Life
Jeremy Clarke: Taki makes me feel like dancing
‘Jeremy! Jeremy! I can’t believe it! There’s no bloody booze!’ I’d walked into the music room where Elgar and Fauré…
Melissa Kite: I am thinking of copyrighting My Builder Boyfriend
The Builder Boyfriend has nearly moved in. I say nearly because we are both quite nervous about committing to each…
Alexander Chancellor: It seemed a little creepy that thousands of people wanted to
My village, Stoke Bruerne in south Northamptonshire, is just getting back to normal after a great influx of visitors for…
Aidan Hartley: I have been shot at and bombed so why do I fear a pyramid?
It was towards dusk by the time we had given the tourist police the slip and started climbing the pyramid…
Bridge
If you are allergic to wasp stings, may I give you a word of advice? Keep away from them! Don’t…
World Cup
The recently concluded Fide (World Chess Federation) World Cup held at Tromso in Norway resulted in a triumph for Vladimir…
puzzle no. 284
Black to play. This position is from Riazantsev-Felgaer, Tromso 2013. Black’s forces have invaded the white kingside. Can you spot…
Winner: "Psychopaths of Glory — Unlocking the Bastard Within
In Competition 2815 you were invited to contribute to the booming genre of self-help by proposing a new title guaranteed…
2131: Present
16/17 (four words in total) is a work by 11 which suggests the remaining unclued lights. Five clues contain a…
Solution to 2128: carbon copy
The puzzle marked a DOUBLE TON (42/27) by DUMPYNOSE (11) in THE SPECTATOR (17/19). Remaining unclued lights suggest a DOUBLETON:…
Why I want my schools to ban the burka (and the miniskirt)
For most people, the question of whether to ban the burka is a purely theoretical one. Not for me. As…
Dave
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Golf’s $10 million nobodies
Golf has reached the eye-watering end of the season in the United States. By Sunday night, one man in a…
Dear Mary: How can I make my host pour me a drink?
Q. Some years ago, on holiday in Egypt, we found ourselves in the company of a couple who wanted to…
A restaurant in a synagogue. How strange can it be?
A restaurant in a synagogue may be too mad even for this column but we are Jews, so why not?…
Capital letters
One man’s grammatical nicety is another man’s grotesque solecism, I thought, as I perused a report in the Gulf News,…
Proper kosher
A restaurant in a synagogue may be too mad even for this column but we are Jews, so why not?…
$10 million nobodies
Golf has reached the eye-watering end of the season in the United States. By Sunday night, one man in a…
Wild life
It was towards dusk by the time we had given the tourist police the slip and started climbing the pyramid…
Taki: My perfect afternoon? Getting drunk with Spectator readers
To London for a brief visit to meet Spectator readers, as nice a reason as I can think of for…
Jeremy Clarke: How to cheat at a pub quiz without even knowing it
One evening last week, I trotted over to the caravan site’s clubhouse to use the wifi and pick up emails.…
Melissa Kite: My horse show shame
‘Congratulations! You’ve qualified for The Sunshine Tour!’ beamed the lady judge, as she pinned a rosette to my horse’s bridle.…
Alexander Chancellor: Pursued around the world by a thousand books
It is exactly 40 years since my elder brother John gave up a successful career as a publisher to set…
Robin Oakley: Henry Candy's brilliant bargains
Cape Peron was my easiest choice for our Twelve to Follow. When Henry Candy smiles his gentle smile, as he…
Bridge
In any sport, a sense of elation is a dangerous thing. When a player does something good, he can’t afford…
