"Though not the official symbol of the Irish Republic (the Harp) a very popular symbol. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock with its..." more...
"Italian for brothel. Now commonly used in Italy to mean:
either a lot of something
or a mess.
Same can be said of its synonym "casino" (not..." more...
"I think you do very well to concentrate your sense of verbal disgust on a few well-chosen words. There are few that I hate more than your "impact" as..." more...
"An Italian obsession. The worst thing you can do is make a "brutta figura" = cut a bad figure means embarrass yourself either by your lack of dress..." more...
"An interesting new turn in German idiom, coined by the Italian football manager Giovanni Trapattoni a few years ago when he managed Bayern Muenchen...." more...
"Metonym does not require the use of place names. It means using a word which denotes an object associated with another concept. "The crown" = the..." more...
"Fun list for those who know German and French. A nice Italian "falso amico" is "morbido" = soft (morboso = morbid).
A friend who worked for Lever..." more...
"Beautifully expressive!
Has anybody else come across the expression "New York Second" - again a fraction of a second, defined as the time it takes..." more...
"A very useful word and one that seems to be making a comeback. It works especially well with an adjectival function (sibling jealousy/rivalry). A bit..." more...
"Little dumplings made of mashed potato and flour. Can be served with sauces as for pasta. Should be written gnocchi (the aitch produces a hard 'k'..." more...
"Where you can eat well in Italy at a lower price than you would find at a "ristorante". If the car park is full of lorries then you know the food is..." more...
"Effect suffered by protagonists of Joyce's Dubliners. Supposed to help them get over the paralysis inflicted by their dull lives in what Joyce sees..." more...
"Now ain't that quaint. When I was a kid/nipper we used to go to the pictures. Now we are grown up we go to the cinema, but sooner or later we'll all..." more...
"Beautiful word (ear worm). Used, if I understand correctly, to denote phrases of highly melodic music that you can't get out of your head all day." more...
"If you've managed to wait all this time (has the poor thing got a birth certificate?) why not wait a few years and ask him to choose for himself?
I..."
more...
"From Lytham St Annes - a coastal area of three towns (Lytham, Ansdell, St Annes) on the Irish Sea between Liverpool and Blackpool.
One grown on the..." more...
"Used by Brecht in his theatre. The effect of "alienation" seeks to destroy the theatrical illusion and keep the spectator aware that he is watching a..." more...
"Sent to Coventry" = ostracised. Has anyone got any idea about why Coventry is afforded this unhappy connotation? I would send people to places like..." more...
"Said to be the diminutive of Walter - though I've no idea who the poor Walter was. I have a delightful children's book called "Where's Wally?" full..." more...
