Life
Pleasing perversity: St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar by Searcys reviewed
The St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar by Searcys is as expansive as its name, but ghostly. It is an…
Aussie life
The café of the suburban outdoor pool I swam in when I lived in Melbourne in the 1990’s had a…
Aussie language
In the light of the catastrophic floods on the east coast, it’s time to talk about ‘climate science’. Not the…
When people say ‘do your bit for your country’ what they mean is ‘do your bit for my holiday’
Trying to get hold of HRT in the time of Covid is like trying to score crack. Possibly, scoring crack…
Wine by the jug in Venetian Venice
We were discussing travel, that forbidden delight now tantalisingly close. Where would be our first destination? Forswearing originality, I chose…
Dear Mary: What’s the etiquette of loo-flushing for overnight guests?
Q. My husband and I have started receiving invitations to large summer events scheduled for after 21 June. We have…
What’s so great about ‘super’?
‘Wizard,’ said William. ‘Super,’ said Ginger, in William and the Moon Rocket (1954). More recently we have had Alex Salmond,…
We need Voltaire more than ever
New York The high life has gone with the wind because of you know what. The last time I went…
Video calls are the new penny post
Dear Sir, I beg to introduce myself to you as a clerk in the Accounts Department of the Port Trust…
Bridge | 24 April 2021
There are many drawbacks to playing bridge online but there is one thing that’s quite enjoyable: the speed and accuracy…
The Battle for Britain | 24 April 2021
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Am I really paying £3,000 for six days in Wales?
Has it ever been more difficult to plan a family holiday? At the time of writing, it is illegal to…
I have been ambushed by the past
The other week I turned up for the village walking club’s Monday hike. A dawn meet. Two cars. A 90-minute…
The Polgar Challenge
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, at 15 years old one of India’s most exceptional young players, emerged as the winner of the Polgar…
No. 650
Black to play. Praggnanandhaa–Salimova, April 2021. White’s last move, Bg2-f3, was a blunder. Which move should Black play to exploit…
Spectator competition winners: racy versions of the classics
In Competition No. 3195, you were invited to submit an extract from the racier, mass-market version of a well-known literary…
2503: Applery
Six unclued lights are the names of traditional English county towns with one letter misprinted so as to form new…
2500: 50 x 50 - solution
The solution grid includes the letter L fifty times (L x 50 = 2500). Coincidentally, Doc and his wife, Jean,…
Aussie life
In a recent edition of The Drum on the ABC, host Ellen Fanning addressed the issue of Aboriginal deaths in…
Aussie language
The Root is an African American online magazine that breaks astonishing news. While the rest of the world is worried…
No. 649
White to play. Van Wely–Shimanov, March 2021. White has several tempting options here, but one move is much stronger than…
2502: Nay-sayers?
The unclued lights (two of two words) are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer. Across 4 High-handed relation in…
The Battle for Britain | 17 April 2021
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Let’s show vaccine passports for football fans the red card
As I’ve written before, the thing I’ve missed the most in the past 12 months is going to see QPR…
Spectator competition winners: a kiwi fruit for Emily Dickinson
In Competition No. 3194, a nod to Keats and Tony Harrison, you were invited to write a poem about a…
