A Taste of Switzerland: Fondue

The cooking term fondue refers to:

1 cubes of meat or seafood cooked in hot oil and then dipped in any of various sauces
2 hot sauce-like melted cheese or chocolate in which bread or fruits are dipped

Etymologically, the word come from the French fondue, literally ‘melted’, from fondre ‘to melt’.

Fondue is a dish typically eaten in Switzerland and the cheese fondue and the chocolate fondue are the most common varieties. Fondue is prepared in a caquelon, which is a cooking vessel of stoneware, ceramic, enamelled cast iron or porcelain. The word caquelon is from a Swiss French term originating in the 18th century derived from the Swiss German word Kakel meaning an earthenware casserole.

The Colours of Intelligence: Bluestockings

The term bluestocking is used as an old-fashioned pejorative description for an intellectual woman. What is especially odd about the term, though, is that the first bluestocking was a man. He was a learned botanist, translator, publisher and minor poet of the eighteenth-century named Benjamin Stillingfleet. He wrote an early opera and also published the first English editions of works by the Swedish botanist Linnaeus.
The story starts in the early 1750s, when a group of independently minded women decided to break away from the stultifying sessions of card playing and idle chatter which was all that tradition allowed them. They began to hold literary evenings, in direct imitation of the established salons of Paris, to which well-known men of letters would be invited as guests to encourage discussion.
One of the leading lights of this group was Mrs Elizabeth Montagu, a powerful and rich figure in London society (she was the cousin of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who brought smallpox inoculation back from Turkey). Literary and theatrical luminaries like Samuel Johnson, David Garrick and Lord Lyttleton attended what she and her friends referred to as conversations, but which Horace Walpole, a frequent guest, called petticoteries. Another regular visitor was Joshua (later Sir Joshua) Reynolds, who, to complete the circle of associations, painted a portrait of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, in 1786.
Mr Stillingfleet was asked to attend by Mrs Vesey, one of the group. He felt he had to decline, as he was too poor to afford the formal dress then required for evening events, which included black silk stockings. According to Fanny Burney, who told the story later, Mrs Vesey told him to come as he was, in his informal day clothes. Which he did, wearing his blue worsted stockings, and started a trend.
Admiral Edward Boscawen, who was known to his friends as “Old Dreadnought” or “Wry-necked Dick”, was the husband of one of the more enthusiastic attendees. He was very rude about what he saw as his wife’s literary pretensions and is said to have derisively described the sessions as being meetings of the Blue-Stocking Society. So those who attended were sometimes called Blue Stockingers, later abbreviated to blue stockings. (Another name was the French form Bas Bleu, which Hanna More, another member, used in her poem, The Bas Bleu, or Conversation, which gives a lot of information about the group.)

Phrase Origins: Bread & Roses

The slogan "Bread and Roses" originated in a poem of that name by James Oppenheim, published in The American Magazine in December 1911, which attributed it to "the women in the West." It is commonly associated with a textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts during January-March 1912, now often known as the "Bread and Roses strike".
The slogan appeals for both fair wages and dignified conditions.
The Lawrence strike, which united dozens of immigrant communities under the leadership of the Industrial Workers of the World, was led to a large extent by women. Many claim that during the strike some of the women carried a sign that said, "We want bread, but we want roses, too!" No reliable evidence has yet been found to verify thisand the claim has been rejected by some veterans of the Lawrence strike.The strike was settled on March 14, 1912, on terms generally favourable to the workers. The workers won pay increases, time-and-a-quarter pay for overtime, and a promise of no discrimination against strikers.

Did you know?

The term boulangerie refers to a French or French-style bakery. The boulangerie Bread & Roses, 7 rue de Fleurus, in Paris, is well-known for its celeb clientele. (Among the frequent customers are actress Catherine Deneuve and designer Inès de la Fressange.) But it is also famous for its Puissance Dix baguette. Literally translated, the name means "the power of 10," a reference to the 10 flours--including chestnut, buckwheat, corn, and rye--incorporated into the dough.

Cool Links: Origin of Greatest Brand Names

People often wonder where the brand names of the best-selling companies come from. These two links offer some explanations.

