Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.

And, lo, the hunter of the east has caught the sultan’s turret in a noose of light.

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable – Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain.

Cosas de España/Galiza

Excellent news from Madrid. The president is on a crusade to stop the changing of the clock twice a year. Which seriously disrupts my sleep pattern for several days. But some EU states don’t like the idea, so it’s unlikely to happen.

Bad news for Madrid . . . A new environmental report makes grim reading for Spain.

Urban crimes rates in Spain. Pretty much as you’d expect.

Talking of criminal negligence . . . Almost a year ago, there were horrendous floods in the Valencia region. Many fingers were pointed at the regional president who’d spent the critical afternoon lunching – a la español – into the evening with, as it happened, an attractive female reporter. She stayed silent until very recently on his comportment during the lunch but has now revealed that he took ‘numerous’ phone calls during their ‘business’ lunch and that it finished – at 6.30-45 – at least an hour later than he’d claimed. Calls for his resignation have naturally become more vociferous but this rarely happens in Spain. Especially when, as here, a regional president has the backing of the leader of the party. In this case the PP opposition party. So, we wait for pigs to take off.

As we get towards the end of October, here in myth-rich Galicia, we need to answer the annual question – Do we go all American and call it Halloween or do we stick with the Celtic festival of Samhain? Or both? [Note: The festival is commonly called ‘Samaín’ in Galicia. But . . . . The name of the superficially similar Galician festival of Samaín is etymologically unrelated, being derived from Latin ‘sambucum’ for elderberry. I’m not sure that would go down well here, even if true.]

MAGAWORLD

Trumpisms.

• 50% of presidents, almost, have used the Insurrection Act. [Completely untrue, of course]

Worth watching – Jon Stewart on the No Kings demonstrations and on Trump’s kingsmanship and his ‘saviour’ status.

An obvious question: Re education – Will Trump move from what can’t be taught – DEI, ‘woke stuff’, etc. – to what must be taught? As all true authoritarians do.

The Way of the World

Gaza: The latest episode of the Empire podcast: The 1948 War.

Spanish

• Peón: Pawn, labourer, checker (of Trump lies)
• Cinta: Tape. ribbon, belt. Feminine noun.
• Cinturón: Big belt . . . Seatbelt. Masculine noun. Change of gender. Why?
• Cuca: ‘A female name, usually a diminutive or affectionate nickname derived from traditional Marian names such as Pilar, Refugio, or Concepción’. See below for a bit more on this.
• Quinceñeiro: Young teenager. Mate of the ex Duke of York . . .
• Lucha playa: Beach wrestling.

English

• Gamification: ‘The incorporation of game elements, like point and reward systems, to tasks as incentives for people to participate: making something potentially tedious into a game’. Something which parents have done with kids long before the word became almost ubiquitous.
• OG: ‘In chat, this typically stands for “original gangster,” – a slang term referring to someone who is highly respected, authentic, or considered an expert in a particular area. It can also mean something that is original or classic.’

Did you know?

Research shows that Trigger warnings might well have exactly the opposite effect to the one intended, actually increasing interest in a book or film. Anyone really surprised?

You Have to Laugh

John Selden, Table Talk, 1689: Lady Kent articled with Sir Edward Herbert that he should come to her when she sent for him; and stay with her as long as she would have him, to which he set his hand; then he articled with her that he should go away when he pleased, and stay away as long as he pleased, to which she set her hand. This is the epitome of all the contracts in the world:

Finally . . .

Given how long Honda is taking to deliver parts to Pontevedra, I wondered if their store was in Japan and they were coming by ship from there. But an AI engine tells me that, while it’s actually outside Barcelona, there are at least 6 reasons why deliveries might be delayed. Worse . . . Some repair shops report waits of several months, with shipment repeatedly postponed. Just what I needed to hear, with a road trip planned for November.

Finally, finally . . . .

CUCA

El diminutivo “Cuca” es un hipocorístico cariñoso que se utiliza para varios nombres femeninos como Pilar, Concepción y Refugio, entre otros. Este apodo no tiene un significado etimológico propio, sino que surge como una forma afectuosa y abreviada para facilitar la comunicación y expresar cariño, abreviando de forma cariñosa los nombres femeninos más largos y formales.​

Este fenómeno forma parte de la tradición hispana de crear hipocorísticos que a menudo suenan repetitivos o con sonidos suaves y agradables, como “cu-cu”, que además está relacionado con palabras onomatopéyicas del español. Así, aunque “Cuca” proviene de nombres diferentes, su uso común refleja cariño y familiaridad más que una relación etimológica directa entre esos nombres.​

En resumen, “Cuca” funciona como diminutivo de Pilar, Concepción y Refugio porque es un apodo afectivo y sonoro que tradicionalmente se ha asociado a estos nombres, demostrando el juego flexible y emotivo del lenguaje popular español.

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The Usual Links . . .

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For new readers: If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.