Life
Battle for Britain
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Sport's greatest winning streaks
Sport is all about streaks, winning and losing, though whether one of the gloomiest runs in world sport — England’s…
Dear Mary: How can I make sure I get frisked at airports?
Q. An architect is overseeing some builders at my house. She is a perfectly nice woman but has a maddening…
The rudest restaurants in London
Wong Kei is a mad Chinese restaurant on Wardour Street, Chinatown. Until recently it was considered the rudest restaurant in…
How DO you pronounce 'Marylebone'?
‘Take a trip to Marylebone station,’ chanted my husband. ‘Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.’ I had been…
End of the rude
Wong Kei is a mad Chinese restaurant on Wardour Street, Chinatown. Until recently it was considered the rudest restaurant in…
A real winner
Sport is all about streaks, winning and losing, though whether one of the gloomiest runs in world sport — England’s…
Twelve to Follow
In sport, winning is everything. Come second and only your parents and the dog remember. Most readers will have forgotten…
The accidental wit and wisdom of Samuel Goldwyn
For some of you younger readers the name Schmuel Gelbfisz will not ring a bell. Yet back in the Thirties…
My love for Sharon was like a mental illness
As Sharon stooped to pour boiling water from the kettle into two mugs, I studied her back and wondered what,…
Herbal remedies for horses? I'm half tempted to try them myself...
You know you’ve been irreversibly sucked into the ninth circle of horse-owning hell when you find yourself perusing an equine…
Would the urine of an eight-year-old protect my chickens?
I was predicting in a recent column that the arrival of spring would be bad news for my poultry, and…
Bridge
The more I watch top-class players bid their hands, the more I abide by the philosophy: points, schmoints! Obviously, we…
Pantheon
From 1950 to 1962, the challenger for the world title was determined by a Candidates tournament of the world’s leading…
No. 313
White to play. This position is from Tal-Smyslov, Candidates Tournament 1959. White’s next move was a bombshell which led to…
The write stuff
In Competition No. 2846 you were invited to invent the six rules for writing of a well-known author of your…
2161: Appellation contrôlée
The unclued lights (one doubly hyphened) share a medical similarity. (Despite appearances there are no rude words in the puzzle!)…
to 2158: Late bloomers
The unclued lights are the surnames of people (nine of whom were botanists) who gave their names to flowers. …
I love everything about supporting QPR — except watching them play
I find it hard to pinpoint the exact moment when my support for Queen’s Park Rangers crossed over into full-blown…
Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Why I no longer want to live in America
A few years ago I would have quite liked to live in America. I’m not sure now. For one thing,…
Dear Mary: How can I spike a gossip-pedlar’s guns?
Q. On arrival at a top level dinner, I was surprised to see at the table a woman who, I…
A military funeral for a heroic vintage
Alas, the ’63 ports are beginning to fade. I came to that conclusion the last time I tasted a Warre’s,…
What the French now mean when they say ‘bugger’
The French for tête-à-tête is one-to-one now, according to a new survey of English invaders by Alexandre des Isnards. Actually,…
A military port
Alas, the ’63 ports are beginning to fade. I came to that conclusion the last time I tasted a Warre’s,…
