Birds inhabit many English words and phrases. The flower called larkspur is named for the way its blossom resembles the spur on the toe of a lark. Columbine derives from Latin columba, “dove,” a reference to the way this flower resembles doves huddled together. The coccyx, or tailbone takes its name from the Greek word for “cuckoo bird” because it’s shaped like a cuckoo’s beak. We speak of pecking order, nest egg, taking someone under one’s wing, and sometimes refer to a person’s nose or mouth as their beak. A lovely Spanish proverb goes La fe es el pájaro que siente la luz cuando el alba aún está oscura or “Faith is the bird that feels the light while the dawn is still dark.” This is part of a complete episode.
What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984...
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...
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