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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
A Phrase that Passeth Understanding – Frank McNally on a rude biblical euphemism
When asking readers for the name or other examples of the rhetorical device used in such phrases 'a bigger bollocks never put his arm through a coat' (Diary, yesterday), I thought Shakespeare might feature in responses. I wasn't quite expecting the Bible. But there it is anyway, thanks to Charlie Goldsmith, who emails from Lusaka to draw my attention to the First Book of Samuel, verse 25:22. In the King James version, at least, that has a similar case of what Charlie calls 'aggression through circumlocution'. The context is a future King David vowing to kill all his enemies and invoking divine vengeance against any who escape him. Or as he puts it: 'So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall'. READ MORE I don't recall ever hearing the last verb there mentioned at Mass. But as I now know, the phrase '[any] that pisseth against the wall' occurs repeatedly in the King James Bible. And always, it just means 'men and boys'. Walls are not the point, per se - it's more to do with the angle of urination practised by those being targeted: ie, they're not women. Even so, it reminded me of the 2016 European Football Championships, when thousands of Irish football fans, mostly male, congregated for several nights outside several neighbouring bars in Paris, where nobody had thought of proving portaloos. The walls of one local side street, Rue Pierre Haret, were turned into what the mairie called 'une pissotière géant'. Whether they knew it or not, some irritated residents were advocating vengeance along the lines of 1 Samuel 25:22, and not just as a figure of speech. *** It was less of a surprise that the late Hugh Leonard should feature in responses to my question, as he did in an email from Don Kavanagh. But by coincidence, his example covers similar ground to the Bible. It's from the memoir Home Before Night, where Leonard is returning to visit his elderly father in Dalkey (then as now, clearly, a place apart from the city that surrounds it). Despite increasing frailty, he finds the old man still fiercely proud of his independence: ''I blacked the range yesterday,' he would boast when I came to see him. 'And go out and look at the garden. Fine heads of cabbage that a dog from Dublin never pissed on'.' *** Getting back to James 'Skin-the-Goat' Fitzharris, whose 'I came from Sliabh Buidhe, where a crow never flew over the head of an informer' was the primary cause of my speculations on rhetoric, another reader suggests a sobering explanation. Gerry Gallagher doesn't put a name on the use of an apparently unconnected detail to emphasise a main point. But he suggests the avian image was not completely extraneous, having a grim origin in 'the association between crows and the gallows'. His email adds: 'The cabbie was born well within human memory of the 1798 rising and must have heard stories of the public hangings and evisceration of many of those judged complicit with the rebels.' *** It's not like James Joyce to raise the tone of a column that has been dominated by the theme of urination. But to the continuing mystery of the anonymous postcard in Ulysses, and the many possible meanings of 'U.P.: up' (also in yesterday's Diary), long-time correspondent Terry Moylan adds another layer of complexity. That too dates from the 1798 Rising, when the word 'up', as in 'risen', took on a political significance. Hence, for example, a ballad of the period, entitled 'A Vernal Ode', which might have passed for a reflection on Spring, unless you were in the know. An early verse goes like this: 'Each plant erects its pendant head/Each flower expands its cup/The very weeds in every bed/Set impudently - Up.' But later, the politics become clear: 'The progress of this rising rage/No human power can stop/Then, Tyrants, cease your war to wage/For Nature will be – Up.' That first appeared in the Northern Star newspaper in 1797 and was included in Terry's book The Age of Revolution in the Irish Song Tradition (2000). 'Up', he adds, was a password used by the United Irishmen and perhaps also by the [Catholic] Defenders. A member of both organisations was said to be 'up and up'. Among the contributors to the Northern Star in those years was the Rev. James Porter (1752/3 – 1798), a Presbyterian minister and satirist whose characters including 'Squire Firebrand', a landlord's agent, and 'Billy Bluff', a farmer who spies on his neighbours. In one sketch, the squire teaches Billy the revolutionaries password, but they both struggle to understand what the letters mean. Agreeing that 'U' must stand for 'union', they guess that 'P' might he 'power,' or 'Protestant', or 'Presbyterian'. Then the squire has a brainwave: 'Union with the Papists, now I have it.' Although of radical politics, Porter was never proven to have been a member of the United Irishmen, or to have taken up arms in the rebellion. Even so, he was 'up' before the judge, in every sense, and hanged in July 1798.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Forbes
Visiting Jerusalem And Tel Aviv, A Tale Of Israel's Two Cities
Citadel and Tower of David (founded in 2nd century BC), Old City of Jerusalem (UNESCO World Heritage ... More List, 1981), Israel. (Photo) Peace is in the air, and tourists may soon return to Israel, a small country with a lot to see and do. For most visitors, their stay in Israel will be a tale of two cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Visitors should see and experience both. An efficient train system and buses connect the cites with just an hour's travel time, at a cost of less than ten US dollars each way. Taxis, shared rides, and, for the bold, rental cars are also available. Jerusalem is one of the world's oldest and most historic cities. The city of King David dates back more than 3500 years. Although there has been a Jewish presence throughout, rulers of Jerusalem include the Canaanites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Christians, the Muslim Caliphate, the Mamluks, the Ottoman Empire, the British, and since 1948, the state of Israel. Jewish, Muslim and Christian history all converge in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah, where Abraham was commanded to bring his son Isacc as a sacrifice, is believed to be the site of the Jewish Second Temple. The area around the Western or Wailing Wall near where the Temple stood is now a sacred Jewish site known as the Kotel. The site is adjacent to the beautiful Dome of the Rock, which according to Muslims, is