Palyndrome day: 02-02-2020

Amazing facts about language

Palyndromic numbers and the Catalan word Capicua

Today, 02-02-2020, is a palyndrome day. A palindromic number is a number that remains the same when its digits are reversed. Catalans have a special name for this type of number: capicua (pronunced [ka.piˈku.a], it means literally, “headandtail” written together).

Capicua in English, French and Spanish

Capicua in English is a Palindromic number and in French a Nombre palindrome .

Finally, the word of Catalan origin Capicua became popular in Spanish, just by adding an accent on the letter u, that is to say, CapicĂșa, and then the word was added to the RAE dictionary. Now capicĂșa is widely used in Spanish, too.

Pep talk

Meaning of Pep talk

A Pep talk is a short speech intended to make someone or a group of people feel more courageous or enthusiastic.

As many Brits, Catalans and football fans know, the current Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola is known, among other things, for this type of motivational speeches.

Examples

His pep talk and leadership convinced them all.

The coach gave the team a pep talk before the game.

Origin of the expression

As it seems, the word “pep” comes from “pepper”. It has been used in the figurative sense of energy or spirit since 1847. A pep talk is intended to energize someone or a group of people and appeared in 1926. The first written use of the phrase “pep talk” was found in “The Mansfield News”.

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