Christine Lovatt's Desk

Welcome to Christine's Desk

Here you'll find a variety of puzzle themed items and pieces of information to hold your interest. Learn about some of the wonderful words and phrases in our everyday language, find out about the health benefits of crosswords and puzzles, be entertained by Christine's Hello column… and there's much more on offer. The latest submissions appear below. Thanks for dropping by and we hope you enjoy your visit.

When in Rome

The popular myth of the founding of Rome is the story of twins Romulus and Remus who were reared by a wolf. They decided to build a city but when Romulus killed Remus after a quarrel, in 753 BC, the city was named Rome after Romulus.  There are other theories though, such as the [more…]

Father’s Day

Papa, Vader, Baba, Apa, Dad, Daddy…  There are many ways to say ‘father’, and many different definitions of the English word ‘father’ in the dictionary. Your father is your male parent, or a man who has raised you, a man can father a child, and a man who invented or started something can be [more…]

The word ‘word’

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…]

Coffee

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…]

Geese

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…]

Eggcorns

To suppress something in the early stages is to nip it in the bud (of horticultural origins), but it is quite commonly thought to be ‘nip it in the butt’ – biting someone in the posterior would possibly stop them too but you might get a slap for your efforts.

To make a moot point [more…]

Tools

The deal was hammered out over several days…”. Hammer is a very old word, coming from the Old English hamor and originally meant a stone tool. To hammer out a deal is to work on it laboriously. To hammer away at something is to work hard and persistently. King Edward I of England was [more…]

Horse terms

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…]

The moon

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…]