[basil ransome-davies]

Originally Posted by B[I

Brian, you are a wonder and a pleasure and also grrrr a rival for the spondulicks. (Old word put in to raise the hackles of the good Bazza[/i].)

Spondulicks? One of my very favorite words, John, along with hoosegow. I believe I first encountered it in a Leslie Charteris 'Saint' book, probably one that included his gun- & booze-crazy American sidekick Hoppy Uniatz. (Incidentally, my experience with the LR was comparable to yours – an age to get my first win, then a long winning streak. But this year, fuck-all.)