The cult of the hyperpolyglot

 Many people want to speak a second language, but for some people two can never be enough. Welcome to the world of the hyperpolyglot. 

Follow this address to explore the unusual world of the hyperpolyglots: people for whom speaking two, three let alone ten languages is not enough: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17101370

Watch the amazing video in which Alex Rawlings demonstrates his 11 languages.

source: BBC

No no-brainers allowed: Typical American

Ever wondered what is exactly meant by 'back-seat driver' or 'double-whammy'? Or what to do when somebody wants you NOT to 'gild the lily'? 

So let's cut to the chase and visit 160 Phrases Coined in the USA, which provide a top-notch guide to plethora of useful phrases that would hardly come in handy outside the USA. But it is their origin that would probably dazzle you most. After all, what you see is what you get. 

Try your hand at some of the trickiest ones:

1. Acid test

2. Bats in the belfry

3. Bunny boiler

4. Heebie-jeebies

Solutions:

1. A sure test, giving an incontestable result.

2. Crazy, eccentric (So, in 1920s they preferred to say 'Are you bats?' instead of 'Are you nuts?' and call someone 'batty' instead of 'dotty')

3. An obsessive and dangerous female, in pursuit of a lover who has spurned her. (Fatal Attraction rings a bell?)

4. A feeling of anxiety, apprehension or illness.