To give your word is to make a promise. If you keep your promises, then you’re as good as your word. You can put in a good word for someone, or have the last word, meaning ‘to make the closing remark of an argument’ but when something is the last word, it means it’s [more…]
Did you know that Australia and New Zealand are world famous for their coffee? It’s true, our coffee trends are copied as far away as London and New York. London has some top cafes dedicated to the antipodean style.
Yet it wasn’t always this way. Back in the 70s and 80s, the coffee was usually [more…]
Domestic geese have been used for centuries as watch animals and guards, because they make fierce watchdogs, which the Romans were grateful for in 390BC. The geese alerted them to an attack by the Gauls and saved the day.
But I wonder why we say they are silly? Maybe there is something about the way [more…]
The iron horse once referred to railway engines, and originally, the output of such engines was measured in horsepower as a way of comparing the efficiency of this iron horse against its flesh-and-blood namesake. Unsurprisingly, the steel beast came out on top, further affirming that a motorised community was a more efficient community.
To keep [more…]
It was believed in Antiquity that the heavens above, including the moon, were perfect, and made of an unearthly material, so the ancient Greeks tried to make sense of the vague markings visible on the surface of the moon. Some suggested that the moon might be a perfect mirror and that its features were [more…]
In the dictionary, mother has several definitions. Apart from being the woman who gives birth to a child, mother is an institution from which others of the same type derive – such as the mother company. It is also an extreme example or very large specimen of something, such as the mother of all [more…]
While Easter has become synonymous with chocolate eggs and a long weekend, traditionally it was considered by many Christian denominations as an event bigger than Christmas. Families gathered on Easter Sunday with various customs and rites, some of which survive today.
Many establishments are closed on Good Friday as a mark of respect for the [more…]
