We may not all endorse competition, yet on some level we embrace the competitive spirit. While competition can bring out some ugly qualities, it has the potential to bring out the good qualities within us such as innovation, resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork. When in competition, we sometimes mention the abilities of our opponent(s) or competitors and how they measure up. Sometimes we say they just aren’t “up to scratch” …
A: During the 1970s, the Philadelphia Flyers became notorious for their brawling, rock ‘em, sock ‘em style of playing. Since their arena at the time, the Spectrum, was on South Broad Street in the City of Brotherly Love, the Flyers were dubbed the Broad Street Bullies. In the 1970s timid players frightened by the Phillies were said to be overcome with the Philly Flu during the time they spent in Philadelphia. They were no doubt intimidated by the likes of Flyers hard guys such as Dave “The Hammer” Schultz, Andre Dupont, Barry Ashbee, Ed Van Impe, and Joe Watson. However even a great player like Philadelphia centre and captain Bobby Clarke was someone to be feared. After all, he infamously put Soviet superstar Valeri Kharlamov out of commission with a vicious slash to the ankle during the Canada-Soviet Union Summit Series in 1972. The Flyers’ ultra-aggressive playing certainly contributed to the two Stanley Cup championships they won in 1974 and 1975. However, they haven’t won a Cup since the 1970s.
Q: How did the dandelion and the daisy get their names?
A: The dandelion and the daisy are both named for a particular physical characteristic. The English daisy, with its small yellow centre and white- or rose-coloured rays, closes at night and reopens
with daylight like the human eye, and so it was named the “day’s eye.” The dandelion, because of its sharp, edible leaves, was named by the French “dent de lion”, the “tooth of the lion.”
Ever watch a movie a thought that it was a waste of time? Well what about watching a pretty bad theatrical performance? There’s an actual word to describe performances that are a flop — turkey!
A: A “turkey” can describe any person or endeavour that doesn’t live up to its promise, but is most commonly used to describe a bad play. In the late nineteenth century, the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas was the busiest season for the opening of new plays, just as it is now for movies. This hurried effort to catch the tourist trade served up disappointments with the same tedium as the turkey served for dinner between the two holidays, and so they were called turkeys.
Ever heard someone say, “that’s a real doozy”? Did you know that it meant something was incredibly impressive? But why? Let’s look at the origin of this expression:
Q: Why is something incredibly impressive called a “real doozy”?
A: “real doozy” may be an old-fashioned expression, but it still means something remarkable. I twas used to describe one of the most impressive cars ever made. Built between 1920 and 1937, the
Duesenberg was the best and most expensive American car ever built. During the Great Depression, and at a time when a Ford sold for $500, a top-of-the-line Doozy retailed for $25,000. With a custom-built body and a high-horsepower engine, the Duesenberg quickly became a favourite vehicle of the rich and famous. It still is! As one of the most collectible cars in the world, Duesenbergs in mint condition have sold for millions of dollars. Now that’s a doozy!
A: The French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s statue commonly called “The Thinker” (Le penseur) is one of the best-known pieces of art in the world. Yet when Rodin (1840-1917) first cast a small plaster version in 1880, he meant it as a depiction of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (circa 1265-1321) pondering his great allegorical epic “The Divine Comedy” in front of the Gates of Hell. In fact, Rodin named the sculpture “The Poet”. It was an obscure critic, unfamiliar with Dante, who misnamed the masterpiece with the title we use today — The Thinker.
Rodin’s statue is naked because the sculptor wanted a heroic classical figure to represent thought as poetry.
A: In unskilled hands, a chainsaw can be dangerous. It might even cut through an arm or a leg. ironically, that was what the first chainsaw was invented for. A German named Bernard Heine (1800-1846) invented an early type of chainsaw in 1830. He called it an osteotome. in those days, before general anaesthetics, surgeons depended on speed to shorten the suffering of patients. The chainsaw was designed to speed up amputations by cutting through bone more quickly than was possible with conventional methods. The device was operated by turning a crank manually, much like you would if you were using a hand mixer. A Swiss German, Andreas Stihl (1896-1973), patented and developed an electric chainsaw for cutting wood in 1926. Three years later he patented a gas-powered model. Stihl is generally regarded as the father of the modern chainsaw.
Q: Why do the countries Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and others all end in “stan”?
A: The Middle Eastern suffix “stan” is an ancient Farsi word for “homeland.” Kazakhstan is from the word “kazakh, meaning “free,” while Kyrgyzstan means “home of forty tribes.” Pakistan is an exception. This modern republic took its name from the first letters of Punjab, Afghanistan, and Kashmir, with the suffix “istan” taken from the province of Balochistan. The name “Afghanistan” can be traced to the ninth-century Iranian Emperor Apakan.
