ˈhwɛəfə(r) Wherefore: Why There are several ways of misquoting Shakespeare. One is to misquote Shakespeare without knowing it’s Shakespeare at all. Most people who use the phrase “to gild the lily” probably fall into that category, unaware of the original version. King John Act 4, Scene 2: SALISBURY: […] To gild refinèd gold, to paint … Continue reading Wherefore
Angela Gannon and George Geddes were archaeologists with the (now-defunct) Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Both have worked on the islands of St Kilda (Geddes lived there for six months), so they’re well qualified to write this book. St Kilda is that island group you can never quite see on … Continue reading Angela Gannon & George Geddes: St Kilda – The Last and Outermost Isle
ˈsnəʊkləʊn Snowclone: “A multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants by lazy journalists and writers” (Pullum, 2003) That definition undoubtedly requires explanation. Geoffrey Pullum, in my quote above, was appealing for a word to fit his definition. He … Continue reading Snowclone
This one’s something I read earlier this year, posted now as a Christmas recommendation for anyone who knows a hillwalker. It’s the sort of book that has something for anyone who is even vaguely interested in British hills. It is subtitled A View of 16 British Mountains. The sixteen mountains are: Beinn Dearg (the one … Continue reading Simon Ingram: Between The Sunset And The Sea
ˈskaɪəpɒd Skiapod or Sciapod: A mythological human with a single leg and large foot, used to provide shade in tropical regions The existence of skiapods was common knowledge in Classical times—they are mentioned by Aristophanes in his play The Birds, and by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, in which the are described as … Continue reading Skiapod
Gene Kranz is the most famous of NASA’s Flight Controllers, having led Mission Control on both the Apollo 11 first Moon landing, and the Apollo 13 crisis. This, his insider memoir of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo years, was published in 2000. As an Apollo buff, it’s odd that it has taken me fifteen years … Continue reading Gene Kranz: Failure Is Not An Option
sɪθ Sith: Since With the imminent release of a new Star Wars film, I couldn’t resist offering up this word. No, it has nothing to do with Sith Lords. Sith is an archaic word. Like its cousin since, it can act as an adverb, a preposition, or a conjunction. And like since, it has meanings … Continue reading Sith
I awoke to the shrilling of greenshank and the loud piping of oyster-catchers. My holiday had indeed started. Not a breath of wind stirred and the green hills around me were overdrawn by a grey line of settled clouds. There was no knowing what the day would bring forth, so I had a leisurely breakfast, … Continue reading The Lost World of Loch Mullardoch