Life
Gamesters of Triskelion
I first encountered the Triskelion, the traditional coat of arms of the Isle of Man, when I saw Laurence Oliver’s…
No. 430
White to play. This position is from Mamedyarov-Kramnik, Moscow 2016. White’s next concluded the game. What was it? Answers to…
Autumnal
In Competition No. 2969 you were invited to submit a poem about autumn in the style of the poet of…
Dear Mary
Q. My father has been on the warpath to eradicate Tineola bisselliella, the common clothes moth. He told me to…
Some like it posh
Daphne’s serves Italian food in South Kensington. (I like the name because Daphne was the name Jack Lemmon chose for…
High life
New York This is a good time to be in Manhattan, the weather’s perfect, the park and foliage still…
Long life
Monty Don, the television gardening presenter, always comes across on screen as irrepressibly cheerful and enthusiastic, but this is a…
Long life
Monty Don, the television gardening presenter, always comes across on screen as irrepressibly cheerful and enthusiastic, but this is a…
Low life
Six months ago Sally was living in a third floor flat in Glasgow. Then she was thrown into the back…
Low life
Six months ago Sally was living in a third floor flat in Glasgow. Then she was thrown into the back…
Polari
Of the contribution to English that Polari is claimed to have brought, perhaps naff is the most current-sounding. An older…
Real life
Against all odds, I almost got through an entire Brexit dinner with dignity, and without opening the valve in my…
The waning of Wayne
As the final chords of the Wagnerian epic that is ‘The Dropping of Wayne Rooney’ fade away, we can leave…
Sorry, Shami, but you’re wasting your money
I’ve been thinking about poor Shami Chakrabarti and the drubbing she’s suffered since it was revealed she’s sending her son…
Sorry, Shami, but you’re wasting your money
I’ve been thinking about poor Shami Chakrabarti and the drubbing she’s suffered since it was revealed she’s sending her son…
The master of Ballydoyle
The only downside about going racing is irritation born of encountering pig ignorant people who talk through their pockets. Beside…
The master of Ballydoyle
The only downside about going racing is irritation born of encountering pig ignorant people who talk through their pockets. Beside…
Bridge
The Hubert Phillips is one of the EBU’s quirkier knockout tournaments. Firstly every team must contain (and play) at least…
Bridge
It often strikes me that learning to bid is just like mastering a language. As you take on new conventions…
The Battle for Britain
The post The Battle for Britain appeared first on The Spectator. Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment…
High life
New York Back in the Big Bagel once again preparing for the greatest debate ever, one that will decide the…
Creation story
In Competition No. 2968 you were-invited to take the title of a short story by Ted Hughes, How the Whale…
Critique
‘Americans,’ said my husband in much the same tone that Betsey Trotwood said ‘Donkeys’. It was his way of explaining…
Real life
After a year dealing with estate agents I can only say: a plague on all their houses, except the one…
to 2278: Will Alterations
Concealed Shakespearean characters were Rivers, Celia, Celia (again), Hamlet, Costard, Polonius, Snug, Hero, Gallus, Martius, Pistol, Collatine (The Rape of…
