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Tower of Babel
Mrs, miss or ms?
In the run-up to international women's day on 8 March, one of the debates rolling around the cafebabel circles cropped up - when on earth do English-speakers address a woman by Ms?
PIIGS unwelcome in the EU parlour: war of words rocks Eurozone
Despite Silvio Berlusconi’s dreams, the next member of the Eurozone is unlikely to be Israel; even Croatia or Turkey have taken a back seat. The current pan-EU squabble is over who should have been admitted to the eurozone in the first place
tower of babel, economic growth, portugal, economy, eurozone, economical crisis, press review
Chicken!
'Da lachen ja die Hühner,' cackle the Germans. 'Even chickens would laugh!' - it sounds so ridiculous that it's actually unbelievable! But don't undermine the global power of chickens, you cowards; these south-east Asia originating birds have oft harmed global markets and relations
Uncommon first names: 'Europa'
As the launch of a new online database exploring the origins of strange surnames is announced in the UK, we think of the Scarletts, Nikes and Solidarities in this EU world
tower of babel, parents, children, society, language, translation
You’re getting on my goat
They say that the French are the biggest moaners in Europe, and it’s no lie! They have several expressions for when they need to let off steam. Whilst the Poles go into a 'white fever', the Spaniards ‘turn black’ – it's the saying of the week
tower of babel, poland, germany, europe, spain, france, expressions
Credit crunch: a fistful of pounds and zlotys
‘It’s the financial crisis!’ We’re surrounded by numbers on all sides: it’s becoming a real obsession! Almost makes you wish you were a numismatist. Weekly plunge into - the world of currencies
Rings a bell
The French will call you a poor bell, the Italians will warn you to stay in earshot of a bell and the Spanish will advise you not to swing it too high. Idiom of the week
tower of babel, christmas, henning studte, translation, languages
Knecht Ruprecht and his motley crew of Christmas meanies
Santa Claus is coming to town...and so what? Europe’s christmas traditions don’t always bring nice surprises
tower of babel, religion, christmas, children, language, italy, germany
Baby language
Scientists and parents were shaken by a recent discovery: newborns cry in tune with the melody line that they have most often heard while still in their mothers’ placenta. To that, we say ga ga - baby phrases of the week
tower of babel, eurovision song contest, henning studte, children, language, translation, expressions
Catchy songs
Creepy-crawly expressions for the irritating musical attacks of the ear-worm in Europe. Expression of the week
tower of babel, health, ohrwurm, animals, music, henning studte, songs
It's like talking to a Berlin wall
140 kilometres of wall crumbled in 1989 and hundreds of European expressions arose as it fell. The idiom of the week is flavoured by the 9 November event
tower of babel, cold war, best of cafebabel.com, berlin wall, poland, iron curtain, berlin
Sourpuss
Being 'as sour as vinegar' is a saying that's recognisable across the continent, but why? It starts with the word itself - vinum acetum means 'wine turned sour'. Idiom of the week
tower of babel, food, rome, language, translation, expressions
When pigs fly
On Saint Never's day, a blue moon rises in the sky and the scene is like Noah's Ark. The creatures climb on board, in an attempt to prove that an event will never happen: they are hairy frogs, toothy chickens, flying pigs, flying donkeys, whistling crawfish and dark Germans .... it's the idiom of the week
tower of babel, idioms, expressions, lisbon treaty, languages
Is your gran a 'silver surfer'?
French grandmas in stinging nettles, German grandpas at the European parliament and Polish grannies working in communist toilets - there's a visually colourful variety of 'ageing' expressions across the European continent
tower of babel, work, age, pensioner, consumers, europa, consumption society
'I couldn't give a hoot'
You couldn't care less what somebody is saying to you? European expressions range from the Germans 'not giving a sausage' to rather more vulgar sausage sayings ... read on for the weekly idiom roundup
European slogans: 'Smoking kills'
It leaves traces of tar in European lungs, but cigarettes are also impregnated with the bitter odour of the vocabulary of European tongues. Idiomatic expression of the week, plus audio
European versions of 'Nobody puts baby in a corner'
On 14 September American actor Patrick Swayze died of pancreatic cancer, aged 57. Generations of teenage – and grown-up girls – knew him as the hunky dance teacher of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, a cult hit in Europe
tower of babel, dance, cinema, film, united states, patrick swayze, usa
Bun in the oven
According to Eurostat, 5.4 million babies were born in 2008. Lithuanians are the most industrious breeders, while Germans are at the bottom of the chart. Some of Europe's expressions for motherhood
tower of babel, italy, germany, europe, spain, audio, translation
One night stands
For good or for bad, relationship patterns have changed. It´s more common to enjoy a brief encounter than to tie the knot, and having a one-off romance is no longer the taboo it was in the past. A look at the European language of love
