Been there, done that!

I don't personally like this expression. I find it it often intended to be very flip (impertinant, disrespectful) and far too nonchalant and worldly-wise in a contrived way for my taste. The idea is that whatever you're talking about (not necessarily a place) no longer holds any interest for you. You've finished with it and don't care to deal with or think about it anymore.

It can be made more emphatic by adding "got the t-shirt" to the end.

It's generally considered an American expression, although this may not be entirely true. Some people also use it to simply mean that they've done something, with no idea of boredom or lack of sustained interest. This is especially true when speaking about travel.

Sticktoitiveness

This word might seem a little (but probably only a little) clearer if we show its alternate spelling: stick-to-it-ive-ness. It is a lovely example of how English likes to put different words together with prefixes and suffixes to make new words. These compounds are generally hyphenated, but as they become more common, they often turn into one word, as in this case.

Sticktoitiveness is a noun used to described the quality of perseverance or tenacity. It comes from the phrasal verb to stick to something. When you do this, you don't change or give up.

The National Trust

If you go a-touristing in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, especially outside the big cities, you'll no doubt come across a National Trust property in your travels. The charitable organization runs over 300 sites: castles, houses and gardens (a speciality [AmEng specialty] of theirs), museums, factories and mines, villages, dovecotes, medieval barns, mills, pubs, lighthouses, nature reserves, coastline and countryside.

In my experience, National Trust properties are usually well-maintained and worth a visit if you're interested in history and the way people used to live. One of my favourite [AmEng favorite] places is Housesteads Fort on Hadrian's Wall.

In Scotland, there's the National Trust for Scotland.

Visiting New York City

As we mentioned the expression "in a New York minute" in the last post, it occured to me that some of you might be planning a trip to the Big Apple. Why not check out nycvisit.com, the official tourism Web site for NYC? I've used it myself, and it's packed with good information. It's even got a Spanish-language version.

Has anybody else been to The City That Never Sleeps? Why not share your stories here?

Newcastle and Coventry

These two English towns feature in some relatively common English expressions. (These are not generally understood in North American English, however.)

We talk about "carrying coals to Newcastle" when we want to say that an activity is redundant. This is because Newcastle (or Newcastle upon Tyne, to give its full name) was a coal-mining centre [AmEng center] and certainly didn't need any additional coal!

Being "sent to Coventry" means being given the "silent treatment". That is, you're punished by being ignored, with nobody speaking to you. Yuck! Read about St. John's Church, the origen of the phrase.

To give an expression with an American location, how about "in a New York minute", as in very quickly, in a very short period of time.

April showers

You may have heard the expression "April showers bring May flowers". Let's hope it's true this year, because so far we've had plenty of showers!

Or perhaps you prefer "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain", from My Fair Lady and Pygmalion.

Poor Professor Higgins
Poor Professor Higgins
Night and day he slaves away
Oh, poor Professor Higgins
All day long on his feet
Up and down until he's numb
Doesn't rest, doesn't eat
Doesn't touch a crumb

Poor Professor Higgins
Poor Professor Higgins
On he plods against all odds
Oh, poor Professor Higgins
Nine P.M., ten P.M.
On through midnight ev'ry night
One A.M., two A.M.
Three...!

Quit, Professor Higgins
Quit, Professor Higgins
Hear our plea, or payday we
Will quit, Professor Higgins
"Ay" not "I", "O" not "Ow"
Pounding, pounding in our brain
"Ay" not "I", "O" not "Ow"
Don't say "Rine," say "Rain"...

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!
I think she's got it! I think she's got it!
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!
By George, she's got it! By George, she's got it!
Now, once again where does it rain?
On the plain! On the plain!
And where's that soggy plain?
In Spain! In Spain!

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!

In Hartford, Heresford, and Hampshire?
Hurricanes hardly happen
How kind of you to let me come!

Now once again, where does it rain?
On the plain! On the plain!
And where's that blasted plain?
In Spain! In Spain!

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!