Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today? There’s a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley that uses contemporary...
To garner the laurels, meaning “to collect praise,” refers to the ancient practice of awarding crowns of bay laurel leaves to victors in competitions. This tradition of honoring distinction with such a wreath is reflected in the terms Nobel laureate...
It’s time once again for Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s annual (and non-political) Limericks Puzzle! Fill in the blank: “When somebody says ‘Where’s the beef?’ / Say western Australia, in brief / Knickers the steer / Is...
Elizabeth, in Dallas by way of Philadelphia, wondered whether she heard a fresh idiom in rest on one’s morals. The standard phrase is rest on one’s laurels, meaning to coast on past honors or accomplishments rather than keep striving. Its laurels...
Squiffy, that British slang term for drunk, has also come to mean “askew.” At a Roman orgy, for example, you might have found people wearing squiffy laurel crowns. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Squiffy...
Betty from Christiansburg, Virginia, remembers older women saying a man was “out back resting on his laurels,” and wondered whether it simply meant taking a nap. The phrase comes from the laurel wreaths awarded to victorious athletes and honored...