Life
Med winter warmer
The larger islands of the Mediterranean all have their glories. Fought over for millennia, they now seem to have attained…
Seeing is believing
In Jake’s Thing, Kingsley Amis gave it a name: he called it ‘the inverted pyramid of piss’: ‘One of [Geoffrey…
Late capitalism
‘More to my taste is Trockenbeerenkapitalismus,’ said my husband with an intonation that indicated a joke. The joke was a…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. My husband and I have made friends with two distinguished, although fairly eccentric, writers whose company we thoroughly enjoy.…
Where’s my trigger warning?
Last week brought the news that some universities have attached more ‘trigger warnings’ to certain books, concerned that students may…
Low Life
Harley Granville-Barker, actor, director, playwright, manager and critic, was a pasha of the Edwardian London stage. As a director, his…
2541: Beastly
The unclued lights are to be resolved into four (unrelated, non-thematic) phrases which share a common format. Across 12…
Puzzle no. 688
White to play. Dardha–Shuvalova, Tata Steel Challengers 2022. The 16-year-old grandmaster from Belgium found a crisp way to finish the…
Battle for Britain
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Bridge
I’ve been friends with the England player Mike Bell for many years; as top bridge professionals go, I’d say he…
Real life
After an incredible 13 emails, Vodafone decided that I was who I was claiming to be, and refunded my money.…
Aussie Life
Even in Australian publications of a conspicuously conservative disposition, it has been some time since any respected pundit has suggested,…
Aussie Language
Here’s a delightful expression I have just encountered: ‘offence archaeology’. This is the practice of going through the social media…
2540: Recycling components
Eight unclued lights, arranged symmetrically, comprise two quartets, one of which makes the other go round. Across 1 How…
Low life
‘Sorry I’m late,’ I said to the big unit stationed behind her computer. She’s the chief, this one. She shows…
Real life
After launching an investigation into my missing phone, Vodafone informed me it could not deal with me any further until…
Bridge
During lockdown I had a bit of a tidy-up and came across a Post-it note with the following statement written…
Helpmeet
‘What’s so funny?’ asked my husband, accusingly, as I made an amused noise while relaxing with a copy of the…
High life
Gstaad Dinner parties are no longer verboten here, so I posed a question to some youngsters my son had over:…
Going downhill fast
As we digest another Ashes thrashing for England’s cricketers in Australia, and wonder whether the 1966 World Cup victory will…
Puzzle no. 687
Black to play. Grandelius–Rapport, Tata Steel Chess 2022. With a bishop resting on a3, the White king can never sit…
Lillie’s pad
The Cadogan hotel, Chelsea, is where Oscar Wilde was arrested for sodomy and gross indecency in 1895, in Room 118,…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. I treat myself to a manicure every ten days. It’s a 30-minute appointment and the girl I use is…
Highway to hell
I did a speed awareness course on Monday. For the uninitiated, you have the option of doing one of these…
Battle for Britain
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