Today’s WOTD – 10 September 2012

pistolpetaphobia

[pis-tl-pet-uh-foh-bee-uh]

– fear of cowboys.

For example:

‘In Saturday night’s elimination final, the skills of the Brisbane Broncos were vitiated by their pistolpetaphobia as the ruthless North Queensland Cowboys out-gunned them 33-16’.

Today’s quote

‘Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted’

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

On this day

10 September – World Suicide Prevention Day.

10 September 1945 – birth of José Feliciano, Puerto Rican singer/musician.

Today’s WOTD – 8 September 2012

Fey

Pronounciation: [fay]

adjective:
1. Strange; unconventional; otherworldly.
2. Doomed.
3. Able to see the future.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Old English faege (fated to die). Earliest documented use: before the twelfth century.

USAGE:
“At times, the book The Patron Saint of Eels seems a little fey; perhaps the made-up miracle makes its moral point a little too easily.”
Lisa Gorton; The Patron Saint of Eels; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Apr 16, 2005.

Today’s quote

‘If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away’

Henry David Thoreau

On this day

8 September – International Day of Literacy.

8 September 1504 – Michelangelo unveils his iconic sculpture, ‘David‘.

8 September 1930 – Richard Drew invents ‘scotch’ tape, the world’s first transparent, adhesive tape … otherwise known as ‘sticky tape’.

8 September 1966 – Star Trek premiers on NBC TV in the U.S.

8 September 2006 – death of Peter Brock, Australian car racing legend. Born 26 February 1945.

Today’s WOTD – 7 September 2012

vitiate
[vish-ee-eyt]
verb (used with object), vitiated, vitiating.
1. to impair the quality of; make faulty; spoil.
2. to impair or weaken the effectiveness of.
3. to debase; corrupt; pervert.
4. to make legally defective or invalid; invalidate. for example: to vitiate a claim.

Today’s quote

On thro’ the hours, triumphant, proud an’ fit,
The champeen marches on ‘is up’ard way,
Till, at the zenith, bli’me! ‘E–is–IT!
And all the world bows to the Boshter Day.
The jealous Night speeds ethergrams thro’ space
‘Otly demandin’ terms, an’ time, an’ place.

– C.J. Dennis, from ‘The Stoush of Day‘, ‘Songs of a Sentimental Bloke‘ … originally published in The Bulletin  on 1 April 1909 … note that C.J. Dennis foretold email by about 90 years with his reference to ‘ethergrams thro’ space’

On this day

7 September 1876 – birth of C.J. Dennis, Australian poet (Songs of a Sentimental Bloke). Died 22 June 1938.

7 September 1978 – death of Keith Moon, British musician, drummer for ‘The Who’.

Today’s WOTD – 6 September 2012

inchoate   

[in-koh-it, -eyt or, especially Brit., in-koh-eyt]

adjective

1. not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.
2. just begun; incipient.
3. not organized; lacking order. For example: an inchoate mass of ideas on the subject.

Today’s quote

‘… But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high, 
As you can see.
No matter how he tried, 
He could not break free.
And the worms ate into his brain.’

– Roger Waters, from the song ‘Hey You‘, from Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall‘

On this day

6 September 1819 – the lathe patented by Thomas Blanchard.

6 September 1919 – death of Worm Pander, sculptor. (Born 20 June 1864) … no relation to this website’s Panda Man …

6 September 1930 – Democratically elected Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen overthrown by fascist and conservative forces. Hipólito was affectionately known as ‘el peludo‘ (the Hairy Armadillo) because of his introverted character. A revolutionary, left-wing politician, Hipólito was also known as the ‘Father of the Poor’. He was twice president (1916-1922 and 1928-1930). He introduced numerous important social reforms, becoming a hero to the working class, including compulsory male suffrage, a rise in the standard of living for Argentina’s working class, improvements in factory conditions, regulation of working hours, compulsory pensions and universally accessible public education system.

6 September 1943 – birth of Roger Waters, bassist and vocalist for Pink Floyd.

Today’s WOTD – 5 September 2012

troglodyte   
[trog-luh-dahyt]
noun
1. a prehistoric cave dweller.
2. a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character.
3. a person living in seclusion.
4. a person unacquainted with affairs of the world.
5. an animal living underground.

colloquial: trogg

Today’s quote

‘Wild thing, You make my heart sing,
you make everything … Groovy …’

The Troggs (British rock group), 1966.

On this day

5 September 1847 – birth of Jesse James, U.S. outlaw. (Died 3 April 1882).

5 September 1877 – death of Crazy Horse, Sioux Chief (not to be confused with a Sous Chef). Born around 1840.

5 September 1939 – United States declares its neutrality in the Second World War.

5 September 1997 – death of Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu) in Yugoslavia, winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work in the slums of Calcutta.

Today’s WOTD – 4 September 2012

corrigendum
[kawr-i-jen-duhm, kor-]

noun, plural corrigenda  [-duh]
1. an error to be corrected, especially an error in print.
2. corrigenda, a list of corrections of errors in a book or other publication.

Also called: ‘erratum’- a slip of paper inserted into a book after printing, listing errors and corrections

[C19: from Latin: that which is to be corrected, from corrigere to correct ]

Note to be confused with ‘Addendum’, which means ‘in addition to’.

Today’s quote

Steve Irwin

‘Crikey means gee whiz, wow!’

‘The first crocodile I ever caught was at nine years of age, and it was a rescue.’

‘The only animals I’m not comfortable with are parrots, but I’m learning as I go. I’m getting better and better at ’em. I really am … Yeah, for some reason parrots have to bite me. That’s their job. I don’t know why that is. They’ve nearly torn my nose off. I’ve had some really bad parrot bites’

On this day

4 September 1937 – birth of Dawn Fraser AO MBE, Australian swimming legend. Won Olympic gold medals in 1956, 1960 and 1964, as well as a number of silver medals.

4 September 2006 – death of Steve Irwin, ‘The Crocodile Hunter’, Australian wildlife expert and television personality. (Born 22 February 1962).

Today’s WOTD – 1 September 2012

virago

[vi-rah-goh, -rey-]

noun, plural viragoes, viragos.
1. a loud-voiced, ill-tempered, scolding woman; shrew.
2. Archaic . a woman of strength or spirit

Synonyms
1. scold, nag, termagant, harpy, Xanthippe.

Today’s aphorism

‘In one respect at least the Martians are a happy people, they have no lawyers.’

Edgar Rice Burroughs

On this day

1 September 1875 – birth of Edgar Rice Burroughs, American science fiction author: Tarzan, Mars series (on which the 2012 movie ‘John Carter‘ was based).

1 September 1939 – official commencement date of World War II, when Germany invaded Poland.