13 March 2015

banal

[buh-nal, -nahl, beyn-l]

adjective

1. devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite:
a banal and sophomoric treatment of courage on the frontier.

Origin
French
1745-1755; < French; Old French: pertaining to a ban (see ban2, -al1)

Related forms
banality [buh-nal-i-tee, bey-], noun
banally, adverb

Synonyms
See commonplace.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for banal
– The architecture is, for the most part, banal.
– As if this were not bad enough, the script is freighted with a mighty load of banal incidents.
– Indie rock aficionados may hold themselves above the pop-idol-worshiping masses, but their culture can be just as banal.

Today’s aphorism

When we see people as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent on recognizing the humanity in others.

– Desmond Tutu

On this day

13 March 1929 – The Butler Act is passed, making it illegal to teach the theory of evolution in schools in Tennessee. The Act was repealed in 1967.

13 March 1969 – Disney releases the hit movie, The Love Bug, based on a Volkswagen Beetle with a life of its own.

13 March 1979 – a left-wing military coup in Grenada overthrows Prime Minister, Sir Eric Gairy. His leadership was controversial with allegations of illegitimately winning the election, rigging a Miss World contest and calling for the United Nations to establish a committee to investigate UFOs and extraterrestrial life.

13 March 1996 – Sixteen children at the Dunblane Primary School in Scotland are shot dead by former boy scout leader, Thomas Hamilton. The massacre resulted in stricter gun laws in the United Kingdom.