List of author's articles
What abides: Giving a shit
The twin towers are down, we’ve all moved on, but The Slovak Spectator’s essentials are as relevant as ever.
Slovník is its own reward
Reading the dictionary is also funny.
Mikuláš or the Devil: Were you obedient?
In Slovakia, Mikuláš isn't just a jolly old fellow.
Vivat Slovakia: A language guide to independence
Written over 20 years ago, this article is surprisingly relevant to politics still today.
Slovak Matters: Slovak cooking lingo
Mixing up cesto (dough) and cesta (road/way/journey) may cause confused faces around you.
Slovak Matters: Sick as a dog, or under the dog?
The social aspect of being sick has changed since the pandemic, but the language is the same.
Slovak Matters: Hold your mushroom
Mushroom picking is Slovakia's favourite hobby, involving bugs, rain, cold, and poisonous fungi.
Slovak Matters: in praise of burčiak
The activity taking place in a bottle of burčiak can cause internal September storms.
Slovak Matters: learning with less trstenica and more internet
What a teacher will find in a Slovak classroom.
Slovak Matters: A 613 or bugatka car?
A litany of car expressions for you.
Slovak Matters: Slovak rich in words for ugly
Many Slovak words for ugly have supernatural overtones, as if people might make the sign of the cross at you if you left the house without brushing your hair.
Súpers are super: Winning and losing in Slovak
The Slovak language in the context of hockey.
Slovak Matters: If it looks like Slovak and sounds like Slovak, it still may be Czech
While Slovaks seem to naturally understand Czech, for foreigners who have learned Slovak, Czech is often unintelligible.
Ways to skin a Slovak: Lies, damn lies and (re)klamy
Though this article was originally written 21 years ago, has much changed?
Fraud in a butterfly
By dint of huge effort, I managed to make up for my bad behaviour - with everyone but the ball organiser, that is.
Slovak Matters: What's in a (sur)name?
Slovak Matters: What's in a (sur)name?
Slovak Matters: One word, a hundred meanings
A discussion on prefixes takes a journey from mistakes through to toilets and alcohol - because they are related of course.
Slovak Matters: Top 10 Slovak words
Every language has its own particular words that have a special meaning no other language has - here are the top 10 in Slovak.
Slovak Matters: Departures, even when drinking
The last column was dedicated to saying hello; now we go over the last word, whether saying goodbye or taking the customary last shot.
Slovak Matters: Dobrý deň and all it entails
Slovak Matters is a column dedicated to learning Slovak - here we start with greetings and everything you need to know to say "good day".
- American describes 'trip of a lifetime' as he finds distant family and ties to 18th century Slovakia
- Coming home to a place you’ve never been
- Weekend: After Bratislava, now it's time for Košice to shine
- Fico skips night shift appearance, sends May Day wishes by video
- What do you see in a Nazi bunker? Juraj Somolányi saw possibility Photo
- Slovakia at odds over Europe’s future rules of the game
- Slovak scientists shed light on ancient history, win awards
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- What do you see in a Nazi bunker? Juraj Somolányi saw possibility Photo
- American describes 'trip of a lifetime' as he finds distant family and ties to 18th century Slovakia
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia gets its first completely new building law for almost half a century
- Coming home to a place you’ve never been
- Slovak scientists win award for advancing animal-free testing methods
- Slovakia at odds over Europe’s future rules of the game
- Fico skips night shift appearance, sends May Day wishes by video
- What do you see in a Nazi bunker? Juraj Somolányi saw possibility Photo
- Coming home to a place you’ve never been
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- News digest: No plus one. Fico saves the Moscow spotlight for himself
- ‘Adolescence’ is not just a drama. It’s a wake-up call for every parent and school
- American describes 'trip of a lifetime' as he finds distant family and ties to 18th century Slovakia
- Bratislava developers dominate the market? See the ranking of the biggest players
- Ceiling collapses at clinic as ministers unveil plans for new national hospital in Bratislava
- Remembering the priest-scientist and pioneer of wireless communication
- Bratislava developers dominate the market? See the ranking of the biggest players
- What do you see in a Nazi bunker? Juraj Somolányi saw possibility Photo
- Slovak scientists help tear down two objections to Jurassic Park premise
- Slovak and Czech teen duo awarded the Global Earth Prize 2025
- They left Bratislava for a better life. What they found was loneliness and gravel roads
- Indian expat mistaken for drug dealer in Bratislava TV report Video
- Coming home to a place you’ve never been
- EU officials highlight Slovakia's progress during its 21 years in the union
- Weekend: After Bratislava, now it's time for Košice to shine
- Fico skips night shift appearance, sends May Day wishes by video
- Slovakia at odds over Europe’s future rules of the game
- Slovakia gets its first completely new building law for almost half a century
- News digest: When it comes to rearmament, Slovak gvt says one thing and does another
- Steel crisis weighing heavily on key company in area with high unemployment
- Slovak scientists shed light on ancient history, win awards More articles ›
