Wednesday, September 13, 2006

What Do a Napkin, Towel, Briefcase, and a Tampon Have In Common?

Today's question comes to us from Arthur Felgenhauer of Menomenie, Wisconsin. Arthur asks: "What do a napkin, a towel, a briefcase, and a tampon have in common?" Well, Arthur it's funny you asked. But each of these objects is referred to as a "serviette" in France. It's hard to believe! Aside from the similarities between the napkin and the towel, it's hard to imagine a connection between the other items...

Watching the UEFA Champion's League (soccer) game on television tonight, Olympique Lyonnaise (from Lyon) against Real Madrid. The "O.L." looks very impressive; they are currently up 2-0 and it could be much more than that--one of their shots hit the post, and they had several other good looks. The Champion's League is where the best professional leagues around Europe play a tournament--kind of a cool idea.

Today's vocabulary (as if my useful tidbits on the manifold uses of "serviette" wasn't enough: let's do the French playing card suits:

hearts = le couer
diamonds = le carreau
spades = le pique
clubs = le trefle