Life
Kiwi Life
For New Zealanders to be losing our democracy may be due to sheer carelessness, ignorance, or even stupidity, not to…
Kiwi Language
Nancy Pelosi succeeded in banning ‘mother’ from appearing in the paperwork of Congress. Now the ANU’s Gender Institute Handbook wants…
2495: Contrary
Four unclued lights of a kind, one of two words with an apostrophe, include the theme word. The remaining unclued…
High life
Gstaad The sun has returned, the snow is so-so, and exercise has replaced everything, including romance. What a way to…
Wave power
In Competition No. 3187 you were asked to provide a sea shanty on a topical theme. This challenge was an…
Dear Mary
Q. Our friend lives far away, but comes to stay at her country place nearby several times a year. Some…
Memories of Stellenbosch
Lockdown provides time to think, and to reminisce. A South African friend, trapped in Amsterdam, phoned the other day. Had…
Espouse
What do people think espouse means? It looks fairly plain, since spouses are to have and to hold, or indeed…
Opportunity knocks
There is a kind of conversation which sounds intelligent, and which makes sense at first hearing, but which deeper thought…
Synthetic diamonds
Diamonds are forever, they say. Likewise, brilliant games of chess have an everlasting sparkle. I will never tire of replaying…
The secret code of the ruling class
I naively hoped that last year’s statement by the Equalities Minister explaining why unconscious bias training was being phased out…
Real life
‘Anything you say may be given in evidence. Do you have anything to say?’ I looked at the baby-faced police…
Solution to 2492: Little man
The solution at 1 Across includes the theme-word PAUL which means ‘little’, hence the puzzle’s title. First prize Mike Leese,…
Puzzle No. 642
Black to play. Warakomski-–Korobov, February 2021. White has a pin on the b-file and 1…Bxg2+ 2 Kxg2 Bc5 3 Rb7…
The Battle for Britain
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Bridge
The late, great Martin Hoffman always claimed he was the unluckiest player in the world. If he was playing rubber,…
Low life
After weeks of living in the 18th century, going everywhere on foot and encountering few other souls, I drove to…
Aussie Life
The most powerful ad I created for David Cameron’s 2010 election campaign was a billboard featuring a still from a…
Aussie Language
A Speccie reader has asked if it is linguistically permissible to label the tactics of climate catastrophists as ‘brainwashing.’ The…
High life
Gstaad Good old Helvetia. I’m quitting her for the rainy but pleasant land of England. The cows are beginning to…
How to tackle rugby’s doldrums
French rugby has always been well stocked with boeuf but now it has added lashings of exceptionally tangy moutarde and…
Puzzle no. 641
White to play. Carlsen–Vachier-Lagrave, Opera Euro Rapid 2020. Carlsen played 31 Bd4+ Rxd4 32 cxd4 Bxd4 which should be drawn,…
Gritti drama
Dining in catastrophe used to be more interesting: but we must be fair. It was a smaller (and wetter) catastrophe:…
Dear Mary
Q. My mother, aged 87, has taken to forwarding me by email slightly risqué jokes. Her carer is the recipient…
Nimble
‘I’ll stick to being Brazilian,’ said my husband. It was a family joke. Every time a politician on the radio…
