At a Crossroads

At a Crossroads At a Crossroads At a Crossroads By Maeve Maddox A reader is confused about this expression: Kindly explain the usage and difference, if any, of at a crossroad, at crossroads and similar phrases. Literally, a crossroad is a road that crosses another. â€Å"A crossroad† is the place where two or more roads intersect. â€Å"A crossroads† is also the place where roads intersect. In remote areas where roads lack signage, travelers at an unfamiliar intersection are faced with a directional decision that could have unpleasant consequences if they choose incorrectly. Figuratively, to be â€Å"at a crossroad† or â€Å"at a crossroads† is to be at a stage in one’s life–or the development of a country or an industry–when it is necessary to choose a course of action that will affect one’s future in significant and irrevocable ways. Both the singular and plural forms are seen, but the Google Ngram Viewer indicates that the plural form is more common. The expression is popular with writers who compose headlines and book titles: Trucking Industry at a Crossroads Cuba: Island at a Crossroad The Caspian Region at a Crossroad: Challenges of a New Frontier of Energy Global Health Governance at a Crossroads Cancer research at a crossroads in Germany Writers of novels and memoirs are also fond of it: I think you will agree that lifes plans are not always tied up in neat little packages. Occasionally we find ourselves at unexpected crossroads with more than one opportunity from which to choose. –Linda Lee Chaikin I see myself at crossroads in my life, mapless, lacking bits of knowledge then, the Moon breaks through, lights up the path before me  Ã¢â‚¬â€œJohn Geddes And having once chosen, never to seek to return to the crossroads of that decision-for even if one chooses wrongly, the choice cannot be unmade.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œJacqueline Carey To be at a crossroads is to be on the verge of making a decision: We stand at an absolutely pivotal crossroads in our nations history  that may well determine our future and way of life for decades to come. Three idioms that refer to the moment after the decision has been made are: 1. to cross the Rubicon This expression means to make an irrevocable decision. Its figurative meaning comes from Julius Caesar’s literal crossing of a small Italian river in 49 BCE. By leading an army across the Rubicon–the boundary between Gaul and Italy–Caesar disobeyed Roman law and began a civil war. Crossing the Rubicon is final. That’s the whole point of the expression. The following quotation suggests that the speaker doesn’t quite understand that once the Rubicon is crossed, there’s no turning back: I think the Port Authority, from a transparency/media point of view, has crossed the Rubicon as the result of recent controversies and its not going to be possible to re-cross it. 2. casting the die According to Suetonius, once he had crossed the Rubicon, Caesar said â€Å"Alea iacta est!† The Latin is usually translated as â€Å"The die is cast.† Die is the singular of dice. In those days, dice were used for gambling, but also for determining the will of the gods. Either way, once the dice have been thrown, the outcome has been determined. Example: â€Å"The Die is Cast: Russia’s Intentions in Ukraine† 3. no turning back The phrasal verb â€Å"turn back† means â€Å"to reverse the course of† or â€Å"to cause to go in the opposite direction.† Example: â€Å"For open government, there is absolutely no turning back.† In addition to representing a place where a crucial decision is made, a crossroad has sinister associations in history and in folklore. A place where two roads crossed was often chosen as the site of pre-Christian sacrifice. Recipes for black magic often include directions to bury something at a crossroads at midnight. Gallows were placed at a crossroads. The bodies of the executed–especially those of highwaymen–were left hanging as a warning. Suicides and others for whom Christian burial in consecrated ground was forbidden were buried at a crossroads. Related post: One Die, Two Dice 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 Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence30 Baseball IdiomsNominalized Verbs

The Great Gatsby9 essays

The Great Gatsby9 essays In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the scene of violence in which Myrtle Wilson is hit and killed by Daisy Buchanan in the car contributes to the books meaning by showing that in the end lovers never win. There is evidence of many characters in The Great Gatsby cheating on one another. Once the cheater is revealed relationships and peoples lives are ruined. While at the hotel, Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan argued about who Daisy really loved. As the argument escalated Jay Gatsby, Daisys lover, left with Daisy in his car for home. While Daisy was driving, a frantic woman ran out into the road, and Daisy hit her. Daisy was so distraught by what had happened at the hotel, she didnt stop to see if the woman had been killed. The woman that Daisy hit and killed was Myrtle Wilson, which happened to be her husband, Tom Buchanans lover. Tom and Myrtles relationship seemed false from the start. Myrtles dream of being rich led her closer to Tom. And the feeling Tom got when he gave Myrtle expensive gifts pleased him. Tom liked the feeling of giving Myrtle something material that made her happy. Myrtles husband, George Wilson, was poor, and he couldnt provide the rich life Myrtle wanted. Their relationship was built on this false hope of Tom and Myrtle one day being married, although Myrtle believed this to be true, Tom knew that he would never be able to leave his wife. These two came from different ends ...

Proposal for Smart Phone Application based ordering for Subway Research Paper

Proposal for Smart Phone Application based ordering for Subway Sandwiches - Research Paper Example The report also elaborates on the technical as well as business approaches required to be considered when applying the proposed mechanism along with the likely changes to be witnessed after its implementation. Challenges and the subsequent measures required to be considered have also been addressed in this report along with recommendations and a high-level implementation plan. 2. Background of the Company Subway is an American restaurant chain founded in the year 1965, by Dr. Peter Buck and Fred DeLuca. Today, the restaurant chain is situated in around 98 countries and 34,000 locations all around the world. The company has its regional offices in Brisbane, Miami and Singapore (The Ultimate Software Group Inc., 2000). The products which are offered by this restaurant chain principally fall in the category of submarine sandwiches. It has also been offering pizzas to its customers in certain areas. Subway has been operating for around 46 years and is often ranked as the largest chain of submarine sandwiches in the world. The company has been rewarded with several awards for its superior products and services which are provided to its nationwide and international customers (Doctor's Associates Inc., 2009). 3. Business Problems In today’s highly competitive market scenario, technology and better communication with the target customers have become quite essential for companies to obtain better advantages and growth prospects. However, based on this context, Mr. Van Hout, the technological officer of Subway, stated that with the power of technological assistance, the sales and the profitability of its stores can be increased substantially. Fundamentally, it has been due to its lacuna in incorporating technology in its customer service procedure that the customers have to face problems when placing orders which has been principally associated with the time-consuming delivery process of the organization. Applying the traditional delivery process, the customers ne ed to wait in long queues which in turn tend to hamper their satisfaction level by a large extent affecting the productivity as well as on the reputation of the company (Journalistic Inc., 2013). Hence, incorporating technological innovations such as smart phones to enhance customer relationship in Subway can prove highly beneficial for the company. 4. High level Solution In order to mitigate the restrictions or rather the limitations witnessed by Subway and its customers, incorporation of developed technology application can prove to be highly beneficial. The application can be downloaded by the customers in their smartphones to be used for placing orders in a time-efficient and cost effective manner. Correspondingly, the stores will be equipped with advanced computer systems to receive, interpret as well as analyze the data collected in relation to customers’ requirements for the use of staff members. It is expected that the technology development will minimize the time-con straints in the delivery process rendering greater satisfaction to the customers and thereby rendering competitive advantages to the company so as to increase its revenue growth substantially over the long-run. 5. Benefits of solving the problem With the incorporation of the technology, it is possible for the staffs to take orders and place it in a time-effective way which shall in turn enhance the quality of customer service in Subway and likewise encourage better