CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter February,February , 202
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When I was young, I watched north of ahundred Westerns, especially with Clint
Eastwood, in which trailblazers and pioneers
faced adverse environments of North
America and when things went horribly
south, they would often go west.
The cardinal directions (North, South,East and West) are ever-present in ourlanguage and culture, and in Europeancultures, the points have a specific anddefined meaning.
The term “cardinal” first appeared in 14thcentury, taken from a Latin word forprimary, principle or essential.
The Sun, wind, and celestial bodies weremost commonly used to indicate the cardinalpoints of North and South.

EllaJanis

The cardinal directions of East and Westoriginated from our universal orientation tothe rising and setting of the sun.

The sun always travels from east to west.
Some European countries (Poland, Hungary,Turkey) have clear references in theirlanguages to such occurrences. For instance,in Polish, “wschód, zachód, północ, południe”
translate respectively as “east, west, north,south”, but also mean sunrise, sunset,midnight, noon”.
Cardinal points are particularly useful fornomadic cultures that frequently needprecise referents to navigate complex spaces
and geographies. Sailors and fishermen used
to rely heavily on star constellations andwinds when seafaring.
The North Star (Polaris) can be found bydrawing an imaginary line from Merak
through Dubhe and, by continuing one’s eye
in the same direction, you will land on
Polaris, accurately indicating true North.
In nearly every spiritual tradition ofwhich we know, the directions have specificcorrespondences. They have a wind, a color,an animal symbol, a season, guardians anddeities.
Feng Shui contains animal symbolism
where the rat is the animal for the North,rabbit for the East, horse for the South androoster for the West.
The cardinal directions are featured
heavily in the spiritual world in many
cultures, but were borne as very tangible
and down-to-earth concepts that benefit
humanity in a range of applications.

Article by Marek

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
The internet is your friend for in-depth knowledge! Checkout this link: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/
sun-earth-and-cardinal-directions/Joshua Says: Have you ever thought about the way color is used to describe
things, emotions, etc. in the English language? We feel “blue” if we areunhappy or sad; we see “red” when we are angry; we turn “green” with envy
and we describe a coward as being “yellow.” Colors seem to have a language of
their own. They speak to us in a code we immediately recognize and use tohelp us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
Junko Says: Reading can build on your base for all round English
abilities. I read some advice in a journal about effective ways toencourage reading. First, try to choose a book that is easy tocomprehend, one with a topic you’re very much interested in. Secondly,
allow some time for Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). And enjoy! Afteryour have a good understanding of the content, read it again, out loud.
Marek Says: There is no doubt that humanity will be struck with a new coronavirus in
the not-so-distant future. The scientists are working hard to determine sources of the next
novel contagion. Thanks to the advancement in AI technology, we can now “teach” an AI
through algorithms to narrow down search to most likely locations and animal carriers ofpotentially infectious viruses. Such preparations are necessary to ensure we don’t sufferfrom economic meltdowns and high fatalities at the hands of a new pandemic.
Mandcy dit: Ce mois-ci, c'est la fête des amoureux. En France, l'homme
offre un cadeau à Madame. Mais au Japon, c'est Madame quo fait le premierpas. Elle declare s on amour en offrant des chocolats. C'est très moderne !!
Moi, je suis trop timide pour faire cela !!!
1ACROSS
1 in the order given
6 many times
8 plot a path
11 a supernatural being, a god
12 traveling on the high seas
13 perceived as real
14 groups of stars in the sky
11
16 direction or position
17 most important, essential
18 relation to the sky
19 vitally necessary
20 compatibility by observations

234

5

6

7

8

910

12

13

14

DOWN
2 the first settlers in a new territory
3 particular to4 protectors
5 used for a particular function
7 exact, accurate
9 unfavorable, unhelpful or harmful
10 the first to go somewhere or do something
2015 having no fixed home

15

16

17

1819

(print version here)

What are euphemisms?
If you don’t want to use a bad word or refer to a difficult or unpleasantsituation directly, you use a euphemism to soften the blow.
George has lived a difficult life. First of all, he was born on the wrong side of
the blanket. He has been on Carey Street for most of his adult life due to the factthat he is a compulsive gambler. He wears the same clothes every day andalways looks somewhat worse for wear. Not in the best physical condition either
you might say he is built for comfort, not for speed. He is somewhat visuallychallenged as well. Recently, his company told him to spend more time with thefamily. He already lives in reduced circumstances as the salary he earns is very
meager at best, so the prospect of losing his job has caused him great anxiety. In
desperation he turned to his influential friend Don Vito and asked him to have aword with his boss about keeping his job. Don Vito told George not to worry, thathe’d make his boss an offer he can’t refuse. A week later, not only was George
securely employed, but he was promoted as well! He later asked Don Vito what
he had said to his boss. Don Vito just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Nothing,
I just showed him a bunch of fives and he immediately agreed to keep you on.”*Before checking with the definitions below, first see if you can get the meanings first.

“Soften the blow” – lessen the effect, make something easier or less damaging.
“Born on the wrong side of the of the blanket”- born out of wedlock.
“On Carey Street” – bankrupt or in debt.
“Worse for wear” – shabby looking or worn out through over use; also drunk.
“Built for comfort, not for speed” – Over weight, fat.
“Visually challenged” – short-sighted.
“Spend more time with the family” – being made redundant, fired from one’s job.
“In reduced circumstances” – living in poverty or being bankrupt.
“Have a word” – to talk seriously with someone.
“Make an offer he can’t refuse” – “do as I say, or I’ll do you harm, I’ll kill you.”T H R I V E
AEDS L U G S
A L T O G E T H E R
EPRMOS C A V E N G I N G
BRILTHC U L L S
DARIIINABNPS T O C K Y
R E S I G NUPE
E
RTO
FRO
DNYCM O R S E L S
A
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UITUA
I N I T I A L L YERGNINIGOE Q U I V A L E N T
G N O M ELG

A.K.A.“a knuckle sandwich”

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSSDOWN

1 grow with great success
4 similar to snails but with no shell
5 complete, entirely all
7 feeding on discarded refuse
10 remove things that are not necessary
13 having a short and solid appearance
14 give up, accept as inevitable
17 small quantities of anything
18 at the beginning
19 equal to
20 a mythological creature resemblinga tiny man

2 similar in appearance
3 make more attractive by adding
ornaments
6 described in words or represented
visually
8 nearby
9 sleep during winter
11 an acquired habit or characteristic
12 following in order to overtakeor catch
15 active at night
16 searching for foodDon’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.