Surely not….. Ricochet A failed first attempt at needlework. Paradox The National Ambulance Service. Influence The practice of sending a child up a chimney. Calculus The procedure followed in order to conduct the national census. Imminent ‘Yes, I work in television, don’t you know?’ Fluctuate Dyspeptic regret. Ramshackle A form of restraint required to keep…
From 2014, asking the question ‘Is the world a better place? O tempora! O mores! “21st century citizen. Do you belong in this day and age? If you do, explain why – and if you don’t, when in human history would you rather be?” A bit tricky this one, because there’s good and bad today,…
As soon as I saw that his week’s theme was ‘Dads and Grads’ I realised two things. The first was that it must be Fathers’ Day today. Secondly and more importantly that I knew exactly which song I wanted to feature. I knew I had posted about this before, but as it was over nine…
Pull the other one….. Who has a licence to kill? The chasse. Who had a perfect 10? Madame. Who said ‘I’ll be back’? Penny: she’s a very bad girl. Who wanted to be a ‘real boy’? Pete Townshend. Who had breakfast at Tiffany’s? Tiffany. What happened in Wall Street? Stayed in Wall Street. Where would…
From 2013. I’m not a poet – and boy, do I know it. Haiku: On the gift of poesy I always wantedTo write a haiku…Oh wait,I think I just have. (That’s enough poetry – Ed.) Fandango’s Flashback Friday 19 June 2026
If my contribution to SLS last week was pretty mainstream (and none the worse for that), this one’s a bit out there. The theme for this week is dependence and/or trustworthiness. I dismissed the idea of ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, good song though it is, because the first thing that came into my…
Something beginning with K perhaps?… Artichoke A following wind. Brass A pair of highly polished peaches. Criteria Sticker required to access low emission zones in France. Doppelganger A double agent who has infiltrated both the Crips and the Bloods. Effervescent The smell of a bubble bath. Frugal A female fruitarian. Gossamer Someone who goes to…
From 2014, another example of a grammar pedant at work… Laying Down The Law You may have seen that the State opening of Parliament took place last week. This is when Her Majesty blocks the traffic in central London to go to the House of Lords and deliver ‘the Queen’s Speech’. This homily – not written…
The first Sunday of the month, so it’s time to find something by an artiste with a June birthday. As ever, there’s no shortage of possibilities, but I didn’t have to look very far this time. It just had to be Macca: Paul McCartney, born on 14 June 1942 – in Liverpool, of course. But…
Are you pulling my leg? Again? What is the difference between Biweekly and a fortnight? Another two biweeklies. How much oil would your lantern need to last a fortnight? But I don’t need a lantern… If you spent a fortnight in Paris, what would you see? A big dent in your bank balance. What’s the…
From 2014, a musing on parental responsibility… No, I will NOT act my age ‘Granpa, do you miss being a kid?’ Not the sort of question you expect to come, à propos of nothing, from a seven year old tucking enthusiastically into his breakfast. Nonetheless, a fair enough one, and deserving of a measured response. ‘Well no,…
Don’t believe a word of it… What is a tandem? When you forget to put Factor 50 on the soles of your feet. What is a periwinkle? That’s private. What’s the difference between a pitcher and a ewer? Ewers don’t play baseball. Who was Penelope Pitstop? Token eye candy from Formula 1 TV coverage in…
“When faced with confrontation do you head for the hills or walk straight in? Was there ever a time you wished you’d had the opposite reaction?” This is only tangentially about confrontation (it’s only a prompt,though, isn’t it?), but today I’m going to tell you about the time I heckled Led Zeppelin. Bet that got your…
“They’re a band beyond description” When I saw that this week’s SLS prompt was about expressing appreciation for music, singing and radio, there were three obvious songs that sprang to mind: Abba’s ‘Thank You For The Music’, Barry Manilow’s ‘I Write The Songs’ and ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by Buggles. Perhaps too obvious though.…
Not so much fibs as truths that dare not speak their name…(I have a pathological hatred of business meetings, if you hadn’t guessed already). What is a board room? A place where you are guaranteed to be bored. Who usually has the chair? A person – almost certainly male – who has somehow got himself…
the only deadhead in the hameau 