The Spectator

‘Cut down on the blubber.’

Blubber

4 January 2014 9:00 am

Joy to the world

14 December 2013 9:00 am

Pessimism sells. It shifts books and newspapers, sends ratings soaring. It fills lecture halls, wins research grants, makes political careers.…

Portrait of the year

What happened in 2013, from Depardieu's hug to Sachin's last bow

14 December 2013 9:00 am

January David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said he wanted to ‘negotiate a new settlement with our European partners’, and that…

Barometer

14 December 2013 9:00 am

Whose year is it anyway? Some things which 2014 has been declared to be the year of: — Year of…

Letters: Jeff Jarvis defends internet companies, Royal Society fellows defend Lord Lawson

14 December 2013 9:00 am

A net gain Sir: Jamie Bartlett tries to balance plus and minus, and ends with zero (‘Little Brothers are watching…

Christmas past in Spectator letters

14 December 2013 9:00 am

This is a selection of seasonal letters from The Spectator’s 185-year archive, now online at archive.spectator.co.uk. The emblem to the…

Christmas Survey

Spectator survey: What would you tell your 14-year-old self?

14 December 2013 9:00 am

A Spectator Christmas survey

Books and Arts

14 December 2013 9:00 am

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Answers to ‘Spot the Play Title’

14 December 2013 9:00 am

1. Cat Honour Hot Tin Roof 2. Frank Hen Stein 3. Ark A Deer 4. Hammer Day S 5. Hiss…

‘If you can’t be drunk, rude and obnoxious at Christmas, then when can you?’

Drinks

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘Oh no! It’s a twurkey.’

Twurkey

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘Show it an increased fuel bill and it drops all the green stuff.’

Tree

14 December 2013 9:00 am

Cash

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘It’s a repeat of what we watched last Christmas.’

Shepherds

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘You have the body of a teenager — your liver’s shot, and you have a couple of sexually transmitted infections.’

Body

14 December 2013 9:00 am

Wise

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘As you have no close family who’ll be visiting this Christmas, we’ve come to offer you a huge, acrimonious argument if you’d like one.’

Argument

14 December 2013 9:00 am

Satnav

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘Brussels?’

Ukip

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘Plenty of bubble-wrap, elves. People love to pop it…’

Bubblewrap

14 December 2013 9:00 am

Haggis

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘What do you want to watch? Fatal Attraction or Misery?’

Misery

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘A stomach pump! Just what I wanted!’

Pump

14 December 2013 9:00 am

Trumpet

14 December 2013 9:00 am

‘Oh, you poor things! Quick, come into the cold…’

Cold

14 December 2013 9:00 am