Life
Kiwi Language
A tech company claims that anti-vax and anti-lockdown rallies have been ‘astroturfed’. Which means? Well, ‘AstroTurf’ was the world’s first…
Real life
British Gas finally agreed to service my boiler, for no reason I could make out other than the boiler wasn’t…
High life
Do any of you remember the time when everything took place on the terraces and in outdoor cafés? Before everyone…
Bridge
Online bridge has been a lifeline for many players these past 18 months. But not everyone wanted to try it.…
The turf
My best fun, through ten years reporting European politics for CNN, was bumping around the Continent with sparky young producers…
The Manx Liberty Masters
I sat on the plane to the Isle of Man, leafing through a copy of Nigel Short’s new book, Winning.…
Cooking the books
In Competition No. 3218, you were invited to supply a recipe as it might have been written by the author…
2525: Prime Times
The unclued lights (individually or as two pairs), one of three words and three of two words, can be preceded…
Puzzle No. 673
White to play. This was a variation which could arise in the game R. Pert–M. Parligras, Manx Liberty Masters 2021.…
Low life
To lessen the side effects of chemotherapy I am prescribed a corticosteroid. I take a whopping dose around the treatment…
Solution to 2523: Monstrous regiment
The unclued Across lights can be preceded by MISS and the unclued Down lights. MRS 2/15D is the pair. First…
England’s shameful betrayal of Pakistan
Any English person with a love of cricket knows life has its ups and downs. But until now we have…
A love-late relationship
‘Dad, why is it that whenever we go anywhere, we’re always running to catch a train?’ asked Charlie, my 13-year-old.…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. I have recently become a widow. Since my son is away at university, I had the idea of charging…
The real Greek
Lemonia lives in the old Chalk Farm Tavern in Primrose Hill, which is better known as the set of Paddington.…
Perfect storm
When my husband’s whisky glass fell off the little table next to his chair on to next door’s cat, which…
The Battle for Britain
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Aussie Life
Not everyone was as pleased as most Australians were to learn about our historic new defence pact with the UK…
Aussie Language
Just published is Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us by Harvard biologist Carole Hooven. She…
Bame
In its coverage of the shuffled cabinet, the BBC added a note: ‘BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) is a…
Wild life
Laikipia He was turned out in a crisp bush ranger’s uniform and handled his assault rifle like a man hardened…
Bridge
The first serious F2F bridge tournament we have played for almost two years was the Premier League last weekend. Whatever…
A web of fear
Even in my shed at the bottom of the garden I can hear the screams coming from the house. Shrieks…
Solution to 2522: A trifle
Unclued lights were synonyms of NOTHING. ‘A trifle’ is one definition of nothing given in Chambers. First prize James Knox,…
In the soup
In Competition No. 3217, you were invited to supply a poem that begins or ends with the line ‘Why must…
