Things you say without realising you’re quoting Shakespeare
A playwright, poet and actor, William Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest writer in the English language. And unknowingly, many of us quote him daily, with our modern vernacular riddled with lines from the Bard’s plays. Following are a few, how many do you use?
“Wild goose chase”
From: Romeo and Juliet, act II, scene IV
“Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five. Was I with you there for the goose?”
– Mercutio
“Green-eyed monster”
From: Othello, act III, scene III
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”
– Iago
“Good riddance”
From: Troilus and Cressida, act II, scene I
“A good riddance.”
– Patroclus
“Fair play”
From: The Tempest, act V, scene I
“Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle, and I would call it fair play.”
– Miranda
“You’ve got to be cruel to be kind”
From: Hamlet, act III, scene IV
“So, again, good night. I must be cruel only to be kind. Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.”
– Hamlet
“Heart of gold”
From: Henry V, act IV, scene I
“The king’s a bawcock, and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame, of parents good, of fist most valiant.”
– Pistol
“Kill with kindness”
From: The taming of the shrew, act IV, scene I
“This is a way to kill a wife with kindness, and thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humour.”
– Petruchio
Genius barbecuing tips
Gas bottle running low?
The hot water test.
The gas bottle running out half way through the steak being sizzled will rattle the most confident cook. Check how much gas is left by carefully pouring hot tap water down the side of the gas bottle (before you crank up the barbie, and more water is better), then slide your hand down the outside from the top to the bottom – the steel will feel warm until you get to the gas-filled part, where it will then feel cool. The key is: it’ll feel cool where there is gas remaining, and warm where it’s empty.
Bereft of a wire brush?
Clean a grotty grill/plate by scrunching a sheet of aluminum foil into a tight ball and scraping it over the barbecue surface – it acts like steel wool by detaching crusted-on burnt debris (this works even better after you’ve cooked and while the surface is cooling down). Half a raw onion (cut side down) rubbed against the grate works in a similar way. The onion’s moisture and acidity helps break down grime and grease (again, this is best done as the hotplate is cooling down post cook).
Sit delicate fish on a citrusy bed.
A piece of fish is delicious on the barbie, but it tends to fall apart as the delicate flesh sticks to the grill plate. Perch the fillet on a bed of lemon slices set directly onto the barbecue surface. Not only will this impart a smoky lemony flavour that marries so well with fish, it will stop the fish from sticking and breaking apart (added bonus: the lemon helps reduce the cleaning afterwards).
Skewer soaker.
Snags and steak are great, but a meat or vegie kebab is a great barbecue addition too. Keep wooden skewers from getting burnt by soaking them in water for an hour or two before threading the chunks of yumminess on. The water-laden skewers won’t dry out, char or smoke as those delicious kebabs cook.