Extract from Crossed Wires BIG 192
Crocodile tears refers to an insincere display of emotion. This ancient expression, which was used in ancient Rome, comes from an ancient anecdote that crocodiles weep in order to lure their prey, or that they cry for the victims they are eating. It may come from the fact that [more…]
Known as ‘the scourge of God’, Attila waged a reign of terror, ravaging vast areas of Europe and Asia between the Rhine and the Caspian Sea.
Attila lived from 406-453 and was king of the Huns from 433 until his death.
The Huns were already very powerful before Attila succeeded his uncle, Roas or Ruglias. Attila [more…]
According to James A H Murray, founding editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, the word Limerick has long been associated with nonsense verse and the Irish custom of drinking and reciting poems.
This Irish pub ritual ended with the participants reciting the refrain ‘Will you go down to Limerick?’ Hence the name of these five [more…]
Colossus is a popular large Lovatts crossword but where did the name come from?
In Ancient Greek the word was first used by the historian Herodotus as a name for certain gigantic statues in Egypt.
It became better known, of course, when applied to the Colossus of Rhodes, a 36 metre-high statue of Apollo that stood [more…]
The word DOLLAR originally started out in English as doler.
In the 16th century, the present day town of Jachymov, situated in the Erzgebirge Mountains, Czechoslavakia, was known as Sankt Joachimsthal and was in Bohemia.
In 1519, under the direction of the Count of Schlick, large coins were minted there using silver from a nearby mine.
A [more…]
Born Phoebe Anne Oakley Moses in Darke County, Ohio, America on 13 August, 1860, Annie Oakley was to become the greatest woman rifle shot ever known.
At the age of six, Annie was already using a rifle to hunt food for her family and was renowned for her spectacular aim.
One of her biggest feats occurred [more…]
The Last Supper is probably one of the best-known Biblical events of world history and yet not many people are clear on where the event was held.
The Last Supper room is known as the CENACLE, which is derived from the Latin coenaculum and means dining hall. It was here that all the apostles were [more…]
El Nino originally referred to the annual warm current off western Peru. It was named after the Christmas child El Nino de Navidad because the phenomenon began in late December.
El Nino now usually refers to the more severe weather conditions that occur every three to seven years when the ocean currents off South America [more…]
Jesse Owens was part of the US team, which competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Adolf Hitler refused to recognise Owens’ outstanding achievements because he was black.
Born in Danville, Alabama, James Cleveland Owens became known as one of the greatest athletes of all times.
He excelled at track sports at high school. In [more…]
