Idiom #6: To foul one’s own nest
No Comments »4th December, 2006; Category: Idioms
This week’s idiom:
“To foul one’s own nest.”
Origins:
This expression probably comes from the fact that many birds are careful not to foul their own nests. The droppings of the young are picked up from the nest by the adult birds and dropped on to the ground below the nest. There has been a proverb in existence for over a thousand years which says, “It is a foul bird that defiles its own nest.”
Meaning:
This idiom means simply to harm one’s own interests.
Example:
“By not picking up things after their teenage son, they allowed him to foul his own nest.”
See also my article “What is an idiom?“
Poem #16 Nancy and Me
2 Comments »2nd December, 2006; Category: Poetry
Nancy and Me
This morning
I went with Nancy
For a walk upon the beach.It was calm.
No breeze.
No waves.
Not a ripple
On the glass-smooth water.Nancy and me
Went for a walk
Along the firm, wet sand.
I had to strain
To keep up with Nancy
As her little legs
Took her yap-yapping
After the seagulls.
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2006 Trevor W. Hampel
Wonderful writing
Yesterday was a horrible day.
From early in the day the hot north westerly wind blew up dust squalls making it most uninviting to be outside. By lunch time the temperature had soared to 41 degrees C (that’s 106F for those who use that scale) so inside with the airconditioner going was the place to be.
At lunch time I switched on the television to watch a repeat episode of Rumpole of the Bailey. There were seven series spanning the years 1978 to 1992. When this series first appeared on television I was fascinated by the rich and wonderful language used by author John Mortimer. The episode we watched was called “The Summer of Discontent.”
The main character, Horace Rumpole frequently quotes from the Oxford Book of English Verse. There is an Australian connection too. Actor Leo McKern was born in Sydney. He died several years ago.
Wonderful writing in a television series or a film is noteworthy these days because it is so uncommon. Any kind of trash is dished up these days, pretending to be entertainment. Rare indeed are little gems of writing so in evidence in this series.