h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A recommendation: do the listening while you do something else like pottering with your plants, fixing some bottoms, drawing... I usually do the weekly ironing while listening to the BBC world news. What I mean is that you should try to incorporate the listening to some other activity to make it an habit for you.

Stone Art,

but we also have hombre casado. El casado, casa quiere is a saying that means the married person wants a house.

btw, marry comes from a Latin word and in Spanish it gives h marido, husband, and the word maridar, which means get together, mix and it´s used mostly in gastronomy: Este vino blanco hace un buen maridaje con la paella. ( it sounds a bit formal) ((and this is a recipe for paella: A37181234 )

And esposo y esposa (husband and wife). Esposo comes from latin spondere which means promise, make a deal.

a curiosity, the word esposas means handcuffs, and the relation is easy to see, you get married and lose freedom. (bored people think so)

"fixing some bottoms"

Sounds like a worthy pursuit. Do you have any bottom-fixing tips for us?

note to self:

button, botón (: is not buttocks , glúteos, nalgas ( )( )
or bottom , fondo and also nalgas ( )( )

now, Paul, what would be the closer word to culo in English?

I mean a botón with 4 holes, not two ( : ) ..., well , no importa,

botón = button

We'd say 'sew on some buttons'.

Well, Maria , I'd say bottom or bum, but many other words are used commonly:

From the free Dictionary:

"bum1 (Brit. informal)
noun bottom, backside, buttocks, behind (informal), rear, arse (taboo slang), ass (U.S. & Canad. taboo slang), seat, tail (informal), butt (U.S. & Canad. informal), buns (U.S. slang), rump, rear end, posterior, derrière (euphemistic), tush (U.S. slang), fundament, jacksy (Brit. slang) Does my bum look big in this dress?"

So, *does* my bum look big in this dress?

coser of pegar un botón, we say.

Do you use dedal?
http://www.dimensionsinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thimble.jpg

Some of them are muy lindos, verdad?

gracias Paul, I´ve read that bottom translated as pompis, which is a mild word used with children, like culete, it sounds more childish and less hard than culo.

Culitos are nice, though, aren't they?

ya lo creo, of course,

Checking through my junior guide to Spain I came across the "Mystery Play of Elche", I did a little internet search. It some middle-age play performed on Assumption Day (today - August 15th), where Christians celebrate Mary, mother of Jesus, assumption into heaven. The play involves singers and guitarists / mandolin (?) emerging from a hole in the ceiling of the dome of Elche Cathedral on what looks to be a candelabra type contraption then slowly lowered to the ground and raised up again. The height from the top of dome seems to be of the order of 60 feet. Unesco have designated this as some World Heritage heritage feature.

Coincidently Elche was in the news yesterday. Some church "exploded" in Elche and three people were injured during something called the Verbenas - an evening of fireworks and celebration in the lead up the the Assumption day festival. A firework from elsewhere landed on the church's firework display, which was to be set off later, and all the fireworks went off in one big explosion.

There is a popular philisopher / writer called Alain de Botton. His surname sounds more french than spanish but I assume it has the same latin root as for the spanish "boto/n" (ps my keyboard doesn't have the accents).

'Total' (pronounced 'totál') is used towards the end of a typically rambling Spanish conversation to mean 'in short', or 'to cut a long story short' (why ever would a Spaniard want to do that? ), or something like 'to get back to the point' (NB Spaniards love to talk - a point is rarely necessary in my experience ).

what about libélula?

libélula is dragonfly.

Thank you for posting the link [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkGeOWYOFoA&feature=related ] to a video about Fibonacci numbers - it's beautiful.

Pipas, anyone?

I hasten to add that pipas are sunflower seeds. I am not suggesting we pass a pipe around..........

Some practice with 'gustar'?

Me Gustas Tu - Manu Chao + lyrics (low volume but cute pics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2oIqlEkX5s

Me Gustas Tu - Manu Chao + lyrics (better recording but no pics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMHdnpNisew

Caballero/s

I think that is such a good term, I hear it used all the time.

Simpatica.

Hard to find individuals with this trait.