Archive for the 'General' Category

Michael Todd is an Australian naturalist and photographer. He has a brilliant website featuring some wonderful photos of Australian wildlife and scenery. He has photos of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, frogs, flora and general landscapes. He has included some photos taken in other countries as well as sound recordings.

His site includes several photo essays on particular themes. He includes details of the photographic and sound recording equipment he uses. His professional projects and achievements make impressive reading; he certainly knows his stuff.

Wildlifing can be accessed by clicking here. Update: This site no longer exists. Sorry!

I have been writing about idioms on my writing blog. Some of these refer to birds in some way. Here is an interesting one, along with a peculiar bird observation of my own.

“A lame duck”

Meanings:

A person who is no longer effective whatever role they have. Also used in describing a failed business, enterprise or organisation.

Origins:

The origin of this saying could come from the observation that a duck with damaged or injured web feet, a lame duck, would be unable to swim properly. It could also originate from the practice of clipping a bird’s wings and thus rendering it flightless.

The first use of this term seems to have been in the London Stock Exchange in the 18th century, and it has more often been applied in recent times to the political scene. One source I discovered says this:

A lame duck (I suppose I ought to call it “flight-challenged”) is one unable to keep up with the flock and who is thus easy prey for predators. The phrase “lame duck” was first applied on the London Stock Exchange in the 18th century to brokers who could not pay their debts. Beginning in 19th-century America, “lame duck” was used to describe a Congressional representative who had failed to hornswoggle the voters into re- electing him in November, but who was not due, under the Constitution, to actually be booted out until the following March. Thus freed of even the pretense of accountability to the voters, such “lame ducks” usually voted themselves a scandalous jackpot of perks, until a stop was put to the practice by the “Lame Duck Amendment” of 1934. Today, new Congresspeople take office in January, their defeated opponents no longer have an opportunity to loot and pillage on their way out, and thus Congress has become a temple of honesty.

From The Word Detective website.

Real life example:

• Interesting, a few weeks ago I actually saw a real lame duck. We were having a picnic lunch on the banks of the River Murray in Mannum, South Australia. Two Pacific Black Ducks flew in to see if they could score a free feed. One landed normally, the other with a belly flop on to the grass. It had a damaged leg and could only shuffle along on the grass. Otherwise, it looked perfectly healthy and was obviously coping very well. That was one successful lame duck!!

Usage:

• The committee has not made a decision in over three months; it’s certainly a lame duck.

On my writing blog I have been writing about idioms, those common and colourful expressions we use in everyday speech. Many idioms have interesting meanings and sometimes very bizarre origins. Some of them relate to birds in some way. Here is another one to consider:

“A bad egg”

Meaning:

A person who is unreliable or untrustworthy is sometimes referred to as “a bad egg.”

Origins:

One cannot tell the quality of an egg just by looking at the outer shell. Breaking the egg and looking inside is the usual way of testing the quality of an egg. A bad, or rotten egg, may contain a nasty surprise.

Likewise with people, it is not always possible to tell the true nature of a person judged by outward appearances alone. It is only by getting to know the inner person through friendship that we get to know their reliability and trustworthiness. It is only through a close relationship with a person that we get to know their true character, their inner qualities.

This expression may have been in common spoken usage for some time before its appearance in published form in the 1850s. The opposite expression, “a good egg” did not come into use until the early 1900s and was probably coined by students at Oxford University. Naturally, it refers to a thoroughly reliable and trustworthy person.

Example:

• I wouldn’t trust Percy with the club’s money; he’s such a bad egg.

On my writing blog I have been writing about idioms we often use in everyday life. Some of these refer to or relate to birds in some way. Here is one of them.

“A feather in one’s cap.”

Meanings:

A special achievement or acknowledgment of one’s work or efforts is said to be “a feather in one’s cap.”

Origins:

A number of different cultures around the world celebrate victory over an enemy or the killing of an enemy by placing a feather somewhere on the head, as in the head-dress of the American Indians. Feathers still feature prominently in the ceremonial apparel of many cultures, from the highland chiefs in Papua New Guinea with their elaborate head-dresses made from the feathers of a Bird of Paradise through to the ostrich and heron feathers used in the cap of members of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in Great Britain.

Today, the common expression is used of anyone who has accomplished some special achievement.

Example:

• Winning the seven year old race on Sports Day is certainly a feather in your cap.