Сотни самых полезных и самых популярных разговорных выражений на
английском: от того, как спросить дорогу, до того, как дать понять
собеседнику, что он говорит глупости
'happy-go-lucky’ (adjective) = not be worried about anything EXAMPLE: She’s always been happy-go-lucky, even when things go wrong. Are you happy-go-lucky?
'big time' (adverb) = when you do something to a great degree. EXAMPLE: Steve is into windsurfing big time. Complete the sentence: I’m into ________ big time!
"It's like Piccadilly Circus in here", has muttered many a person
when things have got a bit hectic. But how much do they really know
about the busy central London area, which around half a million people
pass through each day?
Looking down on Piccadilly Circus in 2009.
1. Eros isn't actually Eros
We bet you've been past the statue of Eros multiple times — perhaps
you've even used it as a meeting point, or sat on the steps that
surround it? We've got news for you: it's not actually Eros.
The statue's official name is the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain
(although it's also known as The Angel of Christian Charity), and it was
built in 1893 to commemorate philanthropist Lord Shaftesbury. It was
intended to be the Greek god Anteros, but the bow in his hand put the
public in mind of cupid, and it's therefore confused with the Greek god
of love, Eros.
The statue was removed for the duration on the second world war and
replaced by hoardings to keep it safe, before being returned to
Piccadilly Circus in 1948. It was also covered by an inflatable snow
globe in Winter 2013-2014 to protect it from drunken festive revellers.
The statue of "Eros" sits in the centre of Piccadilly Circus.
2. Where's the circus..?
Many a tourist has, no doubt, been disappointed to arrive at the
world-famous Piccadilly Circus and not find a single circus act. In this
context, Circus refers to the fact that it used to be a complete
roundabout, or circle. When Shaftesbury Avenue was built in 1886, the
junction ceased to be a complete circle, but the name stuck.
That said, during the 2012 London Games, a circus festival did take place in the area (and no, we're not talking about Boris Johnson's zip-wire antics).
3. ...And what's a Piccadilly?
Piccadilly Circus is named after the neighbouring shopping street Piccadilly, home to Fortnum & Mason
among others. That in turn was named after Piccadilly Hall, a house
belonging to a tailor who specialised in a type of collar known as a
piccadill.
4. Your name in lights
Probably the most famous feature of Piccadilly Circus is its light-up advertising boards. In 2009, we went behind the scenes of the lights to get an insight into how they work.
The first sign to be illuminated was a Perrier advertisement in 1908,
which used incandescent lightbulbs. Neon was first used for a Bovril
sign in the 1940s. Every building in Piccadilly Circus used to have
advertising signs, but now, those leased from the Crown Estate are
forbidden to advertise.
The current Coca-Cola sign is made from 774,144 pixels.
The lights were switched off for the duration of the second world
war, only being relit in 1949. Other than that, the only times the
lights have gone out were for Churchill's funeral, Princess Diana's
funeral and WWF Earth Hour.
5. The underground theatre
The Criterion Theatre, on the south side of Piccadilly Circus, is entirely underground except for the box office. It's Grade II* listed,
and when it was built in 1873, fresh air had to be pumped in during
performances to prevent the audience being asphyxiated by the toxic
fumes from the gas lights.
6. Secrets of Piccadilly Circus station
Piccadilly Circus station, which sits under Piccadilly Circus itself,
is one of the only stations on the network to exist entirely
underground. When it was built in 1906, a surface level ticket office
existed, but when the station was revamped in the 1920s, it was
demolished. The station building is Grade II listed.
One of the entrances to Piccadilly Circus station.
7. John Lennon
When John Lennon sang "imagine all the people", we doubt he was
referring to the hoards that pass through Piccadilly Circus daily, but
that didn't stop his widow Yoko Ono shelling out to have the lyrics to Imagine displayed here.
In 2002, she paid an estimated £150,000 for a banner that mused:
"Imagine all the people living life in peace" covering the Nescafe neon
sign for three months.
8. Seven noses of Soho
Heard of the Seven Noses of Soho? It's rumoured that anyone who
tracks down all of the sculpted hooters will have infinite wealth. One
of them is mounted to a wall somewhere in Piccadilly Circus — we won't
tell you where, but see if you can sniff it out next time you're in the
area (or take one of Peter Berthoud's walking tours, which visits all seven noses).
9. The Ballet Of Change
Only one film has ever been broadcast on the advertising screens, and
that was The Ballet Of Change: Piccadilly Circus. The four minute film,
about the history of the area, was shown in November 2007.
10. Europe's largest hotel
The Regent Palace Hotel stood just north of Piccadilly Circus from
1914 to 2006. When it opened it was the largest hotel in Europe with
1,028 bedrooms. Ever noticed the bridge over Sherwood Street? It was
built to link the hotel to its laundry room and staff quarters. Rumour
has it that an underground passage linking the two buildings was built
in the 1930s, although there's no evidence that it still exists today.
11. The police box
On the west side of Piccadilly Circus, at the junction between
Piccadilly and Regent Street, sits an old Police public call box. It's Grade II listed, dating from about 1935, and one of few of them to survive.
Useful links for CELTA
