Show indifference to the semi-shag carpet (5)
I believe the answer is:
shrug
'show indifference' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the semi-shag carpet' is the wordplay.
'the semi shag' becomes 'sh' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'carpet' becomes 'rug' (synonyms).
'sh'+'rug'='SHRUG'
'to' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shrug that I've seen before include "Expression of indifference" , "Expressive movement of shoulders" , "Gesture with one's shoulders" , "Uncaring gesture" , "indifferent response" .)