The birthday boy and the myth

Glossary of difficult words

birthday boy/girl - the person celebrating his or her birthday (Havel turns 75 today);

to become someone - to be appropriate or suitable for someone;

building block - a basic unit from which something is built up;

alive and kicking - prevalent and very active;

to appropriate something - to take something for one’s own use;

baton - a short stick passed from runner to runner in a relay race.