2 November 2013

portmanteau

[pawrt-man-toh, pohrt-; pawrt-man-toh, pohrt-]

noun, plural port·man·teaus, port·man·teaux [-tohz, -toh, -tohz, -toh] . Chiefly British .

1. a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves.

2. ( modifier ) embodying several uses or qualities: the heroine is a portmanteau figure of all the virtues

3. a combination of two or more words or morphemes. Some examples include:
– smog (combining smoke and fog)
– spam (combining spiced ham)
– Brangelina (combining Brad and Angelina)
– affluenza (combining affluence and influenza)
– chillax (combining chill and relax).

Origin:

1575–85; < French portemanteau literally, (it) carries (the) cloak; mantle

Today’s aphorism

Whenever someone asks me if I want water with my Scotch, I say I’m thirsty, not dirty.

– Joe E. Lewis

On this day

2 November 1917 – British Foreign Secretary, James Balfour, presents a declaration of intent to establish a national homeland in Palestine for the Jewish people. It became known as the ‘Balfour Declaration’.

2 November 1936 – launch of the British Broadcasting Commission (BBC-TV). World’s first regular television service. Initially broadcasting with a radius of 25 miles. It was taken off-air from 1939 – 1946 because of World War II. Now known as BBC One.

2 November 1942 – Australians recapture Kokoda from the Japanese during the Kokoda Track campaign. The campaign was fought from 21 July 1942 to 16 November 1942, in the Australian territory of Papua New Guinea between Japanese and predominantly Australian forces. The Kokoda Track wound through the Owen Stanley Ranges, which Japanese forces had invaded as they attempted to seize Port Moresby.