Life
Uncorking the past
I have been thinking about the Dark Ages. This has nothing to do with Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn. A…
High life
I was busy explaining to a 23-year-old American girl by the name of Jennifer why the election result was not…
2314: 4÷4=8
The unclued four-letter words can be paired in a particular way to form the remaining unclued lights, one of two…
Bridge
Every time I read Andrew Robson’s bridge column and he mentions that ‘a reader from wherever’ sent him an interesting…
no. 460
White to play. This is from Wyvill-Williams, London 1851. Can you spot White’s fine winning coup which exploited various tactical…
Health matters
In Competition No. 3001 you were invited to take inspiration from the recently published Walt Whitman’s Guide to Manly Health…
2313: Goldfish by Fieldfare
In ten clues the wordplay leads to the answer plus one extra letter. These letters in clue order give a…
2310: Constitutional Amendment
Procne (37D), Tereus (23D), Scylla (19D) and Arachne (30D) were all given as anagrams, as was Ovid (42D). Daphne (1D)…
Dear Mary
Q. We have received a ‘save the week’ card from friends who take a villa abroad every year. We usually…
Vaulting ambition
To the Ned, as diarists say when they can’t provide a rational reason for their voyage: the colossal banking hall…
High life
New York Main Street is a place, but it’s mostly an idea. It’s where locally owned shops sell stuff…
The Battle for Britain
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Low life
‘Get ready for the stink,’ said Oscar as we walked up the concrete ramp to the entrance of the ape…
Not bloody likely
In My Fair Lady, which came out as a film in 1964, 50 years after Shaw’s Pygmalion, they decided to…
Real life
‘I’m afraid you’ve made a mistake with my council tax,’ I said to the lady at Guildford Borough Council. ‘Right,’…
Hacked off with the haka
Kingsley Amis said the most depressing words in the English language were ‘Shall we go straight in?’ — meaning no…
Why I’m backing Corbyn the Great
Comrades. I’m going to tell you why I think Jeremy Corbyn is the right person to lead this country. First…
The turf
Nobody I know has ever been interviewed by an opinion pollster. Nor do I ever encounter anybody who has won…
Parliamentary moves
With the election dominating the news, this week I focus on the strongest chess player to have entered Parliament. Marmaduke…
Question time
In Competition No. 3000 you were invited to provide an answer, in verse or prose, to a famous literary question…
2312: Bandleader
Two unclued lights form the title by which a 38 32 is commonly known. This title’s first word defines one…
2309: Complicated
Corrections of misprints in clues give TANGLED UP IN BLUE, the title of a song by Bob Dylan. Answers to…
Dear Mary
Q. I am a member of a well-known country house opera society, and I organise annual trips to performances for…
Rosé-tinted glasses
It was a typical bank holiday. Usual English weather: glorious, until you leave home without a brolly. Then fickleness supervenes…
High life
I feel like an obituary writer, what with Nick Scott, Roger Moore, Alistair Horne — all great buddies — and…
