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".
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- ‘Go to hell’: Banners appear in eastern Slovakia targeting Fico over his ties to Moscow
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Northern lights put on a dazzling mid-year show over Slovakia
- News digest: Prešov picks a fight with a Russian ‘hero’ – and social media
- Slovakia has given up on attracting quality people. It is disgusting, says expert
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- From not knowing an English word to being a noted radio announcer in the US Video
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- He left Los Alamos to start over in Bratislava. Now he’s filing patents
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- Weekend: Folklore from around the world Photo
- Slovakia has given up on attracting quality people. It is disgusting, says expert
- ‘Go to hell’: Banners appear in eastern Slovakia targeting Fico over his ties to Moscow
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- Two Slovaks deported from US and Vietnam in separate incidents
- Wish you were here: the lost spas of yesterday
- Biting the hand that feeds us
- From not knowing an English word to being a noted radio announcer in the US Video
- He left Los Alamos to start over in Bratislava. Now he’s filing patents
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- Bratislava, a blessing or a curse? Audio
- The boat is ready. The lake, less so. Photo
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- Two Slovaks deported from US and Vietnam in separate incidents
- Wish you were here: the lost spas of yesterday
- Largest companies that help search for jobs or employees
- News digest: Prešov picks a fight with a Russian ‘hero’ – and social media
- ‘Go to hell’: Banners appear in eastern Slovakia targeting Fico over his ties to Moscow
- Too little, too late? Bratislava Main Station’s revamp is still a distant prospect
- Northern lights put on a dazzling mid-year show over Slovakia
- Weekend: Folklore from around the world Photo
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- Tax, audit and accounting firms face tech push and talent shortages
- News digest: Saints deserve a party, austerity can wait – Fico’s team goes big at Devín More articles ›
