What does “a cross between the Parthenon and the Reichstag” mean?
In Gerard Durrell's The Whispering Land I ran into the sentence below:
At that precise moment we were heading towards the massive building that looked like a cross between the Parthenon and the Reichstag in whose interior lurked the most formidable enemy of sanity and liberty in Argentina: the Aduana, or Customs.
May I ask what "cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag" means here? I guess there might be some cultural implication behind this but I cannot find anything after searching extensively.
meaning expressions phrase-meaning
New contributor
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In Gerard Durrell's The Whispering Land I ran into the sentence below:
At that precise moment we were heading towards the massive building that looked like a cross between the Parthenon and the Reichstag in whose interior lurked the most formidable enemy of sanity and liberty in Argentina: the Aduana, or Customs.
May I ask what "cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag" means here? I guess there might be some cultural implication behind this but I cannot find anything after searching extensively.
meaning expressions phrase-meaning
New contributor
2
I'm guessing that architecturally it has features of both. Parthenon Reichstag
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks I just found that a cross between could mean A mixture or compromise of two things in Oxford dictionary. Now it makes perfect sense as these two buildings have something in common. Thanks!
– Xinting WANG
3 hours ago
"Cross", in the sense of this idiom, likely is a metaphorical reference to "cross breeding" -- the inter-breeding of two species of plant or animal.
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks Yes. Previously I fixated on the literal meaning of cross and thus get myself confused over it.Cross breeding
would make sense and the sentence is easy to understand now. It's the typical satiric the author used in his book.
– Xinting WANG
2 hours ago
add a comment |
In Gerard Durrell's The Whispering Land I ran into the sentence below:
At that precise moment we were heading towards the massive building that looked like a cross between the Parthenon and the Reichstag in whose interior lurked the most formidable enemy of sanity and liberty in Argentina: the Aduana, or Customs.
May I ask what "cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag" means here? I guess there might be some cultural implication behind this but I cannot find anything after searching extensively.
meaning expressions phrase-meaning
New contributor
In Gerard Durrell's The Whispering Land I ran into the sentence below:
At that precise moment we were heading towards the massive building that looked like a cross between the Parthenon and the Reichstag in whose interior lurked the most formidable enemy of sanity and liberty in Argentina: the Aduana, or Customs.
May I ask what "cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag" means here? I guess there might be some cultural implication behind this but I cannot find anything after searching extensively.
meaning expressions phrase-meaning
meaning expressions phrase-meaning
New contributor
New contributor
edited 3 mins ago
Laurel
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asked 3 hours ago
Xinting WANGXinting WANG
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2
I'm guessing that architecturally it has features of both. Parthenon Reichstag
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks I just found that a cross between could mean A mixture or compromise of two things in Oxford dictionary. Now it makes perfect sense as these two buildings have something in common. Thanks!
– Xinting WANG
3 hours ago
"Cross", in the sense of this idiom, likely is a metaphorical reference to "cross breeding" -- the inter-breeding of two species of plant or animal.
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks Yes. Previously I fixated on the literal meaning of cross and thus get myself confused over it.Cross breeding
would make sense and the sentence is easy to understand now. It's the typical satiric the author used in his book.
– Xinting WANG
2 hours ago
add a comment |
2
I'm guessing that architecturally it has features of both. Parthenon Reichstag
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks I just found that a cross between could mean A mixture or compromise of two things in Oxford dictionary. Now it makes perfect sense as these two buildings have something in common. Thanks!
– Xinting WANG
3 hours ago
"Cross", in the sense of this idiom, likely is a metaphorical reference to "cross breeding" -- the inter-breeding of two species of plant or animal.
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks Yes. Previously I fixated on the literal meaning of cross and thus get myself confused over it.Cross breeding
would make sense and the sentence is easy to understand now. It's the typical satiric the author used in his book.
– Xinting WANG
2 hours ago
2
2
I'm guessing that architecturally it has features of both. Parthenon Reichstag
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
I'm guessing that architecturally it has features of both. Parthenon Reichstag
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks I just found that a cross between could mean A mixture or compromise of two things in Oxford dictionary. Now it makes perfect sense as these two buildings have something in common. Thanks!
– Xinting WANG
3 hours ago
@HotLicks I just found that a cross between could mean A mixture or compromise of two things in Oxford dictionary. Now it makes perfect sense as these two buildings have something in common. Thanks!
– Xinting WANG
3 hours ago
"Cross", in the sense of this idiom, likely is a metaphorical reference to "cross breeding" -- the inter-breeding of two species of plant or animal.
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
"Cross", in the sense of this idiom, likely is a metaphorical reference to "cross breeding" -- the inter-breeding of two species of plant or animal.
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks Yes. Previously I fixated on the literal meaning of cross and thus get myself confused over it.
Cross breeding
would make sense and the sentence is easy to understand now. It's the typical satiric the author used in his book.– Xinting WANG
2 hours ago
@HotLicks Yes. Previously I fixated on the literal meaning of cross and thus get myself confused over it.
Cross breeding
would make sense and the sentence is easy to understand now. It's the typical satiric the author used in his book.– Xinting WANG
2 hours ago
add a comment |
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The Parthenon is a Greek Temple that is distinguished by its thick pillars which surround the perimeter to support the structure.
The Reichstag is a German political building that is well known for its iconic glass dome constructed on the top and its parliamentarian style.
When the author said cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag, he might have implied that the building was a parliamentarian type building supported by pillars, since cross between means a mixture of.
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The Parthenon is a Greek Temple that is distinguished by its thick pillars which surround the perimeter to support the structure.
The Reichstag is a German political building that is well known for its iconic glass dome constructed on the top and its parliamentarian style.
When the author said cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag, he might have implied that the building was a parliamentarian type building supported by pillars, since cross between means a mixture of.
New contributor
add a comment |
The Parthenon is a Greek Temple that is distinguished by its thick pillars which surround the perimeter to support the structure.
The Reichstag is a German political building that is well known for its iconic glass dome constructed on the top and its parliamentarian style.
When the author said cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag, he might have implied that the building was a parliamentarian type building supported by pillars, since cross between means a mixture of.
New contributor
add a comment |
The Parthenon is a Greek Temple that is distinguished by its thick pillars which surround the perimeter to support the structure.
The Reichstag is a German political building that is well known for its iconic glass dome constructed on the top and its parliamentarian style.
When the author said cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag, he might have implied that the building was a parliamentarian type building supported by pillars, since cross between means a mixture of.
New contributor
The Parthenon is a Greek Temple that is distinguished by its thick pillars which surround the perimeter to support the structure.
The Reichstag is a German political building that is well known for its iconic glass dome constructed on the top and its parliamentarian style.
When the author said cross between Parthenon and the Reichstag, he might have implied that the building was a parliamentarian type building supported by pillars, since cross between means a mixture of.
New contributor
edited 33 mins ago
New contributor
answered 40 mins ago
Viswalahiri Swamy HejeebuViswalahiri Swamy Hejeebu
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I'm guessing that architecturally it has features of both. Parthenon Reichstag
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks I just found that a cross between could mean A mixture or compromise of two things in Oxford dictionary. Now it makes perfect sense as these two buildings have something in common. Thanks!
– Xinting WANG
3 hours ago
"Cross", in the sense of this idiom, likely is a metaphorical reference to "cross breeding" -- the inter-breeding of two species of plant or animal.
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
@HotLicks Yes. Previously I fixated on the literal meaning of cross and thus get myself confused over it.
Cross breeding
would make sense and the sentence is easy to understand now. It's the typical satiric the author used in his book.– Xinting WANG
2 hours ago