Life
Aussie Language
The hot political word of the moment has to be faction. In Victoria the anti-corruption body, IBAC, is currently investigating…
Dear Mary
Q. I belong to a fairly intimate private club which is the one reliable oasis of calm and civility that…
The Battle for Britain
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Think about the children
When Caroline and I got married in 2001, having four kids was not only fashionable, it was the socially responsible…
Spanish gold
Piccadilly is losing its patina of dirt, its cadaverous character. It is overpriced and over-renovated,a meeting place for luxury goods.…
High life
Gstaad I have two special girlfriends, Lynne and Fiona, the ladies who guard The Spectator’s entrance against the outraged #MeToo…
Bridge
Succumbing to your emotions at the bridge table can be fatal. Whatever you’re feeling, get a grip! Easier said than…
The turf
Ascot’s image is all champagne and fascinators, high society and high rollers. Said Art Buchwald: ‘Ascot is so exclusive that…
2534: Off-pitch
Eight unclued lights (four of two words) are of a kind. Across 1 False prophet faces interjection, perhaps (12,…
Poor Ole wasn’t cut out for Man U
Manchester United have ended up with a temporary coach before they look for an interim manager. Haven’t we heard that…
Real life
Surprise, surprise. The person who had the shield taken out of the street light so it shone back into my…
Ramp down
Language change outdoes nonsense, just as misbehaviour outdoes satire. In Through the Looking-Glass Alice mentions to the Gnat that, where…
Low life
After checking me in, the receptionist, who was wearing an overcoat, said: ‘There is no heating in the hotel. The…
The world championship
‘Time to say Dubai,’ tweeted Magnus Carlsen, like some wry Bond villain, when he learned that the Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi…
Puzzle No. 681
White to play. Erigaisi–Liem, Tata Steel Rapid, 2021. Here 1 Rxf6? Qd1+ sees White getting mated on the back rank.…
Show time
In Competition No. 3226, you were invited to rewrite, in pompous and prolix style, any well-known simple poem. The seed…
Solution To 2531: Villainy
The unclued lights are VILLAINS encountered by James Bond. First prize Ian Skillen, Cambuslang, Glasgow Runners-up Liz Knights, Walton Highway,…
Aussie Life
You know the royals are in trouble when a prominent member of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy writes an article suggesting…
Aussie Language
It’s that time of the year again—when dictionaries around the world start announcing their chosen ‘Word of the Year’. First…
2533: Monday’s Child
A nine-word phrase (in five unclued lights, two used twice) opens a work for 1A (three words) by 8 (two…
Battle for Britain
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Uranus
I had thought there were two pronunciations of Uranus. My husband, still capable of distinguishing the anatomical from the planetary,…
Taking back control
A friend of mine recently visited a company in Europe which plans to manufacture human-carrying, pilotless drones. These would be…
Low life
Foolishly I chose new specs in the village optician’s after a long lunch: a rather outré design that I might…
High life
New York I’ve never met anyone called Othello, certainly not in Venice nor in Cyprus, but perhaps there are men…
