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Penny Farthings

October 15, 2017 by EmmaP Leave a Comment

The Penny Farthing – named after the two coins, one being bigger than the other. These bikes were the speed demons of their time – the 1870s and 80s. Men (mostly) used to whizz around country roads, often keeping their legs over the handlebars so they could fall off more effectively. They were properly known as “ordinaries”, to distinguish them from the “bone shakers” that came before and from the new “safety” bikes that came after them, the ones with rubber tyres and brakes which became modern standard bikes.

This little charmer now sits along the Drumcondra Road on the northside. I passed it a week later and it was facing the other way – that’s just mild vandalism for #Dublin.

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Filed Under: Dublin Tagged With: Dublin, Penny Farthing

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I write about language and the quirks of our family life in Dublin and previously in Florence and Oslo. My day job is translating from Italian to English, and proofreading.  Read More…

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Wash Your Language

My two kids have lived their childhood through Norwegian and Italian, and I love to hear how some words or phrases just blend into their everyday English.

Like in this morning's rush before school.

Child 1: "Mummy I've checked the time on your phone and now I've fixed my clock so I'll bring it to school"

(in Norwegian a clock (klokk) is a watch as well as a clock, I've never been sure why. But it's very close to the word "klok" which means clever)

Child 2, younger: "Hey, I want to bring my watch too... but it's not working! Mummy can you bring it to an orologeria today?"

(i.e. an Italian clockmaker: picture a sweet old man with a glass squinted into his eye, classical radio in the backroom, walls full of old, ticking wooden clocks that people forgot to collect, and a bowl of caramelle on the counter)
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Wash Your Language shared NRK Nyheter's video.

2 days ago

Wash Your Language

Some Belfast youngsters rapping in Irish on Norwegian TV

NRK Nyheter
Har du noensinne hørt rapping på irsk? Nei? Vel, skru opp lyden nå!

Og her kan du lese om hvordan disse gutta havnet midt i en språkkrangel som kan true freden i Nord-Irland https://www.nrk.no/1.14007885
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Wash Your Language shared Irish Times Abroad's post.

4 days ago

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A beautiful read from another home-from-abroad Irishwoman. Ireland's not such a bad place. ... See MoreSee Less

Irish Times Abroad

"I have been home for three years now. I am first to the podium to wave my fist, roaring about dearth and misogyny and rain. But I love my country more than ever, more than anywhere."
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Wash my language?

Språkvask is the Norwegian word for proofing text. Literally it means “language wash”; a more poetic way of saying it!

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