In honour of our “Valentine’s Blind Test” (15th February, 18h00) the subject of my blog is:
Music!
The Rolling Stones
This group got their name from a well-known English proverb “A rolling stone gathers no moss”. A rolling stone (rouleau de jardin) was an ancient piece of gardening equipment used to flatten ground and, as it was always moving, moss (la mousse) was unable to grow on it. It is used figuratively to describe someone who is always moving and therefore avoids any responsibilities.
This quote appears to originate from Publilius Syrus (85-43BC) a Syrian slave who managed to become free due to his ability to present and produce beautiful proverbs, even winning a prize from Caesar.
Queen – We are the Champions
Champion comes from the Latin “campus” meaning “field”; a flat, level ground. Historically, the best soldiers, or the ones who stood out from the rest, were known as “campiones”.
Marvin Gaye – I Heard it Through the Grapevine
To hear something “through the grapevine” means to hear something by word-of-mouth. This originates from the American Civil war when communication of news through unofficial channels was referred to as the “grapevine telegraph”. It seems much information was shared by Confederate soldiers after drinking wine and also by black slaves who worked picking grapes from vines.
Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
“To bite the dust” means to die, quit or fail. Its origin is from The Iliad, describing the death of Hector. “…πολέες δ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι//πρηνέες ἐν κονίῃσιν ὀδὰξ λαζοίατο γαῖαν”
See you on the 15th!