CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter July
July,ly, 202
20 2 1

In Japan it’s “hakushon,” for the French it’s
“atchoun,” Italians say “hapsu” and theSwedes say “atjo.” These are all
onomatopoeias in their respective languages
that represent the sound we make when wesneeze. The accents may differ, but themessage is the same. A sneeze is universallyrecognizable, an unambiguous expressionthat everyone can relate to no matter where
you are in the world.
Sneezing has been with us (andthroughout the animal kingdom) at least aslong as mammals on this earth started tobreath air. And in various cultures, humannature being what it is, has created weird
and wonderful “explanations” as to what asneeze is and why we do it.
In some cultures, sneezing is believed tobring good luck, unless you sneeze at the sametime as someone else. Then it’s bad luck.
Some say that if someone is talking about
you behind your back, you sneeze – onesneeze means they are saying something
Ellagood; two, not so good. In Polish culture, theperson who is talking about you is yourmother-in-law and she is not happy!
Janis
In Italian culture, it’s commonly
considered good luck if your cat sneezes,
especially on your wedding day. While theScots believe a newborn baby is being held
captive by a fairy until the spell is broken
with the baby’s first sneeze.
Kids in many parts of the world will tell
you that if you
try to block asneeze, you eyes
will pop out! So
you should be
sure to close themat such times.

The
ancientGreeks, Egyptians
and Romans allbelieved
thatsneezing was asign that theGods were trying
to reveal the future, good or bad.
Other beliefs say that the soul leaves thebody momentarily during a sneeze. Or thatevil spirits can enter a person’s body when
they sneeze.
Related to these ideas is the expression, “Godbless you” (or “Gesundheit” in German), now asocial custom used to wish the sneezer well. But
why do we say this? The expression “God blessyou” goes back to the 6th century in Europe; thetime of the “Black Plague.” The plague ravaged
Europe on and off for about two centuries
causing the death of up to 25% (some accounts
put the figure at 50%) of the world’s population
at that time. One of the symptoms infected
people showed before death was a fit ofsneezing. In the 6th century, Pope Gregory
imposed a law that said anyone who sneezed
must be blessed with these divine words; and so
the custom has remained to this day, thoughoften shortened to a simple “bless you.”
Like their human companions
Cats anddogs also sneeze. The causes
are similar. Like us, they cancatch a cold, noxious smells
can set them off aswell as irritants intheir noses - “Achoo!”
Gesundheit, Fiedo!

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
For some more on sneezing, try this site:
https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/does-yourheart-stop-when-you-sneeze/Joshua Says: Richard Branson, in his “Virgin Galactic” spaceship, has justbecome the first self, and privately, funded “spacenik” to reach space (“hooray”
for the Brit’s). He was closely followed a few days later by Amazon’s JeffBezos, and they will both soon be welcoming Elon Musk of Tesla to their
exclusive club if his ambitions come true. And while these little billionaires
are having fun out in space, the world gets hotter.
Junko Says: Did you notice that one of our olive trees in the front of ourbuilding had many more little white flowers this May than in past years? Just
like the books on “how to grow olives” say, they flowered in the fifth year after
we planted them and now, if you look carefully, you will see some small green
olives growing here and there among the leaves. It will still take many moremonths before we can harvest them, but we are looking forward to trying them.
Marek Says: Recently I've been trying to learn a song for children that Ionce heard in a supermarket. What's interesting about that is, as I am
learning it, I also pick up many other words that have similar meanings. Also,I’m doing my best to pronounce it as fluently as possible, much to my friends’
amusement. Thanks to learning through something I enjoy, my language
skills and confidence see a noticeable improvement.
Mandcy dit: "L'été au Japon, il fait chaud, il fait même très chaud
et le temps est très humide. De plus, il faut faire attention à ne pasattraper un coup de chaleur. Voici l'astuce des français :chaque été,les francais utilisent systematiquement des glaçons, dans chaqueboisson, les glaçons sont nécessaires. Un peu de Badoit, unquartier de citron et beaucoup de glaçons. Vous voilà français !
Restez bien hydraté et buvez 3 litres d'eau par jours."
1ACROSS
3 cause extensive destruction
4 to be aware of6 not the same
7 in the company of friends
9 forced with authority
12 very odd or unusual
13 different kinds of
14 having no doubt or misunderstanding
15 indicating illness or disease
16 everywhere
17 to call on God's protection
DOWN
1 being confined as in a prison
2 considered individually
3 make clear or visible
5 words that imitate sounds
6 having the nature of a deity
8 nasty, offensive, disgusting
9 things that annoy or disturb
10 in the place of something
11 under normal, usual
conditions

2345678
91011

1213

14151617(print version here)

“Contronyms” are words that can be used with the opposite
meanings
Next to each sentence is a definition relating to the contronym within it.
Decide the correct definition for each sentence.
1. He’s bound for Tokyo.

BOUND: 1) restrain from movement or 2) heading for a destination

2. I’ll bolt the door before I leave.
3. Dust the table, it’s dirty.

BOLT: 1) secure to prevent movement or 2) to flee

DUST: 1) to add fine particles or 2) remove them

4. Fix it so that it stops rattling.

FIX: 1) to repair something or 2) the stop movement

5. His salary is garnished to pay his debt.

GARNISH: 1) to add or 2) to take away

6. Give out the rations to the troops.

GIVE OUT: 1) to provide something or 2) tostop due to a lack of supply
7. There was a hold up due to a traffic jam. HOLD UP: 1) to support somethingor 2) to impede progress
8. I left the keys on the table. LEFT: 1) remain or 2) depart

9. The alarm went off.

OFF: 1) deactivate or 2) activate

10. Don’t overlook the details.

OVERLOOK: 1) to neglect or 2) to supervise

11. I’ll rent a car for the weekend.

RENT: 1) to sell the temporary use of something or2) to buy the temporary use of something
12. She scanned the document for details. SCAN: 1) give a quick glance or2) to examine for specifics
13. Hide that mess behind the screen. SCREEN: 1) to present something or 2) toconceal it
14. We’ll wind up the meeting in ten minutes. WIND UP: 1) to get something
started or 2) to finish somethingPSRI
R E P E L L E N T SIELTNR
M A N N E RWFCTA G I L EUIICERA B U N D A N C ETIGSAAABTA S P E C TPLCTIIR
D E V O U R I N GAONIGB
BOTGLLOB
EGY
P E R S I S T E N C ECCTRIUS H O OM E N A C E SR
D E H Y D R A T I O NLast Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSS
4 a chemical to repel insects
6 type, kind of
8 move quickly or lightly
10 more than necessary
11 a distinct feature
15 eating greedily
17 never give up!
18 an expression to chasesomething away
19 threatening danger
20 loss of body water

DOWN
1 a sharp, unpleasant sound2 flatten on impact
3 able to pull inward
5 more than annoyingly
7 very small or very early
9 impossible to satisfy
12 nose-like13 deal with
14 put into motion
16 hard to see

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