A STORY ABOUT THE MOON has knocked Trump's illegal attack on Iran and Netanyahu's war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza out of the headlines.
For the first time in 57 years man is to attempt to land on the Moon again.
Three male and one female astronauts from the USA are on their way as we speak, following the take-off of their spaceship Artemis II on Wednesday.
[Wikipedia]
The human race is fascinated with the MOON. The word appears in so many phrases, idiomatic expressions and titles of songs and films that to list them all would be impossible. The same applies to the Spanish for Moon, ie LUNA.
But, let's have a try .....
THE MOON
In connection with the current activity of the US astronauts, there is a whole vocabulary attached: for example, MOON RACE, MOON LAUNCH, MOON LANDING, MOON BUGGY.
They are headed for the DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, which is of course a famous musical album by PINK FLOYD, and my personal favourite album of all time (see below).
There are different types of Moon: HALF MOON, FULL MOON; HARVEST MOON, BLUE MOON, CRESCENT MOON, WAXING MOON, WANING MOON.
1969 Moon Landing [Britannica]
Oddly, there is a verb TO MOON, which means to drop your trousers and wave your bum around, and a MOON FACE describes a particular shape of a person's face.
In the world of entertainment there is the aforementioned PINK FLOYD album. "THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON" was the eighth studio album by this English progressive rock band, released in the UK in March 1973 by Harvest Records. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of the former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. It was recorded at the EMI Studios in London, later re-named Abbey Road Studios.
Album sleeve [Amazon]
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon [Full Album]
The song "MOON RIVER" by Andy Williams, released in 1962, has become a modern standard. Composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, it was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's", winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Henry Mancini "Moon River" (Official Visualizer)
"FLY ME TO THE MOON" sung by Frank Sinatra was released in 1964. Arranged by Quincy Jones and accompanied by the Count Basie orchestra, it was a massive hit. To date there have been over 300 versions recorded by other artistes.
Fly Me To The Moon (2008 Remastered)
In the world of film, we have the 1979 James Bond movie "MOONRAKER" with Roger Moore as 007, and "PAPER MOON", released in 1973 and starring Ryan O'Neal and his 10-year-old daughter Tatum O'Neal as two con artists. Tatum won an Oscar for her performance. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
moonraker film - Búsqueda
paper moon film - Búsqueda
Ryan and Tatum O'Neal in "Paper Moon" [Britannica]
LA LUNA
Apart from the same phrases in English, also in Spanish, we have several idiomatic expressions, as well as some other uses.
On a car, LAS LUNAS are the windows and LA LUN(ET)A TERMICA is the heated rear windscreen.
LA LUNA can refer to plate glass, a window pane and the lens of spectacles.
[El Debate]
Some modismos are:
estar de buena/mala LUNA - to be in a good/bad mood;
estar en LA LUNA - to have your head in the clouds;
hablar de LALUNA - to talk nonsense;
estar en LA LUNA de Valencia - to be in a dream world;
quedarse a LA LUNA de Valencia - to be disappointed; to be left in the lurch.
[Lingoland]
© Paul Whitelock
Pictures:
Amazon, Britannica, El Debate, Lingoland, Wikipedia
Thanks:
Bing, YouTube,
Tags:
1969 moon landing, Amazon, Andy Williams, astronaut, Audrey Hepburn, Bing, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Britannica, Count Basie, Dark Side of the Moon, El Debate, Fly Me to the Moon, Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Lingoland, Luna, Moon, Moonraker, Moon River, Paper Moon, Paul Whitelock, Peter Bogdanovich, Pink Floyd, Quincy Jones, Roger Moore, Ryan O'Neal, Syd Barrett, Tatum O'Neal, Wikipedia, YouTube