Life
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Q. As a publisher, I have been fortunate to discover an unpublished writer who is the author of some truly…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…
2550: Shorties - solution
The unclued lights and those clued without thematic definition (7, 11, 17, 30, 31, 32, 36 and 41) are SHORTened…
Ordination
In the dying seconds of an online blitz game, I promoted a pawn and instantly regretted it. There was nothing…
The Battle for Britain | 30 April 2022
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Bridge | 30 April 2022
Recently, a friend was browsing through the bridge books on my shelves, when suddenly she burst out laughing. ‘Here’s a…
An extraordinary fracas at the vet
After rushing our little spaniel to the veterinary hospital on the usual bank holiday emergency basis upon which all animals…
Aussie life
Of the 101 Australian military personnel who have been awarded the Victoria Cross, our highest honour for bravery, most lie…
Language
Here it is! I have finally found one word that will describe the Liberal party in its present state— ‘agathokakological’.…
What is possible
There are lessons in chess that cannot be learned from a book. One lands, from time to time, in a…
2549: Obscurity – solution
PALE FIRE is a novel by Vladimir NABOKOV (18). Synonyms of words in the novel’s title are 7, 15A, and…
