Monthly Archives: December 2010

It Actually Has Something To Do With Lettuce

Salad days” is an idiomatic expression, referring to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. More modern use, especially in the United States, refers to a person’s heyday when somebody was at the peak of his/her abilities—not necessarily in that person’s youth.

The phrase was coined in Shakespeare‘s Antony and Cleopatra in 1606. In the speech at the end of Act One in which Cleopatra is regretting her youthful dalliances with Julius Caesar she says:

“…My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood…”

The phrase became popular only from the middle of the 19th century, coming to mean “a period of youthful inexperience or indiscretion.” The metaphor comes from Cleopatra’s use of the word ‘green’ — presumably meaning someone youthful, inexperienced, or immature.

Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage summarizes several other possible meanings of the metaphor:

Whether the point is that youth, like salad, is raw, or that salad is highly flavoured, and youth loves high flavours, or that innocent herbs are youth’s food, … few of those who now use the phrase could perhaps tell us; if so it is fitter for parrot’s than for human speech. [1]

It Actually Has Something To Do With Lettuce

Salad days” is an idiomatic expression, referring to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. More modern use, especially in the United States, refers to a person’s heyday when somebody was at the peak of his/her abilities—not necessarily in that person’s youth.

The phrase was coined in Shakespeare‘s Antony and Cleopatra in 1606. In the speech at the end of Act One in which Cleopatra is regretting her youthful dalliances with Julius Caesar she says:

“…My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood…”

The phrase became popular only from the middle of the 19th century, coming to mean “a period of youthful inexperience or indiscretion.” The metaphor comes from Cleopatra’s use of the word ‘green’ — presumably meaning someone youthful, inexperienced, or immature.

Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage summarizes several other possible meanings of the metaphor:

Whether the point is that youth, like salad, is raw, or that salad is highly flavoured, and youth loves high flavours, or that innocent herbs are youth’s food, … few of those who now use the phrase could perhaps tell us; if so it is fitter for parrot’s than for human speech. [1]

Just Another Day in Argentina

Argentina: Ex-Dictator Sentenced in Murders

New York Times

By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
 December 23, 2010

Jorge Videla, a former Argentine dictator, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in the murder of 31 political prisoners who were killed after the 1976 coup that swept him into power. Mr. Videla, 85, is considered to have been the main force behind the violence known as the dirty war that included the forced disappearances of up to an estimated 30,000 people through 1983. In April, Argentina’s Supreme Court overturned a 1990 pardon for Mr. Videla and other military men involved in the dictatorship, paving the way for him to be tried for murder, kidnapping and torture, in the case that led to Wednesday’s sentence. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1985 after another trial, in which he was convicted of murder, torture and other crimes. On Tuesday Mr. Videla told the court that “yesterday’s enemies are in power and from there, they are trying to establish a Marxist regime.”

Just Another Day in Argentina

Argentina: Ex-Dictator Sentenced in Murders

New York Times

By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
 December 23, 2010

Jorge Videla, a former Argentine dictator, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in the murder of 31 political prisoners who were killed after the 1976 coup that swept him into power. Mr. Videla, 85, is considered to have been the main force behind the violence known as the dirty war that included the forced disappearances of up to an estimated 30,000 people through 1983. In April, Argentina’s Supreme Court overturned a 1990 pardon for Mr. Videla and other military men involved in the dictatorship, paving the way for him to be tried for murder, kidnapping and torture, in the case that led to Wednesday’s sentence. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1985 after another trial, in which he was convicted of murder, torture and other crimes. On Tuesday Mr. Videla told the court that “yesterday’s enemies are in power and from there, they are trying to establish a Marxist regime.”