Crossword Genius

Expect caper, confusing it with pea (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

anticipate

'expect' is the definition.
(anticipating is a kind of expecting)

'caper confusing it with pea' is the wordplay.
'caper' becomes 'antic' (synonyms).
'confusing' indicates anagramming the letters.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'it' after 'pea' is 'peait'.
'peait' is an anagram of 'ipate'.
'antic'+'ipate'='ANTICIPATE'

(Other definitions for anticipate that I've seen before include "Expect" , "Bargain for" , "Look forward to" , "Foresee" , "Figure on" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app