Tag archives: question mark

Under the auspices of white elephants?! The origins of phrases, punctuation marks, and Cockney rhyming slang

The root of auspices and the more familiar adjective auspicious are closely linked. If something is auspicious it bodes well, giving promise of a favourable outcome. In Roman times, people tried to predict future events by watching the behaviour of birds and animals. An auspex [...]

Posted on: January 17 2013 | Posted by: | Comments: 3 | Categories: English in use, Word origins | Tags: , , , , , , ,