The Times 29159

[TioMateo]

I struggled with last Friday's Times, and eventually did crack some very difficult (I thought), but very good clues.  However, I'm ashamed to admit that I still need help to fully understand the following eight clues :-

1) One badly wants to keep butterfly enclosure (8,6) ?O?E?I?G  ?E?T?R. All I could think of was COVERING LETTER (which is the right answer) but I haven't a clue how or why.

2)Waiving fine, FA reportedly suspended City (8) ?D?L?I?E.  I guessed ADELAIDE (City),(which happens to be correct), but WHY?

3) Vegetable, like any other, going individually for a song, it seems (3) P?A.  I guessed PEA (which it is), but...??

4) Edge of pound coin assigned this, originally Latin as agreed? (5,2,7).  I got the answer of DECUS ET TUTAMEN, but find the clue very clunky - and don't understand "as agreed?" at all.

5) OK to occupy hotel (not much food when sharing a cell)(9)  H?B?T?B?E.  It's HABITABLE (OK to occupy), with H (hotel) A BIT...E (not much food), but why is ABL "sharing a cell"?

6) Once called for a woman, or rather for somebody who listens (3) N?E. No problem with NEE (maiden name indicator), but no idea how the second half of the clue works.

7) Not fed on bananas very much (2,3,2) N? E?D ?F.  It's obviously NO END OF (very much) but, having initially decided it coudn't be an anagram of "Not fed on" because it's 8 not 7 letters, I then realised that the first word of the clue suggests there isn't a T, which I started to think was quite clever, but then became unhappy about the legitimacy of that dual role in the wordplay.  Any comments?

8) Numbers following it, odd cult is minding one's back (9)   L?V?T?C?S. Happy with the biblical reference & the anagram format, but what is the justification for "one's" to become "I'VE"?

Apologies for the sheer volume of queries.

 

[Toorak]

1 coveter around ringlet (butterfly)

[Toorak]

6 nee sounds like nay (or rather)

[newmodarmy]

FA waiving F for fine is A

suspended is delayed, sounds like delaide

 

[Toorak]

7 I think anagram of no (t) end of is fine

[Toorak]

8 one's = one has

  I've = I have

both involve reference to the first person

[Toorak]

5 h a bit table (food) - bit and table share t (cell)

[Toorak]

3 only thing I can see is that peas in a pod means to be like any other

[writesbad]

4 Yes, this was very convoluted.

The parsing is:

D (edge of pounD) + ECU (coin) + SET (assigned) + T (This, originally) + UT (Latin “as”) + AMEN (agreed).(so be it)

If you do the Times crossword regularly there is another great forum:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&;source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&;url=https://timesforthetimes.co.uk/&ved=2ahUKEwj7iqawneKLAxUzhv0HHXhAOzkQFnoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2E3VQLU8fIGTt2knrLGjUy