The Pied in The Pied Piper

The Pied in The Pied Piper The Pied in The Pied Piper The Pied in The Pied Piper By Maeve Maddox The Pied Piper is a character in a German folk tale popularized in English by Robert Browning in his poem â€Å"The Pied Piper of Hamelin.† In Browning’s version, a town corporation hires the Piper to rid their town of a plague of rats. They agree to pay what the Piper asks. When the rats are dead, however, the town leaders renege on the contract because the rats cannot be brought back. In retaliation, the Piper lures away their children, never to be seen again. The moral of the tale is that cheating people can have unexpected and dreadful consequences. The term â€Å"pied piper† has entered the language in the sense of someone who, by means of personal charm, entices people to follow him or her, usually to disappointment or misfortune. Browning’s Piper wears a long coat â€Å"from heel to head† which is â€Å"half of yellow and half of red.† The coat is what gives him his name. The adjective pied means â€Å"of two colors.† Originally, the two colors were black and white, the colors of a magpie. Magpie is where the â€Å"pie† comes from. The word usually refers to an animal with markings of two colors, especially a bird: pied kingfisher, pied flycatcher, pied finch, etc. In the Middle Ages, the Carmelites were called â€Å"pied friars† because their religious habit consisted of a brown tunic and a white cloak. The Benedictines and Cistercian monks were called â€Å"pied monks† because they wore a white tunic and a short black cloak. A pied horsepiebald has black and white patches, although some speakers use the word pied or piebald to describe patches of any differing colors. Another type of pied horse is called a skewbald: When the white is mixed with black it is called pie-bald, with bay the name of skew-bald is given to it. –Youatts The Horse, 1866. The term pied piper is popular with writers on the Web, although what they mean by it is often difficult to discern: Rufus Harley: the Pied Piper of jazz Todd is the Pied Piper of cool Steve Gryb: the Pied Piper of Percussion Mohamed El Baradei: Globalist Pied Piper of the Egyptian Revolt Seligman: the Pied Piper of positive psychology Ryan McGinley, the Pied Piper of the Downtown Art World Jerry Kapstein: the Pied Piper of Free Agents Headlines are innately ambiguous, but here’s a reference that definitely departs from the traditional meaning of pied piper as â€Å"someone charming who leads his followers to misfortune†: Hes a team guy and just beloved by people that know him. Hes very pleasant to be around. Hes like the Pied Piper, Lamb said. Perhaps a revival of Browning’s poem is in order. In our age of skullduggery, the topic remains timely. Besides, it’s fun to read aloud. Here are a few lines to get you started: Rats!   They fought the dogs and killed the cats,   And bit the babies in the cradles,   And ate the cheeses out of the vats,   And licked the soup from the cooks own ladles,   Split open the kegs of salted sprats,   Made nests inside mens Sunday hats,   And even spoiled the womens chats,   By drowning their speaking   With shrieking and squeaking   In fifty different sharps and flats. You can read it all here: †The Pied Piper of Hamelin† by Robert Browning. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?41 Words That Are Better Than GoodKn- Words in English

How to Wear Your Workout Clothes to the Office

How to Wear Your Workout Clothes to the Office Office dress codes are usually not very fun. (HR still won’t take me up on my suggestion of â€Å"wear your pajamas to work† day, sadly.) You can see where they’re coming from- take away the rules, and it could be fashion anarchy up in there. Better to set a minimum standard so that everyone projects the level of professionalism that the company wants clients and visitors to see. However, if you’re trying to match up your work day with your workout goals, there are ways to be ready for the cardio class and the team status meeting. 1. The under-the-clothes approachI mean, it worked for Superman, right? Clark Kent had his business-attire suit over his Superman hero-attire suit, and was ready to go whenever. Too many layers could be a problem if your office is very warm, but otherwise consider using layering pieces like t-shirts and tank tops under your regular blazer or sweater. I’d find a more private place to change than Superman’s preferred telephone booth, but if all you have to do is peel off your top shirt and you’re just about ready for the gym, you’ve saved yourself some time.2. Fancy yoga pantsPants are tougher, especially for men- it’s pretty hard to spin sweatpants as khakis. For women, there are some companies making dark, stretchy yoga/workout pants that double as dressier pants. You could also wear workout pants under a dress or skirt or as you’d normally wear tights or leggings. If you go this route, make sure to choose black pants that are a nice, lightweight material- very basic and sharp-looking.3. Sneakers in disguiseWhenever I see those sneakers that look like dressy flats, I think of Transformers. Looks like a fancy shoe, but shh†¦it’s a sneaker in disguise. Shop around for a sneaker that looks like it could pass with a work outfit: colors like black, dark blue, or brown, without bright color accents. You could also use dark shoelaces to make your sneakers blend better with your professional clothes.Whichever sneakers you end up choosing, make sure they look clean and presentable- muddy, worn shoes will never go with a professional outfit.4. Class it up with accessoriesIf you wear workout leggings and a tank top in a neutral color, you can add nice jewelry or scarves to make it more of a work outfit. For example, if you’re wearing a hoodie that looks like it could be a legit sweater, but you’re also wearing a cool watch or interesting earrings, it looks more like a funky casual outfit and less like you’ve given up and started wearing plain old sweats to work.Of course, with any of these, you should check with your company’s dress policy first to make sure you’re not being too casual. You should also make sure that you’re not underdressing for meetings or other important work events. But otherwise, a few touches that make your transition from work to gym easier should be fine. It could make all the difference between a) keeping that three-times-a-week gym resolution, or b) giving up because changing every piece of clothing is a pain, and why not go home and eat chips on the couch instead.This article is part of Bulk Up Your Career in 2017  campaign. Access the entire guide here to help you succeed in 2017.