World's greatest brand name. Where does it come from?

List of company name etymologies

Language & Food: Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is meat cooked with onions, sour cream, and usually mushrooms:
beef stroganoff with noodles
Various explanations are given for the name, it presumably derived from some member of the large and important Stroganov family, perhaps Alexander Grigorievich Stroganoff of Odessa or a diplomat, Count Pavel Stroganov. The Stroganovs or Strogonovs (Russian: Строгановы, Строгоновы), also spelled in French manner as Stroganoffs, were a family of highly successful Russian merchants, industrialists, landowners, and statesmen of the 16th – 20th centuries who eventually earned nobility.

The Stroganov Palace is a Late Baroque palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The palace was designed by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli for Baron Sergei Grigoriyevich Stroganov in 1753-1754. The interiors were remodeled in the 1790s and first decade of the 19th century. Today, the palace is part of the Russian Museum.

Why does Xmas stand for Christmas?

Xmas stands for Christmas and represents the Christian celebration in a significant manner. X is the symbol of Christ in Greek text, and is a meaningful term for the holiday.
Christmas is a time of great joy and symbolism for Christians around the world. It seems that every year Christians become upset with the word Xmas because they do not understand the meaning, history or symbolism of Xmas. The use of Xmas is really not an attack on the Christian celebration, as it is often perceived to be. Xmas is a historic word that is truly interchangeable with Christmas, but the word tends to upset people who see it as a disrespectful derogatory shortening of the Christian holiday. Christians may exclaim ‘Keep the Christ in Christmas,’ not realizing that X is actually the ancient symbol for Christ.

X Stands for Christ

Xmas is derived from a mixture of Greek and English. Greeks used X as the symbol for Chi, Christo or Xristo. X is the Greek symbol for Christ. In early Christian times, X was used as the symbol for Christ himself.
The exact origin of X for Christ is difficult to pinpoint. Some Bible theologians claim that the origin began in the first century AD, along with other symbols. Other Bible theologians believe that its use became widespread around the thirteenth century along with other Christian abbreviations and symbols that became popular in the Middle Ages.
It is believed that during the early Christian era, Christians put an X symbol above their door to identify themselves to each other while keeping their faith secret in a society that persecuted Christians, although this is difficult to verify.

Gutenberg Printing Press

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany in 1436. During the fifteenth century, in the early days of printing, each letter was individually set by placing a block in a strip. Typesetting was tedious and was an expensive part of printing. In order to save time and money, religious printing commonly used X for Christ.

Xmas History Forgotten

The history of X was commonly known and understood until recent generations. History has a way of fading as commonly known information is neglected and not passed on. Recent generations have lost knowledge of the origin of X, causing Xmas to be misunderstood.
Xmas is a word that has a long Christian history. Although many commercial entities may think they are cutting Christ out of Christmas when they use the term Xmas, the opposite is true. X stands for Christ and Xmas and Christmas are the same word.

Medicine: Christmas Disease

Christmas disease is another name given to Haemophilia B (or hemophilia B), which is a blood clotting disorder. It is sometimes called Christmas disease after Stephen Christmas, the first patient described with this disease. In addition, the first report of its identification was published in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal.
As in haemophilia A, only males are usually affected by Christmas disease. This blood disease has also mainly affected both the Russian and British Royal Families on the basis of genetic factors.

Cool Link:
Haemophilia in European royalty

The Queen who inspired the Pizza

Margherita di Savoia or Margaret of Savoy (born November 20, 1851 in Turin, died January 4, 1926 in Bordighera), was the queen of the Kingdom of Italy during the reign (1878-1900) of her husband, Humbert I. She married her first cousin Humbert (Umberto) on April 21, 1868. On November 11, 1869, Margherita gave birth to Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples. Her husband Humbert was assassinated by anarchist Gaetano Bresci on July 29, 1900.


In 1889, the Margherita pizza, whose red tomatoes, green basil, and white cheese represent the Italian flag, was named after her. Her name means "daisy" in Italian.
The Italian chef Raffaelle Esposito first made the pizza in 1899 when Queen Margherita visited Naples to escape a cholera epidemic in the north of Italy. The ingredients used to make a Margherita pizza, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil, imitate the colours of the Italian flag. Queen Margherita liked the pizza so much that she wrote a thank you letter to Esposito, who decided to name the pizza after the Queen.

