Gravel is a type of fill that is used to pave a road.
Ripio is a notion that comes from replēre , a Latin term that translates as “fill.” The concept is usually used to name the filling that is made with small pieces of stone , brick , gravel and other materials to pave a path or cover a hole.
For example: “To get to the waterfall, you must travel about thirty kilometers along a gravel road” , “The municipality should replace the gravel on rural trails” , “A stone hit the windshield of my car when I was driving on gravel” .
Characteristics of gravel roads
Gravel roads are common in rural, mountainous or lightly traveled areas. Due to the characteristics of the fill , these roads have greater resistance than dirt roads and suffer less flooding. However, gravel has disadvantages compared to asphalt .
The gravel needs frequent maintenance so that the roads remain passable. It also requires very careful driving since cars can have grip and stability problems, something that does not happen on paved roads.
In mountainous and rural areas it is common to use gravel.
The term in writing and conversation
In the field of writing and conversation, superfluous and unnecessary expressions that are used to complete a speech or a work are known as rubble. An example of rubble in a dissertation would be the following: “Through these words my intention is to tell you what I think…” . All these words are unnecessary since the individual could begin his speech by simply saying, “I think that…” .
Rubble is also used to name the remains of something: “We still haven't managed to get rid of the rubble of the military presence in this area.”
The gravel in poetry
It is important to know that within the field of poetry this term is used very frequently. In this case, it is used to refer to a type of easy rhyme or even an absolutely vain phrase that is used in order to complete a verse.
From this type of rhyme we can also point out another series of interesting aspects such as these:
- Poets who frequently abuse the use of it are known as ripiosos .
- Poems that include several gravels throughout their structure are also called gravels.
- Among the authors who have used it with some frequency we find Pedro Muñoz Seca , Lope de Vega and Miguel Echegaray .
- It should not be overlooked that rubble of this type is also present in the world of music. Thus, for example, it is stated that one of the composers and singers who uses it the most in his songs is Joaquín Sabina .
The concept in popular expressions
In addition to everything stated so far, we must not forget that the word rubble is also used in popular expressions.
An example is “not to lose rubble” , which is used to indicate that someone is very attentive to something that is being said or done so that no detail is missed.