13 May 2014

arrant

[ar-uhnt]

adjective

1. downright; thorough; unmitigated; notorious: an arrant fool.
2. wandering; errant.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English, variant of errant

Related forms
ar·rant·ly, adverb

Can be confused: arrant, errant.

Synonyms
1. thoroughgoing, utter, confirmed, flagrant.

Anagram

ran rat

Today’s aphorism

To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.

– Theodore Roosevelt

On this day

13 May 1941 – birth of Richard Steven Valenzuela, otherwise known as Richie Valens. 1950s rock and roll star, famous for songs such as, ‘Come On, Let’s Go’, and ‘La Bamba. Died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959 with other musicians, Buddy Holly, J.P. ‘Big Bopper’ Richardson and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Their deaths were immortalised in the Don McLean song, ‘American Pie’, when he sang about the day the music died.

13 May 1981 – Pope John Paul II is injured in front of 2,000 people in St Peter’s Square after being shot by Turkish man, Mehmet Ali Agca.