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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.
Photograph by indigoprime
The ultra-conservative view of those who propose extending the welfare state is that they are “bleeding hearts.” That expression entered politics in the 1930s and by the 1990s “my heart bleeds for you” had become a general put-down. It comes from the Middle Ages, when a social conscious group known as the Order of the Bleeding Heart was formed to honour the Virgin Mary, whose “heart was pierced with many sorrows.”
Images from Mike Licht, NotionCapital.com
Ever wonder about the political issues that seem to be on the front page of the news almost everyday? Let’s dive into the realm of politics and take a look at some history.
Q: Why when someone tells a secret do we say they’ve “spilled the beans”?
A: As a system of voting, the ancient Greeks placed beans in a jar. These small beans or balls were called “ballota”, which gives us the word ballot. A white bean was a “yes” and a brown bean was a “no.” The beans were then counted in secret so the candidates wouldn’t know who voted for or against them. If the container was knocked over, and the beans were spilled, the secret was out of the jar.
Not yet spilled beans? Photograph by al-hayat
