Fa – the Green Dragon

A Place for the Odd Musings of an Expat Bristolian


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Unusual U.S. Place names 7 – Pipestone

PIPESTONE – (Pipestone County) Minnesota

Named for stone quarried

for hand-carved calumet pipes

Ritual peace pipes


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Obscure words explained 102 – ban sidhe

BAN SIDHE (Banshee)

Old Irish, Fairy

Vengeful if one offends them

Clodhna their Queen


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Sword words – en garde!

SWORD WORDS

Broadsword Claymore Foil

Scimitar Sabre Cutlass

Epée Rapier

Note:  Just mucking about on my day off.


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Unusual U.K. place names 78. – Babcary

BABCARY, Somersetshire

Site of Wimble Toot

Glastonbury Zodiac

Bronze-age round barrow

Note: Toot derived from Old English tot meaning,  a lookout point.


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Obscure words explained 82 – abracadabra

I have written three versions of this word because it is very complicated to explain in 17 syllables.

ABRACADABRA – Ab’r achad ab’ra (Aramaic and/or Arabic origin

1.Concerning the bull

it’s  the one and only one

a name for the sun

2. Used by magicians

to perform their magic tricks

a magical spell

3. A magical spell

inscribed on an amulet

to cure deadly ills

For those readers with a mind to do so, I hope you ask yourself the question: is there such a thing as magic?  Sir James George Frazer in his book the Golden Bough thought so.

He explained that contagious and homeopathic magic (both generally referred to as sympathetic magic) were valid and practiced throughout the world in one form or another. This magic (these magics) basically formed the basis of our religions.

I have always wanted to throw the cat among the pigeons Ah yes! it’s a full moon.

 

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Other words explained 1. – Recorder

RECORDER

Internal duct flute*

in the group of instruments

well known as Woodwinds

* Internal Duct flute: A flute with a whistle also referred to as “fipple mouthed”