Episode 21 - Reading from Terry Pratchett's Discworld Novel: Thief of Time

This episode I read a little excerpt from Terry Pratchett's 26th Discworld novel, Thief of Time. You can find the English version of the novel here. You can also get them on Audible. It is very possibly available in your own language if you are interested in reading it, since Terry's books have been printed in 37 different languages. Here is Terry talking about how he classified his books as 'Fantasy' but this often meant they weren't (and still aren't) as easy to find in a bookshop as you might expect. Terry collaborated with Neil Gaiman to create Good Omens, which is about an angel and a demon who work together to save the world. It was recently made into a (very fun) TV show. Vocabulary From the Book'When push came to shove' - Idiom - when we have to commit ourselves to an action or decision. A similar idiom is 'at the end of the day'. 'Death of Rats' - A Discworld character Wistfully - a feeling of vague or regretful longing Tyranny - cruel and oppressive government or rule Higgs and Meakins - the best Chocolatier on Discworld (the fantasy world where the book is set). Amongst - somebody or something in a group, crowd or mass of things which we do not see separately. We use 'among' and 'amongst' in exactly the same way and they mean exactly the same thing. Teachery - we add a 'y' on the end to verbs and nouns to mean more of that thing or in that way. In this case Terry means the way we expect a teacher to look and behave. (You maybe heard, I also used the word 'shouty' which is a verb that turned into an adjective by adding a 'y'.) Questing - looking for something. 'Quest' means a long and arduous search and we often use it to describe stories where people go on journeys. Below are two famous quests. 'Nest of empty paper cups' - 'nest' giving the idea of lots of things piled closely together. We also use nest in the phrase a 'nest of vipers' to describe a group of bad or sinful people. Nougat - a sticky chewy sweet (Recipe) https://www.flossytreats.co.uk/pink--white-nougat-225-p.asp Resolute - purposeful, determined, unwavering Briskly - quick and energetic Transom - the strengthening crossbar (horizontal piece of wood (usually) above a window or door. https://www.brighthubengineering.com/naval-architecture/106545-coming-in-over-the-transom-what-is-that/ Additional Vocabulary Astounded - shocked and amazed Satire - (satirical) - a kind of humour or comedy that criticises people, structures or ideas. 'It's dawning on me' -Idiom - I'm becoming aware 'It's very on point' - we can use to describe something that is very relevant to the conversation Sneaking - moving stealthily, something or some movement you don't want others to see or notice. We will probably revisit Terry's books again. I don't think I'll be able to help it! But I'd love to know if you're a Discworld fan too!