Life
2361: Snoot
Unclued lights are anagrams of eight words which are of a kind. Across 1 Result of hooker’s foul work?…
to 2358: Poem IV
The poem was ‘Composed upon WESTMINSTER (1A) Bridge’ by William WORDSWORTH (1D). The words are ASLEEP (20), DOMES (36), EARTH…
Why have I bought a car I don’t actually like?
I am currently in Brittany with the family, having made the 11-hour drive from London on Monday. It sounds like…
The Battle for Britain
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Gareth Bale’s megabucks are not a pretty sight
I must have missed the memo when it became compulsory for major football matches to operate as a marketing opportunity…
Dear Mary: Is it vulgar to give money as a wedding gift?
Q. I work at a desk by a window which looks out on to the street where I live. I…
Food that’s prettier than you are: The Petersham reviewed
The Petersham is a fading hotel on Richmond Hill. I went to a bar mitzvah there in 1986, which gives…
Like ‘gammon’, ‘spasmodic’ was a term to put down a despised tendency
To find out why the poetry of Ebenezer Jones was thought execrably bad, I turned to The Spectator of September…
Dispatch from Pegasus Bridge, Normandy
Pegasus Bridge, Normandy We’re taking morning coffee at the Café Gondrée, which skirts the bridge. It still belongs to…
Catriona’s first bullfight – but would it be her last?
Six Partido de Resina (formerly Pablo Romero) bulls for Rafaelillo, Thomas Dufau and Juan Leal. The first corrida of the…
The poorer I get, the more capitalist I become
‘What a fabulous tan, where did you get it? said one of my fellow lunch guests as we entered the…
My hot tips for the Flat season to come
In his days as a novice jockey in the West Country, Bob Davies, who was to ride more than 900…
Bridge
Martin Hoffman, who died last week, had an extraordinary life. Born in Prague in 1929, he was the only member…
Short shrift
On 10 May, Britain’s most famous grandmaster, Nigel Short, chose the pages of the Times to announce his surprise candidacy…
no. 507
White to play. This position is from Short-Muir, Gibraltar Masters 2004. How did Short bring his kingside attack to a…
A fine bromance
In Competition No. 3049 you were invited to submit a poem about a bromance. Pairings including Friedrich and Karl,…
2360: Diplomatic
One unclued light is the title (two words) of a work by a person whose name is formed by two…
to 2357: Half a Drum
Unclued lights were five fictional TOMs and their authors: JONES (14A) and FIELDING (8D), SAWYER (16A) and TWAIN (35A), BROWN (41A)…
The BBC makes Jeremy Thorpe’s downfall a very enjoyable scandal
As a conservative, I wasn’t sure what to make of the news that the BBC was adapting A Very English…
Battle for Britain
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London Bridge station: Netwór Krail’s £1 billion experiential artwork
In the shadow of the Shard, not far from Borough Market, is a £1 billion public artwork, an allegorical sculpture…
Dear Mary: As best man, can I seduce the groom’s sister?
Q. We often take friends to what my husband calls a ‘poncey’ pub which has won numerous awards and where…
It’s not so easy to turn wine into words
Words, words, words. Over a couple of sessions, we drank a selection of serious wines, starting with a Cantemerle ’05.…
Similar to (as opposed to like, as with, such as)
I’m often annoyed by like being misused in different ways. (In place of as, for example: ‘Like I expected, he was…
The other side of D-Day
Omaha Beach, Normandy I am standing in a German cement bunker having walked through a large gaping hole caused by…
