Like the Plebeian Games, the Roman Games were held in honor of Jupiter. They date back to the dedication of the temple to Jupiter on the Capitoline hill on September 13, 509 BCE, and were originally a one-day event. By the time of Caesar, the Games lasted a full 15 days, beginning on September 4. A grand procession to the Circus Maximus, a huge arena just outside Rome, signaled the beginning of the festival. Events included boxing, running, and wrestling contests, occasional mock battles, and two- and four-horse chariot races. Discuss
Month: September 2021
make matters worse
To make an already bad, unpleasant, or difficult situation even more so. (Sometimes used as an independent clause in the infinitive form: “to make matters worse.”) Watch the video
Ceramic Knives
Ceramic knives provide certain advantages over metal blades. They are harder than steel and hold their edge longer. On the rare occasion when a ceramic knife needs sharpening, a grinding wheel coated in diamond dust must be used. Their nonconductive, nonmagnetic properties make them useful in bomb disposal, and their resistance to corrosion is ideal for scuba divers. However, ceramic knives are also more brittle and shatter more easily than metal ones. Why is metal often used in their handles? Discuss
allegory
spinning
heckle – First a “flax comb” for splitting and straightening the fibers for spinning; its metaphorical sense developed from its verb form, “to mangle by cutting, to cut roughly.” More…
distaff side, spear side – The female side of a family is the distaff side—the distaff being a stick used for holding yarn when spinning; the male side is the spear side. More…
fouette – A spectacular pirouette in which the ballerina whips her raised leg around in an eggbeater motion while spinning on the other leg. More…
make like a banana and split
humorous slang To depart or leave, especially at once or in a hurry. (A pun on “to split,” a slang term meaning to leave or depart, and a “banana split,” an ice-cream-based dessert featuring a banana halved lengthwise.) Watch the video
Sarah Winnemucca: Woman of Two Worlds
Winnemucca was the first Native American woman to publish a book in English. Her autobiographical Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims (1883) describes her people’s early encounters with white settlers. This includes her experiences as an interpreter for the US Army, a role she took on in hopes of securing fair treatment of her people and keeping the peace. She tried, but failed, to get a permanent reservation for the Paiute. What was her original name, and what does it mean? Discuss
muffle
troops
squadron – Borrowed from Italian squadrone, from Latin quadrare, “square”; the sense of “military group” comes from an earlier “square formation of troops.” More…
campaign – First meant an open tract of land, from Latin campus, “level ground,” and the change to a military meaning came from troops “taking the field”—moving from fortress or town to open country—from which the political sense evolved, referring to the organized efforts of office-seekers to sway public opinion or influence their vote at an upcoming election. More…
echelon – Comes from French echelle, “ladder,” from Latin scala, and first meant a formation of troops. More…
corporal – Its military meaning came from “the head of a body of troops,” from French caporale. More…
Vietnam National Day
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam observes its declaration of independence from France as a national holiday. On this day in 1945, Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) proclaimed the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. To celebrate Vietnam’s national holiday, people gather in major cities, including Hanoi, for speeches, parades, fireworks, and other festivities. Discuss