Kosmos

Fans cool your face and maybe even your temper, but that’s not all: They
transmit secret messages, are crucial dating props and deadly weapons.

Japan

En garde! In the Japanese martial art tessenjutsu, fans are used to parry knives or swords, and also to provoke attacks. Even  the Samurai used to use the harmless-looking fan as a secret weapon, its metal ribs sharpened to a point. Potentially deadly, such fans could come in useful on occasions which required that swords be set aside.

Spain

Can you read me? Spanish fan gestures like “Follow me!” (1), “I love you” (2), “I love someone else” (3) were once used to convey secret messages. Some fan researchers claim that they were really just a 19th-century marketing trick, but fans really are  great flirt aids, even without the knowledge of a complex secret code.

Spring taking its time? At least with these attractive items, you can beat those April showers in style!

You silly egg! You flea! You meatball! Oddly enough, these are terms of endearment in China, France and Italy. A selection of choice pet names from around the world

a belly full of love

The way to the heart is through the stomach. Here’s proof: the French call their lover their “cabbage,” the Spanish, “half an orange,” the Japanese, “egg with eyes.” Oval heads are generally considered a beauty standard in the Far East.

the heart and other organs

“My heart and liver!” is a term of endearment in China. In Ireland, they say mo chuisle, “my pulse,” whereas Tibetans call their beloved “revered poison of my heart.”

animal attraction

The Germans lead, drawing inspiration from animals to call their lover a snail, sparrow, rabbit or mouse, closely followed by the French (“My doe!”) and the Italians (“My chick! My microbe!”).