20 February 2013

Cornucopia

[kawr-nuh-koh-pee-uh, -nyuh-]

noun

1. Classical Mythology . a horn containing food, drink, etc., in endless supply, said to have been a horn of the goat Amalthaea.
2. a representation of this horn, used as a symbol of abundance.
3. an abundant, overflowing supply.
4. a horn-shaped or conical receptacle or ornament.
Origin:
1585–95; < Late Latin, equivalent to Latin cornū horn (see cornu) + cōpiae of plenty (genitive stem of cōpia ); see copious

Related forms
cor·nu·co·pi·an, adjective
cor·nu·co·pi·ate [kawr-nuh-koh-pee-it] Show IPA , adjective

Example:

‘He’s a cornucopia of social awkwardness’.

– Sheldon Cooper, Big Bang Theory, Series 4, Episode 5.

Today’s aphorism

‘Life’s a playground. Have fun!’

– Tyler Duran

On this day

20 February 1970 – birthday of Kurt Cobain. Lead singer, guitarist and lyricist for Nirvana.

20 February 2005 – death of Hunter S. Thompson, American writer and gonzo journalist.

19 February 2013

presenteeism

[prez-uhn-tee-iz-uhm]

noun

1. the practice of coming to work despite illness, injury, anxiety, etc., often resulting in reduced productivity.
2. the practice of working long hours at a job without the real need to do so.

Example sentence:

‘Employers often try to reduce absenteeism, but a more insidious threat to productivity is presenteeism’.

Today’s aphorism

‘A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the other one’.

– Baltasar Gracián

On this day

19 February 1950 – Cyprus independence is granted with the signing of a joint agreement by Britain, Greece and Turkey.

19 February 2006 – Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, becomes Prime Minister of Palestine following Palestinian Legislative Council elections.

19 February 2008 – Fidel Castro retires as leader of Cuba after 49 years at the helm, following the revolution he led in 1959. At 81 years old, Castro had been unwell.

18 February 2013

hirsute

[hur-soot, hur-soot]

adjective

1. hairy; shaggy.
2. Botany, Zoology . covered with long, rather stiff hairs.
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of hair.

Origin:
1615–25; < Latin hirsūtus rough, shaggy, bristly; akin to horrid

Related forms
hir·sute·ness, noun
sub·hir·sute, adjective
sub·hir·sute·ness, noun

Synonyms
1. pilose, unshaved, bearded, bushy, woolly, furry

Today’s aphorism

‘‎30 years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird’.

– Anne Lamott

On this day

18 February 1294 – death of Kublai Khan, of the Mongol Empire. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan. In 1271, Kublia Khan established the Yuan Empire ruling over modern-day Mongolia, China and Korea. He became the first non-Chinese Emperor to conquer all of China. He was born on 23 February 1215.

17 February 2013

ubiquitous

[yoo-bik-wi-tuhs]

adjective

– existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent: ubiquitous fog; ubiquitous little ants.

Also, u·biq·ui·tar·y [yoo-bik-wi-ter-ee] Show IPA .

Origin:
1830–40; ubiquit(y) + -ous

Related forms
u·biq·ui·tous·ly, adverb
u·biq·ui·tous·ness, noun
non·u·biq·ui·tar·y, adjective
non·u·biq·ui·tous, adjective
non·u·biq·ui·tous·ly, adverb

Today’s aphorism

‘I’m trying to think of a word to describe your outfit … affordable’.

– Barry Humphries

On this day

17 February 1933 – End of Prohibition, when the US Senate passes the Blaine Act.

17 February 1934 – birth of Barry Humphries, Australian comedian, famous for characters such as Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson.

17 February 2007 – Sylvester Stallone is held by Australian Customs for a couple of hours after prohibited items were confiscated from his baggage.

16 February 2013

phalanx

[fey-langks, fal-angks]

noun, plural pha·lanx·es or for 7, pha·lan·ges [fuh-lan-jeez]

1. (in ancient Greece) a group of heavily armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep, with shields joined and long spears overlapping.
2. any body of troops in close array.
3. a number of individuals, especially persons united for a common purpose.
4. a compact or closely massed body of persons, animals, or things.
5. Military , ( initial capital letter ) a radar-controlled U.S. Navy 20mm Gatling-type gun deployed on ships as a last line of defense against antiship cruise missiles.

Today’s aphorism

A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.

– Fidel Castro

On this day

16 February 1923 – the burial chamber of King Tutankhamen in Egypt is opened, after it was recently discovered by British archaeologist, Howard Carter. The tomb was 3,000 years old.

16 February 1959 – Fidel Castro sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba after leading a successful revolution against the President Batista.

