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Lost in translation
Some time ago I read a book in the Czech language and came to a statement saying literally that every cloud has a silver lining. It sounded strange to me as I’d never heard anyone to say such a phrase or saying in Czech. It didn’t fit in at all. As the book was a Czech translation of the English original, it occurred to me that the phrase might have been translated literally regardless of its possible figurative meaning so I went to look it up in a dictionary. It proved my suspicion true explaining that the saying means that every sad or difficult situation has a positive side. Properly…
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Wagon scenery
Do you know that feeling to go somewhere and all of a sudden be attracted to something although nobody around you can understand what you can see in it? It happens to me from time to time and then I take pictures I don’t intend to present anywhere as they would probably be seen as rather dull and boring. But I like them and keep coming back to them. Like this one with the wagons: I took it during one of our outings many years ago and I still remember the place and perceive the beauty of those wagons, lined up and waiting for their moment of importance. The wagons…
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At the eleventh hour
Some time ago I read in English “The Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins and really liked the story and its characters. I met there – for the first time – an English phrase “at the eleventh hour” and understood from the context that it meant “at the last moment”. I looked at my dictionary and browsed the Internet and found the following explanation: “The eleventh hour is the last possible moment at which something can be done, or which problems or solutions might arise. The phrase, “at the eleventh” hour became popular in the 19th century, but was in use much earlier. It alludes specifically to the book of Matthew…
