The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word JESTER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
J
E
S
T
E
R
More clues leading to the result JESTER
- Comic way to scoff sandwiches
- Entertainer stumped amid derisive hoot
- A fool to scoff sandwiches fast? Not half
- Judge’s terse order? He must be joking!
- Fool rejects shuffling with no clubs
- Fool chopped trees
- Judge punished terse fool in court
- One funny way to block ridicule
- Derisive remark about extremely stout clown
- Fool to make sarcastic remarks about saint
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "He must be joking!" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case he must be joking! = jester.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does JESTER mean?
JESTER noun- One who jests, jokes or teases.
- A person in colourful garb and fool's cap who amused a medieval and early modern royal or noble court.
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Southeast Asian genus Symbrenthia.