the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad was taken up into heaven. The Old City of Jerusalem also home to the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus is said to have walked on the way to his crucifixion. The Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, is where Jesus prayed before the crucifixion. The Mount of Olives itself is home to many historic churches and a large, historic graveyard, which locals call the most expensive property in Jerusalem. Nearby is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Many believe this is the most significant Christian site, as it is said to be the location of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. Also within the walled city are the reputed site of the Last Supper and the tomb of King David. Many of these sites are within walking distance of each other, making it easy to explore. Light seeping from the dome oculus hits the altar, set up in front of the Edicule, traditionally ... More believed to be the burial site of Jesus Christ, prior to mass on Easter Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 4, 2021. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images) The history of the city is shown through artifacts and amazing animation at the updated Tower of David. A light show showing the city's history is also available in the evenings. The iconic tower is now accessible by elevator until the very last floor. Another museum, the City of David, shows the archeological history of the city, including what may be David's palace and the drainage system where Jewish survivors took refuge from the conquering Romans. Much of Jerusalem's story is immediately apparent to visitors through its walls and towers. Iconic structures like the Western Wall and the walls of the Old City are built with Jerusalem stone, locally quarried limestone with a golden hue. Even the newer buildings look classic, thanks to a Jerusalem stone regulation imposed by the British as part of a master plan to maintain the city's aesthetic character. Whether new construction or renovation, regulations mandate the use of Jerusalem stone on the exterior of all buildings. The thick blocks of limestone provide some protection from the city's summer heat. The blocks of stone may also have limited damage caused by shelling during Israel's War of Independence in 1948 and the fighting in the Six Day War of 1967. Tel Aviv, on the other hand, is a new city. Its inhabitants often seem dedicated to enjoying life, without the pressing weight of history and religion. It is also Israel's business center and home to many. Tel Aviv was founded on April 11, 1909, on sand dunes north of the port city of Jaffa along the Mediterranean coast. Its long beachfront attracts millions of visitors each year, whether they come to bike, soak up the rays, play the Israeli paddle ball game called matkal, or even surf or parasail. Israelis hang out on Tel Aviv's beach on May 16, 2021 (Photo by) The city is home to many European-style cafes and pubs, as well as innovative and outstanding new restaurants driven by a new generation of chefs. Cafes like those on Nahalat Binyamin street stay open late into the night as people comfortably socialize outdoors. Tel Aviv has also been called the 'LGBT Capital of the Middle East' for its tolerance and nightlife. Tel Aviv also boasts many concerts, clubs, theaters, bookstores and museums like the newly revamped ANU, or Museum of the Jewish People. The museum, located on the campus of Tel Aviv University, tells the story of the Jews, including the various diasporas from Israel to the lands of the Middle East and Europe, with text, illustrations, photos, music and video. The models of synagogues around the world, from the wooden shuls of Eastern Europe to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Elkins Park temple outside Philadelphia, are particularly unique. The architectures of Tel Aviv range from 770-foot skyscrapers like the Azrieli Sarova Tower to low-slung non-descript two story buildings. Tel Aviv also has one of the largest collections of Bauhaus buildings. Bauhaus, developed by Walter Gropius and associates in Germany in 1919, called for minimalist design and clean lines. Hitler, suspicious of modern art and design he called 'cultural Bolshevikism,' closed the Bauhaus school in 1933. However, for the development of a new city like Tel Aviv, the timing was perfect as Jewish architects influenced by Bauhaus migrated there. Many prominent Bauhaus buildings appeared in the 1930's and 1940's in Tel Aviv. Forbes wrote 'the so-called 'White City', where a considerable number of these bright-white apartment blocks are located, was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.' The Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv offers self-guided tours and a history of the movement in Tel Aviv. A house in the typical Bauhaus style stands on Rothschild Boulevard in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv. ... More It belongs to the White City, with 4000 buildings the world's largest collection of houses in the style of classical modernism. Since 2003 they belong to the Unesco World Cultural Heritage. Developed by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919, the Bauhaus style became internationally accepted in the 1930s and became the basis of modern architecture after the Second World War. (Photo by Stephan Schulz/picture alliance via Getty Images) While geographically close, the personalities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are quite different. The residents of Jerusalem tend to be more religiously observant while Tel Aviv can appear beachfront casual, with T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops, a common uniform. On the other hand, it has been said that Jerusalem comes to a standstill on the Jewish Sabbath, from Friday evening to sundown Saturday night. While I saw a handful of cars while walking from the excellent Hotel Orient through the Old City, the silence was truly deafening. Tel Aviv is more vibrant, as many restaurants and bars remain open every day. And of course, Tel Aviv's long, beautiful beach will be packed. However, public transport doesn't run on Shabbat. While Jerusalem and Tel Aviv each have a unique vibe, both are well worth visiting. And the close proximity of these wonderfully different secular and religious worlds make both easy to savor on even a short trip to Israel. Israel, Jerusalem: the Western Wall in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. Here, the area reserved ... More for women. Woman praying on a Friday evening of Shabbat. (Photo by: Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
