When you think of the Silver Screen, you think of the Academy Awards and their symbol, the statuette, OSCAR. But how did this figure come about and where did he get his name?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences was established in 1927 and a dinner was held to discuss ways of honouring [more…]
In Greek mythology the Titans, also known as the elder gods, ruled the earth before being overthrown by the Olympians.
Titans were the children of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth) and were of gigantic size. Led by Cronus, the Titans overthrew Uranus, who until then was ruler of the world.
Zeus, son of Cronus and [more…]
‘I’m a real life nephew of my Uncle Sam,
Born on the fourth of July’
We all know that the United States of America is affectionately known as Uncle Sam, but do you know why?
Legend has it that, during the war of 1812, Samuel Wilson was a meat inspector in the service of the federal government. [more…]
Fiasco in Italian literally means bottle.
It is from fiasco that the English words flask and flagon are derived.
However, a fiasco meaning a ludicrous failure or debacle, is thought to come from an Italian theatre saying, far fiasco or ‘make a bottle’, which was slang for a complete breakdown in performance. Make a bottle sounds [more…]
OK or okay is perhaps one of the most used words in the world.
Its origins are thought to be held in a president’s nickname and a Scottish expression.
In 1840 Martin Van Buren ran as the Democratic candidate for US President. His nickname was Old Kinderhook, after the town where he was born. OK gained [more…]
In the new computer world there is hardware, software, spyware and shareware but long before that there was glassware, earthenware, silverware and cookware. They all have in common that little four-letter word ware, a noun meaning commodity.
In the Stinker at 94ac Market goods needed the answer WARES but quite a few entries had SALES [more…]
Originally, the nickname Big Ben referred to the bell in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London. Now however, it has come to encompass the clock and its tower.
The bell was cast in 1858 at the Whitechapel Foundry and was originally 16 ½ tonnes in weight. The following year, a 4ft [more…]
If you have ever tackled a cryptic crossword you will have come across the name Spooner or the term spoonerism for a clue where initial letters are swapped e.g. ‘fight the liar’ for ‘light the fire’.
William Archibald Spooner was born in London on 22 July 1844 and is remembered chiefly for his nervous tendency [more…]
East is East and West is West but the Orient sounds so much more exotic!
The word Orient came into English many centuries ago from the Latin for ‘to rise’. It was used to indicate the direction from which the sun rose and came to mean the places located in that direction.
The meaning narrowed and [more…]
