Your Letters
15:19 UK time, Thursday, 12 July 2012
Here in London it's sunny and dry today (so far). While that is rather unusual in itself, the strangest thing about it is that it's Thursday. Last Thursday was dry and sunny too. And the Thursday before that, with every day in between being dismal and wet. Is there a pattern here? Can I confidently lay out my shorts and invite friends over for a barbie next Thursday?
Rob, London, UK
Rob Falconer (Wednesday's letters), I also got four out of seven on the rain quiz. I think the type of rain question we (and the rest of the inhabitants of the UK) would excel at at the moment is more along the lines of "Describe in 500 words or less the feeling of misery you get on the 3rd consecutive day of constant heavy rain".
Michael, Edinburgh, UK
Before we all get nostalgic for the Raj (The words English gets from India), let's remember that most words are borrowed in modern English from somewhere (we got freckle from Vikings, fungus from Latin and coracle from Welsh/Brythonic, for example), but so equally were many of the Indian words you mention borrowings from their regional neighbours. John Thorne in Pot on the Fire suggests kedgeree, for instance, is really just a smartened-up version of khichri, a meal of rice cooked in dal, which came to India from Persia - using a loan word on the way in all probability from Old Persian. We all borrow - and long may it continue, effendi.
Mark, Reading, UK
Bat Grilles? Could this be some long-lost relative of Bear?
Fi, Gloucestershire, UK
"EuroMillions lottery winners Chris and Colin Weir will continue sharing luck." I share my luck with the lottery too, but I doubt it does anybody any good.
Rob Falconer, Llandough, Wales
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