Life
It’s not cruel to shout at dogs
‘Missing Dog, Please Do Not Call, Chase or Try To Grab Her!! She Will Run!!’ This notice, featuring the face…
Spectator competition winners: If Alan Bennett had been a spy
In Competition No. 3247, you were asked to submit the reflections of a well-known writer on a career path they…
2554: Going, going…
The unclued lights, including one of two words, are of a kind, all confirmed in Chambers. A further example (4)…
No. 701
White to play. Reshevsky-Savon, Petropolis 1973. Reshevsky played the awful 1 Qxg6+, and resigned after 1…Bxg6. Many moves win, but…
Gorilla tactics
There is a video in which a small group of students amble about passing a basketball back and forth. The…
The Battle for Britain | 7 May 2022
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How a May Day car-boot sale gave me back my optimism
So that’s it. Is a third world war possible? It’s already begun, opined a retired US general in the newspaper.…
A cake shop from the time of the Profumo affair: Maison Bertaux reviewed
Amid the bronze cladding of Soho, with its pop-up, suck-down restaurants – the Cadbury’s Creme Egg Café was a nadir…
Dear Mary: how do I alert my neighbour to my generosity?
Q. We went for lunch over the bank holiday with the parents of one of my son’s schoolfriends. We had…
Bridge | 7 May 2022
My teammate Thor Erik Hoftaniska is having a bit of a moment. He won last year’s (online) Gold Cup (on…
A bonfire of the quangos should start with the College of Policing
I welcome Jacob Rees-Mogg’s recent announcement that he intends to reignite David Cameron’s ‘bonfire of the quangos’ in his capacity…
The day Elizabeth Taylor kidnapped my daughter
New York Back in the good old days the Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was the hotel for…
Aussie life
The failure of Russian forces to achieve their Ukrainian objectives is said to have surprised nobody more than their commander-in-chief.…
Language
The current prominence of the word ‘gaffe’ is due to the Gaffe Meister himself – Joe Biden. But on investigation…
2553: Island alien
The unclued lights (15 words in total) are to be arranged to provide a definition from Chambers of one of…
The wonder of the Metaphor Map
‘What’s that?’ asked my husband, looking at my laptop. ‘Fibonacci fossilised?’ His question made no sense, but I saw what…
The call of opium-based analgesics and introspection
On the morning of my last day in England, I drew back a curtain and there in the garden, browsing…
The unacknowledged stars of the jump season
The Irish aren’t just good at winning horse races: they are in the Super League when it comes to celebrating…
There’s no one better than Boris
Eighteen months ago, I wrote a column for this magazine saying I regretted having been such a Boris enthusiast for…
My plan to cut congestions on our roads
Much of the current antipathy towards the car derives from the excessive influence Londoners exert over national debates. London is…
The glory days of Central Park
I celebrate two Easters every year, the Catholic one and the Orthodox one, which means I get very drunk on…
A taste of la dolce vita in Tuscany
Amid the grandeur of old Edinburgh, in the lee of the castle, is one of the finest buildings in Scotland:…
Dear Mary: How do I get back the book I lent to a friend?
Q. As a publisher, I have been fortunate to discover an unpublished writer who is the author of some truly…
Spectator competition winners: poets bemoan a problematic appendage
In Competition No. 3246, you were invited to submit a poem in the style of the poet of your choice…
No. 700
White to play and draw. Composed by Jan Timman, 2011. 1 h8=Q Rxd5 wins for Black, so how does White…
