ANDY’S WORDSHOP

Recently I was asked to explain the word “fit”, with the suggestion that it could be suitable for this column as well. As a verb, “to fit” means hodiť sa or pasovať, usually referring to the size (and sometimes the shape) of something. When you're buying new shoes, make sure they fit properly. This key doesn't fit the lock. “To fit” was originally irregular, with the same form in all tenses, but it's becoming more regular in modern English: I don't understand – these shoes fitted me perfectly in the shop. My next suit's going to be fitted, not a cheap one off the peg. As a noun, “a fit” means záchvat, and you can have a fit of coughing or laughing, or a fit of anger. Some people suffer from epileptic fits. As an adjective, “fit” means being in good physical condition for active sports. I'm having trouble keeping fit these days. Go to a gym and get fit!

Tricky Words in this week‘s OVI

It looks like it's time (exactly a year on) to revise the translation of technika and technológia into English. As you surely immediately suspect, it's not going to be as simple as technique and technology, although we can in fact start with these. If you think of technika as spôsob, then you can talk about high-jumping or bass guitar-playing technique, and about painting techniques using oils or water-colors. You may speak about technology in the sense of technológia, but remember at the same time that it's also the English translation of technika in the sense of machines, equipment and appliances, including electronics. It gets more tricky when you have to translate a name like Dom techniky, but the singular form of techniky is the clue that it must be the House of Technology, because the House of a Single Technique just doesn't make sense.