Month: December 2020

Dongji

In Korea, the Winter Solstice falls during the 11th lunar month. Red bean stew with glutinous rice flour balls is a favorite seasonal dish, particularly on Dongji. This food is not only eaten as a means of warding off disease, but is also offered to the family ancestors, spread around the front door or gate of the house, and, throughout the year, prepared and taken to people who are in mourning. The color red is traditionally thought to repel evil spirits and all misfortune. Discuss

it ain't over till/until the fat lady sings

The final outcome cannot be assumed or determined until a given situation, event, etc., is completely finished. (“Ain’t” is a colloquial contraction of “is not.”) The phrase refers to the stereotypically overweight female sopranos of the opera, particularly the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, whose aria concludes Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. It is often used in reference to organized competitions, such as sporting events, political elections, or the like. Watch the video

The Celestial Spheres

The concept of a spherical Earth was introduced by the ancient Greeks in the 6th century BCE. Hypotheses about its place in the universe soon followed. Ancient Greek philosophers imagined our motionless planet at the center of the universe, with all the celestial bodies revolving around it in a series of nested, concentric spheres. That theory dominated astronomy until the advent of the Sun-centered Copernican system in the 16th century. According to Aristotle, what moved each planet’s sphere? Discuss

strive

compete – Comes from Latin competere, “come together,” but in later Latin, it developed the sense “strive together,” which was the basis for the English term. More…

repugn, repugnant – Repugn means “to strive against” or “be contradictory or inconsistent,” giving us repugnant. More…

strive – Seems to be from Old French estriver, “quarrel, strive.” More…

win – Its Germanic base gave it its first meaning, “to labor, strive, work.” More…

Lampworking

Unlike the technique of glassblowing, in which a blob of molten glass is made hollow by blowing into it through a tube, lampworking involves heating small rods of colored glass over a lamp or torch, then shaping the glass with handheld tools. It is used to make glass beads, paperweights, and other small items. The practice developed in Italy during the Renaissance, and in later centuries was used to produce popular trinkets in France. Fumes from vaporized gold can give the glass what color? Discuss