The itching time came up yesterday, probably referring to Francoism, while I was prancing around in a new wig for purposes that will shortly be revealed. DCVB says “l’any de la picor” refers to distant times, and proverbologist Víctor Pàmies cites Joan Amades’s hypothesis that it comes from the Year of Fleas and Famine, 1471,…
Rather weary yesterday PM after a morning’s rabbit-hunting, so bumbled through Evelyn Waugh’s brilliant Decline and fall and Vile bodies, which contain quite a number of afternoon naps. Conjecture: the British began to replace the expression with “siesta” as they started staying awake after lunch and drowsing off became associated with the lazy Latins. Refutation:
The world is clearly lost when even speakers of Romance languages start doing this. “Then, without stopping, the guitarist and Ellington segwayed into Body and Soul“? I hope not.
It’s in Pedro Vallés Libro de refranes (1549) along with Cada gorrión tiene su espigón, which I’d translate as “To each sparrow his ear of corn.” Contrary to general belief, concrete of various types was known after the Romans lost it and the British rediscovered it, so is this saying something like “Reinforce your concrete…
Activists who can’t spell “war” with the paintbrush deserve to die by the sword, no? I think we’ve already established that schools should be teaching peepul how to write in whatever language they prefer, and that nations can go fuck themselves, so let’s not go here: … or here:
Most of the people I know regard themselves as left-wing, so I’ve heard this form of apocalyptic xenophobia more from guys with curious haircuts than from guys who have dispensed with the razor guard altogether. Mein Kampf etc are familiar but I don’t really know the “left” national-socialist equivalents. Here, however, is the Stalinist machine…
