inspired idea

[Vladv1]

"It nearly didn’t happen. When his sister Margaret first suggested he wear the same uniform he’d been in such a hurry to leave behind at 15 – inspired by her memories of seeing him playing guitar in uniform, having raced home from school and immediately picked up his guitar – Angus was appalled. Malcolm and George, though, thought it "an inspired idea". Angus just thought they were taking the p*ss.

Mick Wall, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be"".

What does "an inspired idea" mean? Is it a typo? Should it be "inspiring idea"?

 

[emsr2d2]

No, the original is correct. The phrase doesn't mean that the idea is supposed to inspire others. It means that the idea came from a (sudden) surge of inspiration in the mind of the person who came up with it.
British English uses a shortened form of this using just the adjective.

A: We could solve the problem by just using tiles instead of wallpaper.
B: That's inspired!!! Let's do that.

It's basically just a way of emphasising how good the speaker thinks the idea is.

 

[jonathan58]

"It nearly didn’t happen. When his sister Margaret first suggested he wear the same uniform he’d been in such a hurry to leave behind at 15 – inspired by her memories of seeing him playing guitar in uniform, having raced home from school and immediately picked up his guitar – Angus was appalled. Malcolm and George, though, thought it "an inspired idea". Angus just thought they were taking the p*ss.

Mick Wall, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be"".

What does "an inspired idea" mean? Is it a typo? Should it be "inspiring idea"?

"An inspired idea" means a very creative or brilliant idea. It is not a typo and is correct in this context. "Inspiring idea" would mean an idea that motivates or encourages, which is slightly different.