Tricky Words in this week‘s OVI

Výstižné is one of those Slovak words which is absolutely "výstižné" in itself, because it perfectly expresses a certain idea in a way that the English single-word translations can't. The root of the word *stih* has the sense of "catch", then the verb "vystihnúť" means to catch, grasp or capture the truth or essence of something, so the adjective "výstižné" means something which perfectly captures the idea, meaning or purpose of something. It could be a name, a description or a portrait, a remark or a joke, but also a complete film or theater play, if it convincingly recreates the atmosphere of a specific period. The English "equivalents" tend to be used in typical combinations like "a fitting/appropriate name", "an apt description", "an apposite remark", "an accurate portrait", "a convincing film". Change the combination, and back-translation is probably "vhodné".

Andy’s Wordshop

The "Brexit" issue brings with it the need to revise the differences between Britain, GB, the UK and so on. This is intended for people who prefer to avoid talking nonsense by referring to things properly. It is not possible for "Great Britain to leave Europe (or the EU)" because Great Britain is a geographical entity, a large island made up of England, Wales and Scotland. If you add Northern Ireland to those three, you get the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is a political entity, a country which now looks like it's withdrawing from the European Union. Sports events bring back the confusion, because in the Euros there was a separate team from each UK country, but in the Olympics they will all be lumped tother again and called Team GB.