Of dogs and heatwaves...

Ever wondered why a heatwave is often called a "canicule" (alongside the more ordinary "vague de chaleur")?

In English the term of "the dog days" can be found but it is translated from the Latin dies caniculares. So it's easy to see the relationship with the French term. From Wikipedia:

"The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks (see, e.g., Aristotle's Physics, 199a2)."

The whole article is worth a read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Days

Enjoy the blistering midsummer heat... and bear a thought for all those poor dogs which, according to the article, were sacrificed to appease the rage of Sirius.