January 30, 2014
“Say That Again…?” Text and picture by Anna Denysovna / Background photo by Cristina Pamplona
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s the new year begins to a close and we look forward to the future, perhaps with a little hope that things will improve, I thought of sharing with you all the origins of some time-honoured English sayings.
Because this was such a difficult area to get to it was referred to by seamen as ‘the Devil’ so that the person assigned to this task was said to be ‘between the Devil and the deep blue sea.’ Another saying today that derives from this is:
“Between the Devil and the deep blue sea!” This saying has the modern day meaning of finding oneself in no-win situation. Being faced with a problem with no apparent solution. It originates with the old time wooden sailing ships that plied the seas in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the prow of the ship often pointed over empty space and the boards needed to be painted with pitch while still at sea. It was customary to place a seaman on a plank strung between ropes and lower him into position, then lower a bucket with hot pitch and a brush so he could paint where it needed to be done.
“The Devil to pay and no pitch hot!” In modern terms this means ‘Bills to pay and no cash available’. However in the old naval parlance of the time it referred to the ever present need to keep the prow seaworthy with pitch, of which there was usually a supply kept hot for emergencies. This saying referrs to the times when the supply ran out and the usual maintainence could not be carried out. Either way it meant being in an awkward position! But, there are many more such picturesque sayings from past naval and military history that have influenced the English language today. We’ll leave them, now, for another time!
El Botijo
Text by Karen Lucas / Photo on left by Lourdes Cardenal / Photo on right by Cristina Pamplona
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l botijo translates as an earthenware water jar with a spout and a handle. In Andalucía it is also known as búcaro. It is used for drinking and keeping water cool. It has two openings, the widest one is called a mouth (boca) and the narrow one is called a spout (pitorro). Water is filled at the mouth and the spout is used for drinking. Although similar earthenware jars are used en other places, especially in warm zones in Africa and South American, the botijo is typical of Spain. The usefulness of the botijo in keeping water cool is due to the evaporation of the water on the outside through the porous surface of the clay. The oldest known botijo is the one that was found in the archaeological excavations in Puntarrón Chico in Beniaján, Murcia. It dates back to the Bronze Age (1,700 – 1,200 BC). Before refrigeration was widely available, botijos were the way water was kept cool. If you are curious about these artefacts and interested in getting one, you should know how
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to prepare it for use. In order to eliminate any possible taste of clay, you should fill it will water and anisette and let it stand for a week or two. Once filled, it should be left outside in a shady area. In Spain, there are a couple of interesting botijo museums: one in Argentona, Barcelona and another in Villena, Alicante. In any case, a visit to these museums is a good excuse to enjoy the beautiful beaches and a few days of vacation.
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