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heleninwalesIt's starting to be a little lighter in the mornings when I wake up. Not actually light, but no longer pitch dark. Someone mentioned this last week in the weekly Welsh chat and our tame native speaker said that day length increases each day now "fesul cam ceiliog" (by a cockerel's stride). We all thought this was a lovely idiom. I don't know whether all Welsh classes are the same, but we always like to collect idioms.
And speaking of idioms, I'm reading Still Waters by E. C. R. Lorac and one character used the idiom, "A Parthian shot". I vaguely recall seeing it before but these days it's normally, "a parting shot". Having looked it up. the original saying came from the habit of the Parthian light cavalry of, when they were retreating (or feigning retreat), they would suddenly turn in the saddle and shoot an arrow straight back at the soldiers chasing them. It seems that some people still have the riding and archery skills to be able to do it, though this chap has a modern saddle with stirrups. The original Parthians didn't have that help.
And speaking of idioms, I'm reading Still Waters by E. C. R. Lorac and one character used the idiom, "A Parthian shot". I vaguely recall seeing it before but these days it's normally, "a parting shot". Having looked it up. the original saying came from the habit of the Parthian light cavalry of, when they were retreating (or feigning retreat), they would suddenly turn in the saddle and shoot an arrow straight back at the soldiers chasing them. It seems that some people still have the riding and archery skills to be able to do it, though this chap has a modern saddle with stirrups. The original Parthians didn't have that help.
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Date: 2026-01-19 04:04 pm (UTC)This is where the term 'parting shot' comes from as a misunderstanding!
Stirrups and a recurved bow! That's a lethal combination!
Why yes, I AM a military historian. :o)
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Date: 2026-01-19 04:15 pm (UTC)