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Thanks so much, Nickel! It seems that the form ξουρίζω and ξυρίζω mean the same. Long-standing niggle sorted at last! Is the gesture used much nowadays?

Something has been bothering me for a long time that happened the first time I went to Greece with a school party. It happened in Athens when we were crossing a busy road. I was so occupied with getting the pupils across that I bumped into a woman and said συγνώμη. As far as I remember what...

Thanks for all this, both of you! To adapt a common English expression, you ask a silly question an you get n excellent set of answers! Thanks to all who have given answers or made observations. I am indebted to real specialists in Greek and in the jargon of motor enthusiasts who tolerate my...

I thought it was my mistake. You are very kind to own up! 😊

He could indeed rename it after his conquest MAGA d’ Oscar since he deserves some proper award after his failed request for a Nobel peace prize. His artistic performance in blowing his own TRUMPet could hardly be bettered.

A better word than personification’ is personality.

The register is surely that of personification. Once you make a thing have the characteristics of a person, how would you describe such a person? Of a car, ‘driving dynamics’ refers to how a car behaves, handles, and responds to what the driver asks of it: δλδ. steering, braking and...

Sorry I meant ‘linguistic chameleon’ not ‘phenomenon’.

Thanks, cougr! I like the phrase 'linguistic chameleon'. As for the spice girls, there is little doubt in my mind that their collective name, (originally 'Touch' but changed to The Spice Girls' because of the fact that another artist had that name) alluded to the nursery rhyme 'what are little...

I will enter here a message which I had deleted on the grounds that it may be considered contentious and a bit over the top. It read as follows but after SBE’s characteristically terse and pithy remark perhaps what I wrote previously may be relevant. I wrote this:- “Point taken, cougr, but in...

Gotta in typical advertising manner wanted to give the Porsche Cayenne a personality: spicy, fiery and immediately responsive. In these politically correct days you have to put this into Greek sans sexism or racial stereotype. I would perhaps attribute this to the Italian male persona but...

Thanks, SBE! Nobody knows where the English phrase comes from. Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Catchphrases suggests it may be a translation of the German phrase Hals- und Beinbruch (neck and leg break), a term of encouragement for aviators in WWI, which later spread to the stage. Partridge also...

Thanks, anepipsogos! For anepipsogos, His rebetiko:- The Impeccable on the Immoral THE FLOWER OF IRREVERENCE I fathomed out the hubble-bubble which produces quickly straightaway swiftly, specifically [rimitative of bubbles!] a cloud of rebetik smoke. I didn’t mean to be embarrassed and ran...

For ‘break a leg/ good luck’ I have several equivalents like: καλή τύχη, καλή επιτυχία, καλή επιτυχία σου εύχομαι, σου εύχομαι καλή επιτυχία, φτου μη σε ματιάσω, με το καλό, με τη νίκη, κάνω επιτυχία σε παράσταση, όλα να πάνε καλά, να σπάσει ο διάολος το ποδάρι του, φτου μ´. I think you can...

As a tribute to you, anepipsogos, I am attempting to translate this into tolerable English. Can you tell me what the following means:- λίγο ρεμπέτικο ψαχνό (to snort) a little rebetik dust τη φόδρα να γυρίσω to attract a humble woman/ to turn the lining ?? The rest of your poem I think I can...

Looks better than the original, anepipsogos! I found and read the original ρεμπέτικο: from your ‘rough verse’ you have the potential to forge a new career in rebetika! Thanks for that anyway! And thanks to you, cougr, που συνεχίζεις το νερό να τρέχει στ’ αυλάκι. In Greek so that some kind soul...

Was the quirky ditty yours, anepipsogos, bearing in mind that there is another verse beneath as it were your ‘signature marker!? Thanks for the several suggestions, m_a_a, and, of course to you, cougr!

The above is an expression of irritation, exasperation, or discontent to someone who is being imperious or makes excessive or unreasonable demands on one.Examples:- Bill: "Darren, I need you to pick up my dry cleaning before lunch, then arrange for a taxi to pick me up at five o'clock." Darren...

Thanks for all this extra material, m_a_a. It’s really appreciated and helpful.

Thanks, cougr. Might you say "Γιατί να δουλεύεις, όταν έχεις δούλους;" A bit lame but it conveys the idea behind the English proverbial expression.