Life
A wine company after Roger Scruton’s heart
‘Golden’ is often used to describe the hue of some wines in the glass. But there is another resemblance. Gold…
Dear Mary: how can I snoop on my neighbour’s house?
Q. I am at the stage of my life where I am often sending presents to newborn babies. These presents…
No. 724
White to play and mate in two. Composed by Bruce Leverett, Chess Life, 1968. What is White’s first move? Answers…
We’re all victims in the Bagel now – even me
New York That Kim Kardashian dame being fined by the Securities and Exchange Commission for a ‘pump and dump’ scheme…
Me and the builder boyfriend are going to go without hot water
‘I’d like my money back please’ was what I was waiting to tell British Gas, if they ever stopped the…
The genius of bottomless brunch
I’m rather fond of the many service stations on the M4, since I am convinced they are all named after…
Switchback
Vishy Anand’s eyes lit up as he described a beautiful variation from his game with Shakriyar Mamedyarov, played at the…
The making of a Classics winner
For a Radio Four programme she was hosting Clare Balding once had the idea that it would be fun to…
The 100-year-old opiate had lost none of its potency
Our neighbour Michael is a keen and knowledgable attender of vides-greniers, the equivalent of our car-boot sales. His focus is…
Bridge | 15 October 2022
Did you know that a ‘heartbreaker’ is a real term in bridge? It’s described in The Bridge Player’s Encyclopedia as…
Spectator competition winners: short stories entitled ‘The Queue’
In Competition No. 3270, you were invited to submit a short story entitled ‘The Queue’. As well as inspiring this…
The Battle for Britain | 15 October 2022
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2577: Light and dark
The unclued lights (three of two words, one of which has an apostrophe) are of two kinds. Across 6 Eat…
Aussie life
Recent reports of a WA man being killed by a kangaroo have been syndicated by foreign news agencies for much…
Language
The word ‘they’ has two legitimate uses and one illegitimate use. The first proper and legitimate use is as the…
The lessons of New York’s carnage
New York I am seriously thinking of visiting a shrink (just kidding) as I now have definite proof that I…
Bridge | 8 October 2022
The bridge world is experiencing an explosion of junior talent and enthusiasm. One of the very best is Sweden’s Sanna…
British Gas has turned the builder boyfriend into a socialist
A cleverly worded email has arrived from British Gas to explain why, despite the Prime Minister’s announcement, my gas and…
Spectator competition winners: poems about Her late Majesty’s favourite things
In Competition No. 3269, you were invited to write a poem about Her late Majesty’s favourite things. Alongside the more…
Is Russell Brand really so dangerous?
Once the dust has settled over the government’s mini-Budget, another big political battle looms: the Online Safety Bill. This is…
Why ‘pop’ is popping up everywhere
The Guardian kindly tells us that green is a colour whose time has come: ‘A blazer or a cotton shirt…
2573 - solution
The preamble referred to ten symmetrically placed unclued entries which spell out CURRENT PUZZLE NUMBER HAS PRIME FACTORS: THIRTY-ONE, EIGHTY-THREE.…
English rugby is in crisis
Make no mistake: the game of rugby, which many of us love so much, is in serious trouble: it will…
Girls compete
Judit Polgar, the strongest female player of all time, conducted an enchanting interview in the commentary room during the Chennai…
If Blairism were a carvery: the Impeccable Pig reviewed
Labour is 30 points ahead, and in honour of this I review the Impeccable Pig in Sedgefield (Cedd’s field), a…
