Tuesday, June 29, 2010

be never once out of a delirium

Recognize the rotundity of the earth
with an invocation for Divine guidance and aid
The question is one which has exercised many investigators.
You will have fearful chilblains if you do so.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

on Italian chickens

If the Italian city of Livorno goes by "Leghorn" in English, does that make the Loony Tunes' chicken's first name "Fovorno?"

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

the same idea translated in terms of art

I acquired this book recently; for those who don't want to click on a meaningless Amazon link, it is "Kenkyusha's New Dictionary of English Collocations: A Word Finder." In less delightful terms, it purports to express a broader semantic range of English concepts for the Japanese learner by translating giving sample usages instead of definitions. The...interesting nature of some of the sample collocations makes this book an excellent way to pass the time, as one sample entry will (I hope) show. I can't read the Japanese of the introduction, so I have no way of knowing what the emphasis on non-entry words is intended to express.

juice
express the juice of the grape
generate the gastric juice
squeeze the juice from the poor
[There is] no juice on.
a sweet watery juice

I trust we all have a broader understanding of the nuances of the word "juice" now. I know I do.