The Times 28578

[TioMateo]

Thank you all. Still stuck in the top right hand corner :-

Lots of liquid rising in vessel (5) S???P

Country that splits the difference between male and female adults? (4) ??A?

[Captain2]

Lots of liquid = POOLS, reversed = SLOOP = vessel

[Captain2]

(W)Oman

[TioMateo]

I'm sure you're right with (W)Oman, Captain 2, but I'm still iffy about the precise parsing. Please could you expand. TIA

[Captain2]

The difference between MAN and WOMAN is WO so splitting the difference W/O

(Must admit don't see why 'adultS' - should be singular to me)

[Captain2]

^^^^ suppose it's because 'man' and 'woman' are the adult version of male and female, to distinguish from boy and girl

[cashier]

I thought it meant no man, the O standing for none.

[Captain2]

Could be Cash, who knows? - well apart from the compiler. ;0))

[TioMateo]

Thanks C2. I agree with both your caveats, particularly re adult(S) instead of adult. But my main gripe is that OMAN (as the definition, by being a country) is not splitting ANYTHING. It is 4 letters coming AFTER W. And W is not even the difference between MAN & WOMAN, which is WO. I know I'm pedantic, but I do think this is a poor clue, particularly for The Times.

[Captain2]

'And W is not even the difference between MAN & WOMAN, which is WO'

Tio, WO was where I was coming from at 20.29.

Agreed, bit of an odd clue for The Times. (Unless someone else can be more precise).