swan song
a final performance
TRANSLATION
swan song = der Schwanengesang, der Abgesang
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Annan's angry SWAN SONG
Kofi Annan used his final speech as the United Nations secretary general to deliver a parting shot at the Bush administration, accusing the United States of committing human rights abuses in the name of fighting terror.
Suzanne Goldenberg
Guardian Weekly
Kofi Annan used his final speech as the United Nations secretary general to deliver a parting shot at the Bush administration, accusing the United States of committing human rights abuses in the name of fighting terror.
Suzanne Goldenberg
Guardian Weekly
Did you
know?
swan song
noun phrase
- A person's last piece of work, achievement, or performance
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
The swan song (Latin: carmen cygni) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement.
The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song in the moment just before death, having been silent (or alternatively, not so musical) during most of their lifetime.
This belief, whose basis in actuality is long-debated, had become proverbial in ancient Greece by the 3rd century BC, and was reiterated many times in later Western poetry and art.
Wikipedia
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO A CONVERSATION TODAY
say something like:
“For his swan song, he closed a million-dollar deal. Now he can really retire comfortably.”
noun phrase
- A person's last piece of work, achievement, or performance
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
The swan song (Latin: carmen cygni) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement.
The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song in the moment just before death, having been silent (or alternatively, not so musical) during most of their lifetime.
This belief, whose basis in actuality is long-debated, had become proverbial in ancient Greece by the 3rd century BC, and was reiterated many times in later Western poetry and art.
Wikipedia
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO A CONVERSATION TODAY
say something like:
“For his swan song, he closed a million-dollar deal. Now he can really retire comfortably.”
