There are several types of Sphinx awards. The most popular one is given by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity for contribution to social service. President Stephen C Ainlay of Union College recently received the Sphinx Award from the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity for his contributions to the Union community. Another Sphinx Award is given in Coventry for outstanding performance …

History has it that when the British first observed the Rath Yatra in the 18th century, they were so amazed that they sent home shocking descriptions which gave rise to the term ‘juggernaut’, meaning “destructive force”. This connotation may have originated from the occasional but accidental death of some devotees under the chariot wheels caused by the crowd and commotion.

The word derives from the Greek word ‘syntaxis’ meaning “together” and “sequence”. Syntax is a term used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to form phrases or sentences.

A hot dog or frankfurter, or wiener is a moist sausage of soft, even texture and flavor, often made from meat slurry, typically beef and pork, though some recent varieties substitute chicken or turkey. Most types are fully cooked, cured or smoked. Hot dogs are most often served hot in hot dog buns, which are special soft, sliced rolls. They …

In the United Kingdom, Australia and many other parts of the world, the word ‘flat’ is used to mean an apartment or a house. It is derived from the Scottish word ‘flet’ which means the interior of a house. In Old English, flet means house or floor. The word flat may also be linked to the “flatness” of the abode.

A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit. It conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape while running around a maze or in a wheel. In an analogy to the modern city, many rats in a single maze expend a lot of effort running around, but …

The term manhole originated between 1785 and 1795. A manhole is a hole, usually with a round cover, through which a person may enter a sewer, drain, steam boiler, etc, especially one located in a city street. The word is a combination of two words — ‘man’ and hole’. However in today’s era of gender neutrality, some would argue that …

The word chutzpah entered the English language in the late 19th century. It is supposed to have been derived from khutspe, belonging to the Yiddish language. Khuptse means impudence or gall. Khutspe itself was derived from the Hebrew word hutspah. Today, chutzpah means supreme self-confidence, courage bordering on arrogance, audacity or nerve. The words chutzpa, hutzpah and hutzpa are its …

Someone who hem-haws around a topic or speaks indirectly about a topic before getting to the point might be said to have beat around the bush. Telling someone not to beat around the bush is to tell them to be direct and get to the point. Have you ever wondered about the origin of this phrase? I have compiled a …

The copyright symbol, designated by © (a circled “C”), is the symbol used in copyright notices for works other than sound recordings (which are indicated with the ℗ symbol). The use of the symbol is described in United States copyright law, and, internationally, by the Universal Copyright Convention. The C stands for copyright. In the United States, the copyright notice …