Have you ever wondered why these hot summer days are calledthe "dog days" of summer? I knew you were curious, so I'll tell you!
It's because the ancient Romans believed that the six or eight hottest
days of summer were caused by Sirius, the brightest visible star in the
earth's sky, called the Dog Star. They called these extra hot days
cuniculares dies, which translates "dog days". So, there you have it.
~~vintage French poster borrowed from google images~~
Now that one I would have never been able to guess even if my life depended upon it! I would have thought it was because dog pant when they are hot! LOL!! Love the red color and put in my vote....everyone needs a redo now and then! Really beautiful shade of red!
ReplyDeleteInteresting! That poster rocks, too! I like this red, but I have to say, I like that you keep changing things and mixing it up--keep us guessing, girl! ;))
ReplyDeletePush that Dog-star over here, I'm cold, its raining cats & dogs (no pun intended).....
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I never knew that! And I like the red, it seems to be easier on the eye. Of course I could blame that on age too. :D
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered about that!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I hear someone say it, I picture a heap of hound dogs, lying by somebody's porch, looking pitiful--exactly how the heat makes me feel!
Fun post!
And thanks so much for your comment on my blog!
:)Becky
I never knew that. That is really neat!!
ReplyDeleteDepressed over the humidity, Edward has his own definition of the "dog days of summer"!
ReplyDeleteWe like the red color, by the way. Lovely shade, very autumnal!
Willow...thanks for clearing that up...I was thinking along the same lines as Betsy all these years...dogs panting ....tongue dripping...:)
ReplyDeleteBTW...the red is growing on me...but I like the black also ....
I'm looking forward to autumn so much, I think that's why the red looked so inviting. But you know, I think I'm tired of it already! I do't know if I'll be able to stand it the whole six days of the pole! Libras can never make up their minds.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent bit of trivia! And the poster is lovely. I love that she's riding a bicycle sidesaddle!
ReplyDeleteYes! Sidesaddle! A version of Lady Godiva on a bicycle. I adore beautiful vintage posters like this one.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, willow. What also called my attention is the way the construction of the phrase is similar to that in English rather than to those in romance languages. To make myself clear: if I was to translate that phrase into Spanish it would be 'Dias de Perros' (notice the 'de'), however, the ancient Romans allowed the 'dies' to absorb the 'cuniculares' without placing any word in between. Latin is a funny language indeed, no wonder it has exerted so much influence on modern lexicons.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Cuban, your comments on linguistics are always so interesting. In English, we don't often use that "of" or as you would use "de" to connect words.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input, bloggy friend!
I knew the origin of the phrase, but must say, we're not having dog days this year. It's mellow. Weather forecasters have even described it as "delightful" and Chicago rarely gets delightful weather, especially in August. I like the dog days though, just like the 9th month of pregnancy, they make you willing to go through what you need to get through and see what's on the other side.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous poster Willow. I love those old ones too.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the red, too hard on the eyes!
It always amazed me where these sayings come from. Who'd have guessed it?
x
Jennifer, I have always thought of late summer as being in the last months of pregnancy...heavy, drooping and ripe!
ReplyDeleteThe Dog-star was following us in the Carolinas. We have crazy weather here in the gulf. It is raining but the sun is shining. It rains heavily in the highway and then stops on the feeder roads - crazy. I did not know the etmology of dog-days and never thought of finding out so thanks. This is like a weekly version of A Word A Day. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteNever thought it had to do with a star...very cool.
ReplyDeleteYour new background is a stunner!
I've changed my mind. As pretty as the red shade is, I think I prefer the black. The red was nice this morning for a change, but this evening, I miss the classic quality of the black. Woman's perogative.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm right there with you. I thought it was a pleasant, rich color last night, but now after looking at it off and on all day, I'm a little tired of it.
ReplyDeleteThe black is winning over the red by 68%!
I use this term all the time....it helps me get through the long hot days of August.
ReplyDeleteI have this "Sirius" postcard over my desk!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have dog days in San Francisco but this is very interesting! I love learning little tidbits like this.
ReplyDeleteDave, a classy poster for a bicycle loving guy!
ReplyDeleteTango, I would LOVE to live anywhere that didn't have these sweltering dog days!!! It is 93 right now in central Ohio and it's smuthering.