Order of the Black Eagle links: alternately a black eagle and a device featuring a center medallion with the motto of the Order ("Suum Cuique"—literally "To each his own," but idiomatically "To each according to his merits"), a series of FRs forming a cross pattern, a blue enameled ring around this, and crowns at each cross point. The star of the Order was a silver eight-pointed star, with straight or faceted rays depending on the jeweler's design. The center medallion displayed a black eagle (which gripped a wreath of laurels in its left claws and a scepter in its right) on a golden background, surrounded
Line in the sand (phrase) Line in the sand (phrase) A line in the sand is a metaphor with two similar meanings: Biblical link to John 8:6. Some have (perhaps erroneously) interpreted Jesus' writing in the sand, as drawing a line in the sand in order to address those who are about to stone a woman caught in adultery. However, the literal translation is not that he drew a line in the sand, but that he "wrote" (or "drew lines" in some translations) in the sand, an important distinction. The exact origin of the phrase is unknown: the "Oxford English Dictionary" suggests a transitional use