led in sweeping twin spirals
English translation: explained below
| 09:36 Dec 15, 2010 |
| English language (monolingual) [PRO] Poetry & Literature / tasvir | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Paula Vaz-Carreiro | ||||||
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| Discussion entries: 1 | |
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Answers
12 mins confidence: 
peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1explained below Explanation: The staircase in the very centre of the hall took you (led) to the upper floor by means of two identical spiral staircases, and these two are described as extending in long continuous curves (sweeping). HTH |
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17 mins confidence:
sounds like ... Explanation: a staircase that starts with a single flight ("bisecting the hall dead center") that then divides into two further (curved) flights, one on each side - quite a common layout in stately homes and the like. |
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8 mins confidence:
provided two curved staircases up to the next floor that were identical Explanation: Identical except for the structural right/left orientations. "Sweeping" refers to the elegant curves. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 17 mins (2010-12-15 09:54:34 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- This phrase utilises two verbs used very poetically (making it a bit difficult to follow): "to lead" (in the metaphoric sense to guide) and "to sweep". English uses the effect of the gesture of sweeping (for example cleaning with a broom). The gesture is smooth, fluid and can be quite extended and even elegant. It is used for long women's skirts, continuous mountain ranges that are not broken, and very long staircases, among other things. |
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1 day 6 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): -1
peer agreement (net): -1up a flight of steps in the centre of a hallway to a landing, leading to Explanation: a pair of spiral staircases - one on the right, one on the left, which continue to the upper floors. IMHO. |
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3 days 3 hrs confidence:
double helix staircase / double spiral staircase Explanation: The type of twin or double spiral staircase invented by Leonardo da Vinci (as far as I know). The spiral is sweeping around an open circular space, not a tight column. This inner space gives scope for two of these spirals going up 180 degrees apart, in the same space. In other words, if you draw a doughnut, and draw a line accross, at the centre, the staircases would start up at the opposite sides of the doughnut, where the line crosses the respective side of the doughnut. Leonardo's double spiral staircase is to be found in Chateau de Chambord, in the Loire Valley. The right hand picture on the website below shows the staircase, and if you would go around to the opposite side, you would see exactly the same; the beginning of the sspiral staircase on the other side in the same helix. web.me.com/paulscott.info/place/pm14/pm14.html - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_de_Chambord - www.als-travels.com/France/chambord.htm -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 days3 hrs (2010-12-18 13:26:30 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Strange, some of the references don't show in the answer above. This is the website I was referring to: web.me.com/paulscott.info/place/pm14/pm14.html - |
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