Life
On the hunt for corruption at Reform party conference
As seen in the Guardian It’s the end of the hottest summer in British history, and the business reception at…
How whimsy took over
An intelligent reader is annoyed by whimsy. ‘Clothes, interiors, children’s birthdays… it’s everywhere!’ she exclaims. ‘What is whimsy anyway?’ It…
Does a dog-friendly car exist?
The valet parking man at Gatwick climbed out of my car with an expression that suggested he’d just driven a…
Driverless cars must learn to drive like Brits
I’ve ridden in Waymo driverless taxis in both Miami and Austin and it is, as you would expect, a slightly…
Never trust a happy jogger
What is it for? Jogging means being in a hurry to get nowhere in particular as fast as possible. And…
The Jason Arday review already knows who to blame
In case you were in any doubt that Cambridge University’s ‘independent review’ into the Jason Arday affair will blame the…
2766: Letters latent – solution
Within seven unclued lights were spelled out the letters spelling RHYTHMS (23D): LANYarD (28A), KURDaitchA (41A), LAwyeR (5A), PRIVAteeRSMAN (1D),…
2769: Order
Two unclued lights provide a position and a location (three words). Another entry indicates what happened to the seven unclued…
Spectator Competition: Hard times
For Competition 3466 you were invited to submit a short story with a topical theme written in the style of…
No. 916
White to play and win. Composed by Henri Rinck, Basler Nachrichten, 1922. Email answers (first move only) to chess@spectator.co.uk by…
Will chess be ‘solved’?
Elon Musk enjoys winding up chess players. In 2022, he posted on X that chess is ‘too simple to be…
Aussie life
The Weekend Australian recently published two jeremiads discussing the slough of despond formerly known as Great Britain. John O’Sullivan’s ‘How…
Language
The ‘Great Game’ is an expression largely forgotten these days. The compound noun ‘the Great Game’ seems to have been…
‘Maybe I’m better when everyone hates me’: An interview with Oisin Murphy
‘I used to live with three jockeys in a small village called Dualla, near Cashel. They would watch the wrestling…
Blackberries wait for no woman – so make jam
My kitchen is not ready for blackberry jam. I am not ready for blackberry jam. The heat of summer is…
Drink away the autumn grey with Chardonnay
Summer is on its way out and, like almost everyone else in my part of London, we fled the noise…
Dear Mary: where should I park my car at my boyfriend’s parents’ house?
Q. My boyfriend’s family live in a very pretty Georgian house in the country. The family park their cars at…
Praying mantises are more like women than scientists think
Dante’s Beach, Ravenna The night as ever was bloody hot and in the words of Dylan Thomas ‘bible black’ when…
My dog’s an accident waiting to happen
‘My apologies again for you nearly losing your leg,’ I said to the young Frenchman as he and his family…
A kitchen sink drama
‘We had a terrible row just before you all arrived,’ I was saying in a stage whisper over breakfast on…
Cycling is the most dangerous sport
Who’s the greatest athlete on the planet? It’s hard to look beyond the Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, five times winner…
Gen Z, worried about your job prospects? I have the answer
As seen on Substack It is three o’clock on Thursday when Saffie texts me asking to meet up at Blank…
The dialect Spain forgot
‘It made me sick to think of the work that must go into the making of such a thing,’ George…
2765: Some beef – solution
Triplets related to WELLINGTON were WW2 bombers (4A, 13, 26), boots (11, 27, 32 and NZ cities (1D, 12, 31).…