16 February 1983 – Ash Wednesday bush-fires burn over 2,000m² of land in South Australia and Victoria, killing 47 people, destroying more than 3,700 buildings, and more than 2,500 people lost their homes.

15 February 2013

tutelage

[toot-l-ij, tyoot-]

noun

1. the act of guarding, protecting, or guiding; office or function of a guardian; guardianship.
2. instruction; teaching; guidance: His knowledge of Spanish increased under private tutelage.
3. the state of being under a guardian or a tutor.

Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin tūtēl ( a ) guardianship (derivative of tuērī to watch; see tuition) + -age

Synonyms
2. direction, supervision, tutoring, coaching.

Today’s aphorism

Perhaps if I make myself write I shall find out what is wrong with me.

– Dodie Smith

On this day

15 February 1989 – the last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan after a 10 year occupation referred to as the Soviet Union’s ‘Vietnam’. The Soviets had invaded on 24 December 1979 in response to Afghan insurgents (armed by the United States) who had been attacking Soviet troops. The occupation lasts for 10 years and results in the deaths of between 600,000 and 2,000,000 Afghan civilians, as well as 6,000,000 refugees who fled to Pakistan and Iran. The cost of the Afghan occupation is a significant factor that led to the economic collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Soviet occupation, the United States funded Afghan resistance in the form of the Mujahideen and other militant Islamic groups, out of whom emerged Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The Afghan people continue to suffer and to comprise a significant portion of global refugee numbers because of the involvement of the USSR and the USA during this period.

14 February 2013

en règle

[ahn RE-gluh], adjective:

In order; according to the rules; correct.

Example sentences:

This was all done en règle, and in our work we shall be en règle too. We shall not go so early that the policemen who have then little to think of, shall deem it strange.
— Bram Stoker, Dracula

I told her it was not quite en règle to bring one so far out of our own set; but she said, ‘Genius itself is not en règle; it comes into the world to make new rules.’
— George Eliot, Daniel Deronda

En règle snuck into the English language in the 1810s. It came directly from the French phrase of the same spelling which meant literally ‘in rule’.

Today’s aphorism

‘The best way to predict your future is to create it’.

– Abraham Lincoln.

On this day

14 February – Valentine’s Day

14 February 1779 – death of Captain James Cook, British explorer. Made three major voyages in which he discovered many of the islands of the south pacific, including the east coast of Australia. Cooktown, North Queensland, is named after him. The house he grew up in was relocated from Yorkshire, England, to Melbourne, Australia and is open to visits (now known as Captain Cook’s Cottage and is situated in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne). Died 14 February 1779 after being stabbed by Hawaiians who credited their Chief Kalanimanokahoowaha (Kanaina) with the kill. Captain Cook’s body was then subjected to a funeral ritual that was normally reserved for a Chief. Born 27 October 1728.

14 February 1929 – St Valentine’s Day massacre when Chicago gangster, Al Capone’s Italian gang killed seven of Bugs Moran’s Irish gang.

13 February 2013

lilt

[lilt]

noun

1. rhythmic swing or cadence.
2. a lilting song or tune.

verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
3. to sing or play in a light, tripping, or rhythmic manner.

Origin:

1300–50; Middle English lulte; perhaps akin to Dutch lul pipe, lullen to lull

Related forms
lilt·ing·ly, adverb
lilt·ing·ness, noun

Today’s quote

‘I have a funny name’.

– Pia Zadora

On this day

13 February 1915 – birthday of General Aung San, founder of modern day Burma and Burmese Army. Father of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician, activist and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient.

13 February 1920 – the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland is recognised by the League of Nations (predecessor of the United Nations).

13 – 15 February 1945 – the bombing of Dresden in which 722 British and 527 USAF aircraft drop more than 3,900 tons of explosives on Dresden, Germany. At the time, Nazi Germany claimed more than 300,000 casualties, however, an official report in 2010 claimed that casualties were around 25,000, historians generally number the casualties between 35,000 and 135,000. Because of the number of refugees in the city, it is unlikely the exact figure will ever be known.

12 February 2013

serendipity

[ser-uhn-dip-i-tee]

noun

1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2. good fortune; luck: the serendipity of getting the first job she applied for.

Origin:
1754; Serendip + -ity; Horace Walpole so named a faculty possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip

Related forms
ser·en·dip·it·er, ser·en·dip·i·tist, ser·en·dip·per, noun

Today’s aphorism

‘Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience’.

– Mark Twain

On this day

12 February 1912 – the Last Emperor of China, Hsian-T’ung is forced to abdicate by republicans, ending 2000 years of imperial rule. The Republic of China formed on 1 January 1912, followed by the People’s Republic of China, which formed on 1 October 1949.