A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase, typically a standardized phrase such as a line in a poem or a lyric in a song, due to near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It derives its name from Sylvia Wright’s mishearing of the last stanza to the ballad “The Bonney Earl O’Moray: Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands, Oh, where […]
Monthly Archives: December 2010
The Haus der Kunst (literally House of Art) is an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is famous as the first piece of public architecture that was built under the Nazi regime. Andrew Graham-Dixon’s excellent programme ‘The Art of Germany‘ on BBC 4 told how the gallery was built in accordance with an emerging Nazi ideology on art and architecture. The building would champion the new style in both […]
The birth of Nazi architecture
Hendiadys (pronounced /hɛnˈdaɪ.ədɨs/, a Latinized form of the Greek phrase ἓν διὰ δυοῖν, hèn dià duoîn, “one through two”) is a figure of speech used for emphasis, and is defined as the substitution of a conjunction for a subordination. The basic idea is to use two words linked by a conjunction (e.g. and) to express a single, complex idea. Examples of this include sound and fury (from Macbeth) versus […]
Sound and fury
According to ITV’s magisterial World At War series, Belgium provided greater economic benefit to the Germans in World War II than the entire occupied territory in the Soviet Union
Belgium vs USSR
The red poppy is the ubiquitous symbol of remembrance throughout the UK and much of the Commonwealth.Its counterpart in France is another wild flower that was found in Flanders Fields – the blue cornflower or the Bleuet de France. Since 1933 there has also been a White Poppy sold by the Peace Pledge Union, which is seen as an alternative by anti-war activists. BBC Radio 4, Poppies […]
Red poppies and blue cornflowers
slactivism (ˈslæktɪˌvɪzəm) – noun The public proclaiming of one’s political beliefs through activitiesthat require little effort or commitment. Facebook Cartoon Characters, Snopes.com and Dictionary.com’s definition of Slactivism
Slacktivism
Metaphysics derives its name from a quirk of librarianship and mistranslation. Aristotle’s philosophical works were arranged by Andronicus of Rhodes to follow chapters dealing with physics. Meta (μετά) is Greek for ‘after’ or ‘beyond’ and metaphysics were simply the chapters after those dealing with physics (φυσικά). Aristotle referred to the subject as ‘first philosophy’. A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, Diarmaid McCulloch
Metaphysically speaking
A portrait of Frederick the Great was the only decorative image to hang in Hitler’s quarters within the Führerbunker. Frederick the Great and the Enigma of Prussia, Christopher Clark, BBC4
Hanging on the wall
The Weather Girls, best known for all time gay anthem “It’s Raining Men”, were previously known as the Two Tons, and then later Two Tons O’ Fun.
Two Tons O’ Fun
One-third of the population of the German lands was killed as a result of the Thirty Years’ War between 1618 and 1648. The Art of Germany, Andrew Graham-Dixon, BBC 4
Thirty Years’ War
Amidst the fervant religiosity of the Crusades a female movement emerged at the start of the 12th century. Across the Low Countries and the German lands women began to live alone, and devoted themselves to prayer and good works. They were not nuns, they did not take vows or give up property, but they devoted themselves to attending to the poor. About the beginning of the […]
Beguines – the good women of northern Europe
By 2012 London’s skyline will have been transformed. Since the Second World War a city of church spires dominated by the dome of St. Pauls has slowly given way to taller buildings. By 2012 both the Gherkin and Tower 42 will be topped by the Heron Tower (or the Walkie Talkie) at 202 metres tall, the Bishopsgate Tower (or the Cheese Grater) at 235m and the Pinnacle (or […]
From spires to shards – London’s 2012 skyline
Qatar is ranked 164th in area and 148th in population amongst the world’s sovereign states. This makes the gulf state about the same size as Yorkshire (11,437 km² to 11,897 km²) and has a population a little bit bigger than Merseyside (1.69 million to 1.35 million). It is a little bit smaller than Connecticut (14,357 km²) or Puerto Rico (13,792 km²), but is nearly three times […]