Special Vocabulary: Bees

English-Spanish Glossary: Bees

as busy as a bee: estar muy ocupado

beehive: colmena

beekeeper: apicultor

beekeeping: apicultura

bee-sting: picadura de abeja

beeswax: cera de abejas

bumblebee: abejorro

drone honey bee: zángano

honey: miel

honey bee: abeja melífera

honeycomb: panal de miel

honey house: almacén de venta de miel

killer bee: abeha asesina

queen bee: abeja reina

royal jelly: jalea real

spelling bee: concurso de deletreo u ortografía

swarm of bees: enjambre de abejas

worker bee: abeja obrera

Did you know?

- In Spanish there is an embroidery technique known as "nido de abejas" (bee nest). In English, however, it is called smocking.

- Melissa is a given name for a female child. The name has a Greek origin and it means "honey bee". Melissa also refers to the plant known as lemon balm, which attracts bees. The herb has a long reputation for its calming properties and is widely used in aromatherapy.

Phrases from the Bible: Kill the Fatted Calf

A calf is the young of the domestic cow or other bovine animal. The phrase kill the fatted calf means to to prepare an elaborate banquet (in someone's honour) or prepare for a joyful occasion or a warm welcome.
When Bill comes home from his trip to Korea we're going to kill the fatted calf.

This expression alludes to the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), whose father welcomed him by serving the choicest calf after his return.
Here is the text in the Gospel According to Luke:
There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate.
Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. "Your brother has come," he replied, "and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound." The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" "My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." (Luke 15:11-32)

Language & Mythology: The Siren Song

The phrase siren song refers to the enticing appeal of something alluring but potentially dangerous.
He succumbed to the siren call of the wilderness.
The expression has its origin in mythology. In Greek mythology the sirens were sea-monsters with the heads and breasts of women and the bodies of birds, with or without wings. Their sweet songs and lovely faces seduced passing sailors, whom they lured into the sea where they devoured them. They were evil and much to be feared.
In Book XII of Homer's Odyssey the sorcerer Cirse warns Odysseus of the perils he would face on his voyage home. He tells him that if anyone comes too close and hears the singing of the sirens, his wife and his children will never welcome him home again, for they sit in a green field and warble him to death with the sweetness of their song.

Cool Links: Etymology of English Words

A unique site explaining the origin of English words and how their form and meaning have changed over time.

Cool link:
Online Etymology Dictionary

Phrases from the Cinema: Cutting Room Floor

The cutting room in a film production company is the place where the film is edited. In the cutting room a film is cut and the final form prepared.

On the cutting room floor is a figure of speech which means useless, worthless and unwanted:

Her scene ended up on the cutting room floor.

I suppose I'll be on the cutting room floor when they announce the redundancies.

Etymology: Origin of the Word Eureka!

The word Eureka with an exclamation point provokes energy. It also recognizes the phenomenal power of stimuli to activate new thoughts. It invokes the moment of inspiration, the instant in which something new is born.
A stimulus was, in fact, responsible for the creation of the word Eureka! In the original Greek, "Eureka!" means "I have found it!" According to Greek legend, a mathematician and physicist named Archimedes coined the term after being stimulated in a hot tub.
He was settling in for a long soak one day around 250 B.C. At the time, he was preoccupied with finding a way to determine the proportion of real gold to ordinary metal in King Hieron's crown. The king wanted to make sure the crown he was wearing was pure gold and not some cheap imitation. At the time, the weight of gold per unit volume was well known. But given the intricate nature of the crown's design, it was impossible to measure its volume.
Anyway, as Archimedes was lowering himself into the tub, he noticed his bath water rising in proportion to his entry into the tub. The lower he sunk, the higher the water rose, until it overflowed.
The stimulus of the overflowing hot tub gave Archimedes a revelation. He suddenly realized he could measure the volume of the crown by simply dunking it in a tub filled to the brim, then measuring the water that overflowed.
He leaped from his tub and ran naked into the street hollering "Eureka!" Thus, in the white-hot grip of inspiration, Archimedes also invented streaking. And it didn't end there -- the hot tub stimulus further led Archimedes to the discovery of the law of specific gravity and the general science of hydrostatics.

