The obvious interpretation of a good cryptic crossword clue, taken at face value, should have nothing to do with the answer; in fact, the 'surface meaning' should deliberately lead you astray. This is in contrast to the non-cryptic kind where the solution is a synonym for the clue. Here are two good examples of such clever deception:
Founder of business in Kentucky (4 letters starting with S) by Tim Morey in The Week
Left-wingers, for instance, spouting Marxist doctrine (3 letters starting with I) by Jumbo in The Times
In one case the defining verb masquerades as a noun. In the other, what could be the defining noun is a key part of the word-play.
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