Posh
You can sound posh, look posh, come from a posh family, visit a posh restaurant or go to a posh school. We all know what it means but where does POSH originate from?
We usually associate POSH with the British upper-classes and it has gained the wider usage to describe, sometimes pejoratively, ‘smartly-dressed, well-groomed, looking [more…]
Quackery
If a physician is described as a quack, he is to be avoided, but how did the term come about?
The word has nothing to do with ducks, but comes from the Dutch quacksalver, from quacken meaning prattle and salf meaning a healing ointment.
A quacksalver then was someone who prattled on about the efficacy of [more…]
Ampersand
You may be interested to know where the ‘&’ symbol on our keyboards came from and why it is called the ampersand.
Well, in medieval times the symbol & derived from the Latin et, meaning ‘and’.
The & appeared on every child’s hornbook as part of the alphabet; the 27th symbol after Z. It was [more…]
Chinese New Year
On February 10, 2013, Chinese New Year will be celebrated and it will become the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese horoscope.
In the build up to New Year, houses are cleaned and newly painted and gifts, food and clothing are bought. Paper cut-outs of words such as happiness, wealth and longevity are used to decorate houses [more…]
Christmas Day
What is the significance of December 25? We all know that it is Christmas Day, the celebration of the birth of Jesus and a time of families, presents and laughter, but why is it celebrated on that particular day?
In Armenia it is January 19 and in some eastern countries it is January 6 [more…]
Cupid
Cupid is usually depicted as a naked winged boy holding a bow and arrows.
In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Mercury and Venus. His name comes from the Latin cupido meaning ‘desire.’
An episode of The Golden Ass, a story told by the Latin satirist, Apuleius recalls the story of Cupid And Psyche. Psyche [more…]
One with The Lot
Dear Christine & staff I enjoy every moment of puzzling in The Lot and look forward to the 2009 issues. Thanks to all. Avon Simpson Toowong, QLD
Mad as a hatter
Most people remember fondly the Mad Hatter from Alice In Wonderland, but the phrase mad as a hatter was around before Lewis Carroll created his crazy character.
Felt hats were very popular in Europe and North America from the 1500s to the 1800s, particularly top hats, the best of which were made from beaver fur.
In [more…]
