoonerism of WE LAY

25a   STRANG(L)E — L ([Roman numeral for] fifty) contained in (taken in by) STRANGE (bizarre)

26a   DUSTIN_ — DUSTING (housework) with the final letter deleted (never ending)

27a   _EDITION[⇒S] — SEDITION (treason) with the initial letter becoming the final letter (front to back)

Down

1d   M(EMOR<)Y — reversal of ROME (The Eternal City) contained in MY (†)

The history of Rome^[7] spans more than two and a half thousand years, since its legendary founding in 753 BC. Rome is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe. It is referred to as "The Eternal City", a notion expressed by ancient Roman poets and writers.

2d   NO|SHED — NO (†) + SHED (outbuilding)

3d   TENNESSEE* — anagram (roaming) of TEENS SEEN

Dixie^[5] is an informal name for the Southern states of the US. It was used in the song ‘Dixie’ (1859), a marching song popular with Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War.

4d   BILL (CLINT)ON — CLINT (Eastwood; American actor, film director, producer and composer Clint Eastwood^[7]) contained in (is in) {BILL (charge) + ON (with respect to)}

Bill Clinton^[7] (born William Jefferson Blythe III) is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

6d   ATHOS* — anagram (put in a new order) of HAS TO

The Three Musketeers^[7] is a novel by French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870), first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard. D'Artagnan is not one of the musketeers of the title; those are his friends Athos, Porthos and Aramis, inseparable friends who live by the motto "all for one, one for all", a motto which is first put forth by d'Artagnan.

7d   MORTGAGE* — anagram (badly) of GAMER GOT

8d   SPARS|EST — SPARS (boxes) + EST (established)

13d   DELI|BERATED — DELI (seller of foods) + BERATED (put down)

15d   {LIE IN WAIT}* — anagram (cryptically) of INITIAL WE

16d   S|CRAWLED — S (splashed at first; first letter of Splashed) + (and) CRAWLED (swam)

17d   OFF(I|C)ERS — OFFERS (gifts) containing (including) {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + C (piece of cake; initial letter of Cake)}

In the cryptic reading of the clue, the 's is a contraction for the verb is.

19d   BURG|OO — BURG (hamlet) + OO (two eggs; two letters whose shape resembles that of an egg)

Burgoo^[7] is a chiefly nautical term for a thick porridge.

20d   ASSES|S — ASSES (donkeys) + S (second)

22d   MI(A)MI — MIMI (woman in La Bohème) containing (acquires) A (†)

Mimi is a principal character in La bohème^[7], an opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) that was first performed in 1896.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon