Geographical and anatomical infelicities ... but don’t worry, they’re only from the fictional puzzles among our pick of the best of the broadsheets’ cryptics
Bravo, Wiglaf, responding to the election of Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Ukranian president…
1acKyiv’s new ‘tsar’ is comic, he noted (10)
[ wordplay: anagram (‘comic’) of KYIVS + abbrev. for ‘new’ + TSAR ]
[ anagram of KYIVSNTSAR ]
[ definition: composer (‘he noted’) ]
Plaque to Rev John Graham / Araucaria inside Somersham Church. A memorable @guardian crossword compiler among many other things. pic.twitter.com/R3aXWCy2Th
— The tie-break will now come into operation. Caracas. Caracas is the capital of which South American country? Hands up: Mr Edberg?
— Peru?
— Sorry, Mr Hlasek?
— Colombia …?
— … is the correct answer! Game, set and match to Mr Hlasek.
Behind Amy an ancient man wearing an inkman’s visor and sleeve garters toils at a large checkerboard surface over which he shuffles letter tiles and blank spaces.
ANCIENT PUZZLER
Say, Amy, what’s a six-letter word for an affliction of the hypothalamus?
AMY
(still typing)
– And it’s a cinch – goitre – it’s a cinch this guy isn’t on it.
— Advantage Edberg. Incidentally, while they’re just playing this point, er, I can’t get four down in the Times crossword today. ‘Exterior in a shout, three letters’.
— Out!
— Ah yes, of course, that’s it: thank you.
7d Gone off and fled with police in pursuit (6)
[ wordplay: synonym for ‘fled’, followed by (‘in pursuit’) abbrev. for law-enforcement branch (‘police’) ]
[ RAN + CID ]
[ definition: ‘gone off’ ]