James Baquet

    Becky is chatting with her classmate Lily in the common room of their dorm.

    Becky: Well, Lily, spring has sprung!

    Lily: What’s that?

    Becky: Spring officially began on the vernal equinox.

    Lily: What’s the “vern —”

    Becky: The vernal equinox. The equinoxes are the two times a year when day and night are of about equal length.

    Lily: Oh, yeah. Late March and late September.

    Becky: That’s right. And in the northern hemisphere, the one in March is the spring, or vernal, equinox.

    Lily: So “vernal” is an adjective meaning “spring?”

    Becky: That’s right. The one in September is the “autumnal equinox” for us.

    Lily: Got it. And it’s the opposite in, say, Australia, South America, and much of Africa.

    Becky: That’s right!

    Lily: So you said, “Spring has sprung.”

    Becky: Yes. “To spring” can be a verb, and the participle is “have or has sprung.”

    Lily: Aren’t there some holidays around the time of the equinox?

    Becky: Sure! Jewish people celebrate Passover, and Christians have Easter.

    Lily: Is “Easter” like “the east”?

    Becky: A little! As spring is a time of new life, some people compare it to the sunrise.

    Lily: So summer would be noon, autumn is sundown, and winter is midnight!

    Becky: That’s the idea, yes.

    Lily: Are there other spring-y words?

    Becky: Of course! Have you ever heard of a “spring chicken?”

    Lily: Like, one that’s born in the springtime? So it’s young?

    Becky: That’s right, though in modern times, it could be born in any part of the year.

    Lily: Uh-huh.

    Becky: But we often hear something like this: “Marie is no spring chicken, but she still dances like a teenager.”

    Lily: That sounds kind of rude.

    Becky: Actually, it probably isn’t too nice. It’s just a funny way to say “She’s not young any more.”

    Lily: Got it. What else?

    Becky: Have you ever heard of “spring fever?”

    Lily: No...

    Becky: It’s when someone starts to act crazy because the weather is getting warmer.

    Lily: You mean, like, falling in love?

    Becky: Possibly, yeah!

    Lily: Like a “March hare” who goes mad over a girl bunny!

    Becky: That’s right! Good!

    Lily: Do you have any other interesting words like that?

    Becky: Let me ask you this: Do you remember the name of Katniss Everdeen’s younger sister in “The Hunger Games?”

    Lily: Ummm, Primrose, right?

    Becky: That’s right. Well, “prim” is like in “primary” or “prime,” meaning “first.”

    Lily: So, is it the first rose of spring?

    Becky: It’s not actually a rose, but it is one of the first flowers to bloom in the springtime.