Aphorisms • The expression "
every cloud has a silver lining" is used to point out that something good can often come out of even a bad situation. • The expression "silver-tongued" refers to a person who possesses the power of fluent, persuasive, eloquent, and witty speech. • The expression "born with a
silver spoon in his/her mouth" means someone is born into a wealthy or well-to-do family.
Astronomy • The
Chinese name
Silver River (銀河) is used throughout
East Asia, including
Korea and
Japan to denote the
Milky Way Galaxy (An alternative name for the Milky Way in ancient China, especially in poems, is "Heavenly
Han River"(天汉).). In
Japanese, "Silver River" (銀河
ginga) means galaxies in general, and the Milky Way is called the "Silver River System" (銀河系
gingakei) or the "River of Heaven" (天の川
Amanokawa or Amanogawa).
Film • The
silver screen is a
poetic name for a
motion picture screen. This metaphor derived from the early 20th century when all movies were filmed in black and white, and some screens of the era used metallic silver as a reflecting agent. •
Science fiction films often show
spaceship or
starship crews wearing silver
body suits. •
Silver City is a 2004 political satire and drama film written and directed by
John Sayles.
Geography •
Nevada is referred to as the
silver state because of the historically rich silver mines located there, such as the
Comstock Lode.
Gerontology • The
aging of the
baby boomers has been called the "
silver tsunami", although this phrase is controversial due to its
ageist connotations. • When someone 55 or older gets
divorced, it is called a "silver divorce".
Heraldry • In
heraldry there is no distinction between silver and
white, represented as "
argent". • In English heraldry argent (silver) or white signified brightness, purity, virtue, or innocence.
Literature • The
Silver Cord is a 1926 play by
Sidney Howard about the emotional tie between a
mother and a
son, and the term "silver cord" is sometimes used to represent this tie.
Politics • The
Silver Shirts was an American
fascist organization during the 1930s.
Real estate • The
Silverdome, a
stadium in
Pontiac, Michigan constructed in 1975 for $55,000,000 (about $220,000,000 in 2009 dollars), sold in 2009 for $583,000, symbolizing the collapse of
real estate prices in the
Detroit metropolitan area due to
deindustrialization in the
rust belt.
Religion • In
Paganism, silver represents wisdom, intelligence, and memory. It has a feminine energy and it is used to grow psychic ability.
Role playing games • In
Dungeons & Dragons, the
silver dragon is one of the
metallic dragons.
School colors • Silver is one of two school colors of
Christopher Newport University.
Scouting • The
Silver Wolf Award is the highest award made by
The Scout Association "for services of the most exceptional character". • The Silver Award is the highest award for GS Cadettes in Girl Scouting of the United States of America (GSUSA).
Sexuality • In the
bandana code of the
gay leather subculture, wearing a silver
lamé bandana on the left means that one is a rock star,
movie star,
celebrity, or big time
groupie; wearing a silver lamé bandana on the right means that one is a groupie looking to have sex with one of the aforementioned types of people.
Sports • The
Las Vegas Raiders of the
National Football League and the
San Antonio Spurs of the
National Basketball Association use silver as one of their primary colors, along with
black. • The
Detroit Lions football team uses the color silver along with the color
Honolulu blue for its team logo and uniforms. • In motorsports,
Germany is traditionally represented in white. However in 1934 the German teams stripped the paint from their cars to save weight, thus revealing the silver coloured bodywork beneath. They were aptly named the
Silver Arrows. Since then, Germany also uses silver as one of their racing colours. == See also ==