Tricky Words in this week's OVI
Defend, defense. This comes from the Latin verb expressing the idea of striking something away (odbiť), but the modern sense is "hájiť", "chrániť" or "brániť". When last year's champions play to
keep their title, they defend it. If they win again, they successfully defend it. The opposite of defend is offend, but this word has developed the meanings "uraziť niekoho" and "spáchať
priestupok", so you don't hear it used in sport so much as "attack" or "forward". An offensive player might be understood as "surový, bezočivý hráč". There's a spelling issue too: American English
has defense and offense, whereas British English has defence and offence. The meanings and associations are the same, though.
Andy's Wordshop
The village of Brezovica has re-formed its "Folklórny súbor Brezovičan". In Slovak there's a difference between "folklór" and "folk"; in English it's all just kinds of "folk", so I suggest
"traditional folk" and "modern folk" to express the respective Slovak terms. The English word "folklore" is probably best translated into Slovak as "pranostika", as it means the collection of
knowledge or experience (lore = learning) which country people have gathered to help them live their lives, consisting especially of sayings about the weather, plants and animals, and the habits of
nature. The word "folk" is usually associated with various types of indigenous or ethnic music and dance. Irish folk is popular all over the world.
Na trati MMM bolo aj veľa našich oceliarov.