This event takes place on the Pierre St. Martin, in the Pyrenées Mountains between Spain and France, on July 13 every year. Representatives of the French valley of Barétous and those of the Spanish valley of Roncal meet at the summit at 10 o’clock in the morning and pile their hands on top of each other’s in a show of friendship. Then the French hand over three cows, which must be healthy two-year-olds. This tribute was imposed by treaty in 1375, when the two valleys were at war with each other, and the Roncal cowmen emerged as the victors. Discuss
Month: July 2021
look out for number one
To put one’s own needs, concerns, or responsibilities before those of anyone else. Watch the video
Freetown Christiania
Freetown Christiania is a semi-autonomous neighborhood of about 850 residents in Copenhagen, Denmark. It dates to 1971, when hippies and squatters took over an area of recently abandoned military barracks and formed a commune there. In the liberal-minded community, meditation is paramount and both guns and cars are banned. Christiania is famous for its cannabis trade, which still thrives despite government attempts to stop it. What is the name of the main street where drugs are sold? Discuss
pervade
pottery
craze – First a crack or flaw; to craze is to produce minute cracks on the surface of pottery. More…
fictile – An adjective meaning “pertaining to pottery” or “suitable for making pottery.” More…
ceramic, earthenware – Pottery made from clay is called ceramic or earthenware. More…
slip – As in pottery, it derives from Norwegian slip/slipa, “slime on fish.” More…
long since
Long ago; of the (relatively) distant past. Watch the video
St. Isidore
In the 4th and 5th centuries, Gothic invaders terrorized the Roman Empire, sacking Rome and establishing a Gothic kingdom in Spain. St. Isidore, archbishop of Seville, set out to convert the various peoples of the Gothic Empire to Christianity, eventually eradicating the Visigoths’ religion of Arianism. Later hailed by the Church as “the most learned man of the latter ages,” Isidore was the first Christian writer to compose a compendium of universal religious knowledge. What was it called? Discuss
acumen
Definition: (noun) Shrewdness shown by keen insight.
Synonyms: insightfulness.
Usage: His sharp business acumen meant he quickly rose to the top.
Discuss
orbit
apsis – The extreme point of an orbit. More…
eccentric – First meant “not concentric” as it referred to an orbit in which the Earth was not precisely in the center or straying from a circular path; the area where two circles overlap is the eccentric. More…
exorbitant – Originally a legal term for a case outside of the scope of a law; since it implies going “out of orbit,” it also first meant “deviating from the true path.” More…
orbit – First meant “eye socket”; the eye is located in the eye socket or orbit. More…
be a long shot
To be very risky, uncertain, or unlikely to succeed. (Of an attempt, proposition, or guess.) Watch the video