Life
Aussie Life
At time of writing, Australia is sixth on the Tokyo medal ladder and with only one day of competition left…
Aussie Language
In December the various dictionaries will announce their choice for the Word of the Year title. For a while I…
Dear Mary
Q. A very old friend has rented a holiday house and invited my husband and me to stay. The property…
My marital own goal
The fighting started just as Caroline turned right on to the Uxbridge Road after emerging from QPR’s stadium on Loftus…
To the gentlemen of Verona
There was a marvellous general of yesteryear called George Burns. He had a good war and a splendid peace. He…
A cocktail of errors
I often argue that, in theory at least, well-made cocktails are indisputably better than wines costing 20 times more. My…
Actor
‘That chap in Line of Duty. That’s what I’d call a bad actor,’ said my husband with vague certainty. He…
Real life
‘Contact a GP if you’re worried about symptoms four weeks after having Covid.’ That was the NHS quote on the…
Sing a song of Covid
In Competition No. 3211 you were invited to submit a nursery rhyme inspired by the pandemic. When I set this…
2519: Not so up-to-date
One clued solution can precede each unclued light (four of two words and one of three), all to be found…
Solution to 2516: Such childish vocabulary
The unclued lights are the nouns from the opening sentence of The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter. TAFFETA was…
The Battle for Britain
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Low life
I was sitting quite still at the typewriter when a plump mouse emerged from under the fridge and crossed the…
Puzzle No. 666
White to play. Abdusattorov–Durarbayli, Sochi 2021. The endgame looks tricky, but White found a way to force a quick mate.…
High life
Coronis Embracing one’s vulnerability seems to have replaced the higher, faster, stronger ethos of the Olympics. The very frailty that…
Calculated risks
Two years ago, the brilliant young Polish player Jan-Krzysztof Duda made a baffling decision. In the second game of his…
Bridge
Most of us have lost a year and a bit, but hopefully we will get back to normal (bridgewise) fairly…
Aussie Life
The voiceover says new ABC series Ms Represented is all about Australian women in politics but really it’s all about…
Aussie Language
When Kaylee McKeown won Olympic gold her comment on worldwide television became the headline. Her sister and mum were watching…
Puzzle No. 665
White to play. Adhiban–Delgado Ramirez, Sochi 2021. White has more than one good move, but Adhiban found a spectacular way…
The Fide World Cup
As I write this, the Fide World Cup is underway in Sochi, the Black Sea resort in Russia which hosted…
What a Games
Avery Brundage was known to his enemies as Avery Ice Age — and to quite a few of his friends…
2518: Make a run for it?
11 Across (three words) is a phrase suggested by the puzzle’s title explaining how to arrive at the other unclued…
A time to live, a time to diet
I hadn’t noticed how much weight I’d put on during lockdown until I went out for a business lunch a…
The Battle for Britain
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