croquet
No one knows exactly how croquet began. There’s evidence it was played in London as early as the 16th century, but the game’s French name and use of French terminology […]
Author: toddmorrill
badminton
You’ve heard of badminton, and possibly played it on your own lawn, but did you know it’s one of the most popular pastimes in the United Kingdom? Not so in […]
polo
You’ve heard of polo, of course, but did you know it was first played in Persia in the 6th century B.C.? The game eventually spread across Asia, where the British […]
cricket
Cricket is a game thought to have originated in the British Isles as early as the 13th century. It is now second only to soccer as the most popular sport […]
piste
peest Piste is the French term for a downhill ski trail, run, or slope that is marked, maintained, and supervised by resort staff. The term is used in English to […]
ski-in, ski-out
The term ski-in, ski-out can be tricky, with multiple meanings, so use caution when booking a property that claims to fall under this category. In a best-case scenario, or the […]
steeplechase
A steeplechase is a distance horse race in which competitors jump obstacles in the form of ditches and fences. The name of the competition comes from early races in Ireland, […]
dressage
druh-SAHZH´ (French for ‘training’) Dressage is a classical form of horse training, as well as a sport designed to gauge how well a horse has responded to this training. In […]
mano a mano
MAH´-no ah MAH´-no (Spanish for ‘hand to hand’) Mano a mano refers to direct competition or conflict, especially between two people. While the term can refer to actual physical fights, […]
intelligentsia
in-tel´-uh-JENT´-see-uh (from the Russian intelligentsiya) The term intelligentsia refers to well-educated thinkers, or intellectuals, who guide, or attempt to guide, the political, artistic, or social development of their society. President […]