Life
What Boris Johnson’s vacuum cleaner saw
In Competition No. 3199, you were invited to supply a poem in which an inanimate object comments on its owner’s…
2504: Collectors’ Items - solution
Unclued lights are nuts, as suggested in the perimetrical rhyme. First prize Adrian George, Barton under Needwood, Staffs Runners-up Willie…
2508: Knightly?
The unclued lights (one of four words) are legendary. Across 9 Broadcast live in Torbay possibly to no avail (10)…
The Battle for Britain | 22 May 2021
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Indian variant
Modern chess includes a panoply of ‘Indian’ openings, which share a common root in the starting moves 1 d4 Nf6…
Just how far will the NHS go to get me jabbed up?
More threatening letters from the NHS demanding I let them jab me up with two Covid vaccinations. Or as the…
Bridge | 22 May 2021
We all know the importance of making a viable plan before we play. If a contract is poor and seems…
I can finally spill the beans about Halston and Princess Margaret
New York Already on your idiot box via Netflix is a mini-series about a man who also used one name,…
The joy of ironing
On the Saturday morning of the Ascension Day bank holiday, I swung down the stairs and ladder to the little…
The problem with decolonising Shakespeare
Scarcely a day passes without a major British institution announcing it is ‘decolonising’ itself. Most recently it was the turn…
A novel approach to New Zealand’s wine
The last Saturday of lockdown — inshallah — and we were discussing literature. Specifically, when does a detective story become…
Dear Mary: What is the etiquette around gifts for virtual weddings?
Q. We have been invited to a virtual wedding. Is it correct form to send a present?— P.F., Barrow Street,…
‘Level’ has a bumpy history
‘I must level with you, level with the British public, many more families are going to lose loved ones.’ That…
Aussie Life
A recent jaunt through the NSW South Coast town of Bermagui sparked a friendly family rivalry over whose forebears had…
Aussie Language
There is an organisation called ‘Dying with Dignity’. In their most recent newsletter they say, ‘The NSW Parliament looks set…
Dear Mary: How do I tell my fiancee that she eats with her mouth open?
Q. I’ve recently been approached by a very good friend who — with genuinely admirable candour and tact — pointed…
Pretty food with a side order of pollution: 28-50 reviewed
You cannot have cars and dining tables in the same dreamscape: it doesn’t work, unless you think carbon monoxide is…
Shakespeare didn’t need to know the difference between ‘its’ and ‘it’s’
An item on the BBC news site didn’t mean what it said: ‘The latest move is part of a wider…
Thoughts on a foreign clash of the English titans
Thank heavens the Champions League final is being played in Portugal, now Turkey’s off the menu (sorry). It will certainly…
Our confusing voting system has cost me £25
Some 114,201 ballots were rejected in the first round of the London mayoral election, approximately 5 per cent of the…
The Battle for Britain | 15 May 2021
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
My Twelve to Follow on the Flat
Combing through race recordings to try to find some fun horses for Spectator readers this summer, I have been struck…
Bridge | 15 May 2021
I’m not surprised so many scientific studies have shown that bridge staves off dementia: the game provides a constant workout…
What’s it worth?
The rule of thumb for weighing up piece exchanges says that pawns are worth one, knights and bishops three, rooks…
No. 653
White to play, Jones–Dominguez, New in Chess Classic, April 2021. Gawain Jones was hoping that his rook and pawn would…