Did you know?

Streaking is the act of taking off one's clothes and running nude through a public place. It is a light-hearted form of public nudity not intended to shock but, rather, to amuse potential spectators.

Phrases from the Bible: Road to Damascus

Saint Paul (?3AD-?68AD) was a Christian apostle (= someone chosen by Jesus to teach and spread the Christian religion) whose original name was Saul of Tarsus. As a young man, he refused to accept Christian beliefs and treated Christians very cruelly. He was sent to Damascus to punish the Christians who lived there, but on his way there a very bright light suddenly appeared and he heard Jesus ask "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?". He then became a Christian, changed his name to Paul, and spent the rest of of his life teaching people about Jesus. He wrote many of the epistles in the New Testament of the Bible.
From this Biblical story comes the phrase "the road to Damascus" which refers to an experience that completely changes the way that you think about something.

Children's Toys: Teddy Bears

Teddy Bear



a toy bear filled with soft material, which is a very common British and American child's toy.



Teddy Bears' Picnic



a children's song which was first popular in the 1950s and which starts:

If you go out in the woods today

You're sure of a big surprise.

If you go out in the woods today

You'd better go in disguise.



Teddy Picker



A 'teddy picker' is Northern slang for a crane machine: a popular machine at carnivals where prizes, particularly stuffed animals, are picked by a mechanical crane.



Where does the term Teddy Bear come from?



Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was a US politician in the Republican Party who was the 26th president of the US from 1901 to 1909. He was a popular president and is remembered for having a large moustache for saying things were "bully" when he liked them. Roosevelt described his foreign policy using the phrase "speack softly and carry a big stick". He was informally called Teddy and the Teddy Bear is named after him.

The Girl Behind the Name Wendy

Wendy is one of the children visited by Peter Pan in the children's story Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. The name Wendy, which is a derivative of Gwendolyn, was invented by Barrie.

The Girl who inspired Barrie

Barrie introduced the character Wendy Darling in Peter Pan in 1904. It is well-known that J.M. Barrie's work was often inspired by the antics of children. Many important characters in his books are modeled after children of his friends and associates.
One such child was a little girl named Margaret Henley (shown above) who adored Barrie and always called him "my friendy". However, because she couldn't pronounce her r's, the words came out "my fwendy". One variation of the tale says Margaret called Barrie "friendy-wendy" or in her pronunciation, "fwendy-wendy".
Margaret Henley died at age six (c. 1895). But Barrie used Margaret's invented name "Wendy" for a character who symbolizes mothering, caring, loyalty, and undying friendship.
Margaret also used to wear a cloak. This cloak was the model for Wendy Darling's cloak in Peter Pan.
Despite the popularity of Peter Pan, "Wendy" as a name did not come into general use until the 1920s, although some parents used "Wenda", first appearing in 1907, as a familiar form of the name. The name Wendy was more popular in Britain (its country of origin) than in the United States. In the 1940s, the variation "Wendie" was regularly used and "Wendi" appeared in the 1960s, which is when the name reached its peak in Britain. In the United States Wendy reached its peak in the 1970s. By the 1980s, the popularity of Wendy was in sharp decline.

Other Wendys

* Wendy house (in American English playhouse) is a small house for small children to play in, often made of cloth and about 1-2 metres high.

* Wendy's is a type of fast food restaurant which is known for serving hamburgers. Many towns in the US and some large towns in the UK have a Wendy's.

Expressions from Names: Typhoid Mary

Typhoid (also Typhoid Fever) is a serious infectious disease that attacks the bowel, causing fever, severe discomfort, and often death, produced by bacteria that get into the body by means of food or drink.

Typhoid Mary (died 1938) (her real name was Mary Mallon) was an Irishwoman in the US who had the disease Typhoid. Mary was a healthy carrier of the disease and she was believed to have infected many people with it through her job (she was a cook). The name Typhoid Mary is sometimes used to mean someone who is avoided because they are expected to cause a lot of trouble and problems.