I discovered that the University where I work has a couple of web-pages that can be of general interest

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/bestiary.hti
The Aberdeen Bestiary (Aberdeen University Library MS 24) is considered to be one of the best examples of its type. The manuscript, written and illuminated in England around 1200, is of added interest since it contains notes, sketches and other evidence of the way it was designed and executed.

http://www.idiomsite.com/

this can be useful for the foreign members of the board. it lists explanations of some (very few, unfortunately) English idioms.

well, I always wondered who are the Dead Ringers

Aberdeen has a university? You'll be trying to kid me that they even have electricity next!

- Pfranz

Apparently they do, CK--at least, there's an internet domain. Vika, for some reason I could not click on your links, so I'm going to try putting them here.
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/bestiary.hti
http://www.idiomsite.com/

I got to the first one by copying and pasting, and in the opening paragraph of 'What is a Bestiary?' I found something eerily reminiscent of the discussion on when an apple is or isn't one:
A great deal of its charm comes from the humour and imagination of the illustrations, painted partly for pleasure but justified as a didactic tool 'to improve the minds of ordinary people, in such a way that the soul will at least perceive physically things which it has difficulty grasping mentally: that what they have difficulty comprehending with their ears, they will perceive with their eyes' (Aberdeen MS 24, f25v).

And here is something from your second site:
Big Apple
Dating back to the early 1920's, this term is a nickname for New York City. It was originally a horse racing slang that made its way into jazz lingo then eventually in the vernacular. In the late 70's a tourism ad campaign used the term as a theme reinvigorated usage and brought the name to the attention of millions who had not otherwise heard it.

Aberdeen has a university? You'll be trying to kid me that they even have electricity next!
- Pfranz

it even has an airport!... and it is called (by locals) the Oil Capital of Europe. I bet, you didn't know that Europe has an Oil Capital )

Jackie,

TA, I've tried to changed my post so one can use the links but it still doesn't work.

Here you go, vika. I followed a hunch and this is what came from it.
http://idiomsite.com/

BTW, your first link worked for me. Actually, Jackie's worked for me, too. Thanks for the links.

the secret is to place a teg for the colour before the teg for url.
hooray! I am learnig!

You don't need a tag for the color, html takes care of that for you. I'm also not sure what led Jackie to say that you should leave out the html:; I never have. It's just [url]put the url here html and all[/url] and Bob's your uncle.

Vika, your links work now for me. :-) Faldage is right--don't worry about putting a color if you're posting a link. I know it is confusing--more than one new person (naming no names, but ) has thought that simply changing the font color created the link. Not so. I am not recalling when I said don't use html; possibly a bit of knowledge flashed into my brain momentarily, then vanished. I do recall advising folks to put the [ ]-with- url-inside-them at the beginning of a line, because if the link is long enough to be shoved to the next line, you'll end up with an extra http at the beginning, and the link won't work.

i didn't think that the blue colour itself will work as a link. the order of the tegs matters. i just noticed that all information about colours and emoticons is under "markup in your posts" on the Reply form.