Mario Dingli is curious about the origin of the expression “...from the four corners of the world” (Round or flat?, November 14).

Well, it is still commonly used to convey the message that something or someone attracted the attraction or interest from the far ends of the world or from all parts of the world.

For example, “Athletes came from the four corners of the earth to compete in the Olympics”. This expression appeared in the Bible (Isaiah 11:12): “And gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

Although the idea that the earth is a flat plane with actual corners has long been discarded, the term has survived.