Pylimitics

Whether we realize it or not, we live in an era of pedantic vegetable names. A mere hundred years ago, H.G. Wells could write this: “…Mr. Moses Gluckstein, a city gent and very pleasant and fond of sparrowgrass and chokes.” But nowadays, you’d just have to go with the more formal “asparagus and artichokes.” Wells… Continue reading

There are churches, and there are cathedrals. In fact, a “cathedral” is just a specific type of church, and was originally called a “cathedral church”.  The distinction — and in fact the word — only exists in particular Christian sects. Those sects would be the ones with an elaborate organizational hierarchy. And although the typical… Continue reading

Around 1085 in England, William the Conqueror got interested in what, exactly, he had conquered. To find out, he dispatched people all around England to find out “how many hundreds of hides were in the shire, what land the king himself had, and what stock upon the land; or, what dues he ought to have… Continue reading

“Agony” is, today, severe discomfort or acute pain. But it wasn’t always that way. Agony comes from Ancient Greek — an “agon” was just a contest. They had loads of contests. There were hundreds of “gymnasiums” where athletes and others would train and practice various skills, and there were constant competitions in everything from wrestling… Continue reading

When an event is rapid, it happens “quickly.” When it’s highly audible, it’s “noisy.” It can occur “publicly” or “privately.” If it’s an action taken by a person, it can be done “firmly,” “tentatively,” “happily,” “sadly,” and so forth. But what if the event determines something for sure — the price of your last tank… Continue reading