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…]
There are many other variations. In Ireland, Cork residents are Corkonians and Galway folk are Galwegians.
In Scotland, there are Glaswegians from Glasgow, Dundonians from Dundee and Aberdonians from Aberdeen. Islanders from Orkney are Orcadians. In Wales there are Cardiffians from Cardiff and over the border in England there are Mancunians from Manchester, Liverpudlians (or [more…]
Novice comes from the Latin novus meaning ‘new’. Today it is regularly used in a secular context, but it originally referred to the necessity of the novice undertaking a novitiate – a period of intense spiritual introspection and scriptural study prior to taking monastic vows.
Apprentice comes from the Latin apprehendere ‘to take hold of, to grasp’, [more…]
