23 October 2013

imprimatur

[im-pri-mah-ter, -mey-, -prahy-]

noun

1. an official license to print or publish a book, pamphlet, etc., especially a license issued by a censor of the Roman Catholic Church. Compare nihil obstat.
2. sanction or approval; support: Our plan has the company president’s imprimatur.

Origin:
1630–40; < Neo-Latin: let it be printed, Latin: let it be made by pressing upon (something); see impress

Today’s quote

I am just going outside and may be sometime.

– reputedly, the last words of Lawrence Oates, member of the ill-fated Terra Nova Antarctic expedition which was led by Robert Falcon Scott. With supplies running dangerously low, Oates left the tent, muttering these words and headed into a blizzard. The temperate was -40o. For days prior to this, Oates was suffering from fatigue and frostbite, and was finding it difficult to continue on. It’s believed that Oates deliberately left the tent to sacrifice himself so the others could share the remaining supplies and so he wouldn’t be a burden. It was the day before his 32nd birthday.

On this day

23 October 4004BC – creation of the world according to Archbishop James Ussher.

23 October 42BC – death of Brutus, Roman senator. He suicided after his Army was defeated during the Roman civil wars at the Second Battle of Philippi, by Mark Antony and Octavian.

23 October 1959 – birth of ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic, American parody singer-songwriter.

23 October 1998 – Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, establish a ‘Land for Peace’ deal regarding the West Bank, after a marathon 21 hour negotiation.

22 October 2013

dyadic

[dahy-ad-ik]

adjective

1. of or consisting of a dyad; being a group of two.
2. pertaining to the number 2.
noun
3. Mathematics . two or more dyads added together.
Origin:
1720–30; < Greek dyadikós. See dyad, -ic

Today’s aphorism

I’m a romantic; a sentimental person thinks things will last, a romantic person hopes against hope that they won’t.

– F. Scott Fitzgerald

On this day

22 October 1797 – Andre-Jacques Garnerin becomes the world’s first sky-diver after jumping out of a balloon above Paris.

22 October 1932 – Notorious gangster, Pretty Boy Floyd, shot to death by FBI agents in Ohio.

21 October 2013

imbibe

[im-bahyb]

verb, im·bibed, im·bib·ing.

verb (used with object)
1. to consume (liquids) by drinking; drink: He imbibed great quantities of iced tea.
2. to absorb or soak up, as water, light, or heat: Plants imbibe moisture from the soil.
3. to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas, or the like: to imbibe a sermon; to imbibe beautiful scenery.
verb (used without object)
4. to drink, especially alcoholic beverages: Just a soft drink for me—I don’t imbibe.
5. to absorb liquid or moisture.
6. Archaic. to soak or saturate; imbue.

Today’s quote

‘A pain stabbed my heart, as it did every time I saw a girl I loved who was going the opposite direction in this too-big world’.

― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

On this day

21 October 1492 – Christopher Columbus discovers America.

21 October 1772 – birthday of Samuel Taylor Colleridge, English poet.

21 October 1833 – birth of Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Swedish chemist and armaments manufacturer, inventor of dynamite and the Nobel Prizes. Was known as the ‘Merchant of Death’. A newspaper stated that he ‘became rich by finding ways to kill people faster than ever before‘. As a result, he decided to leave a better legacy than that and used his estate to establish and fund the Nobel Prizes, which included the Nobel Peace Prize. Died 10 December 1896.

21 October 1967 – Thousands of anti-Vietnam-war protestors attempt to storm the Pentagon.

21 October 1969 – death of Jack Kerouac, American beat-generation writer, ‘On the road‘. Born 12 March 1922.

20 October 2013

pantywaist

[pan-tee-weyst]

noun

1. Informal. a weak, effeminate man; sissy. e.g. ‘penniless pantywaist’ as quoted in Baz Luhrman’s Great Gatsby.
2. formerly, a child’s undergarment consisting of short pants and a shirt that buttoned together at the waist.
adjective
3. weak; fainthearted.
4. Informal. childish.
Origin:
1925–30; panty + waist

Synonyms
1. weakling, milksop, namby-pamby.

Today’s aphorism

Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.

– F. Scott Fitzgerald

On this day

20 October 1977 – Plane crash in Mississippi kills 3 members of rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with their manager, the pilot and co-pilot.

20 October 2011 – death of Muammar Gaddafi, former leader of Libya. He had been shot to death by rebel fighters following the overthrow of his government.

19 October 2013

brinkmanship

[bringk-muhn-ship]

noun

– the technique or practice of maneuvering a dangerous situation to the limits of tolerance or safety in order to secure the greatest advantage, especially by creating diplomatic crises.

Also, brinks·man·ship [bringks-muhn-ship]

Origin:
1955–60; brink + -manship, with brink(s) – by analogy with sportsmanship, etc.

Today’s aphorism

Ideas that enter the mind under fire remain there securely and for ever.

– Leon Trotsky

On this day

19 October 1924 – Leo Trotsky, one of the founders of the Soviet Union and founder of the Red Army, is thrown out of the Soviet Politburo and his followers persecuted after he opposed Stalin. Trotsky was eventually expelled from the Communist Party and in 1929 was deported from the Soviet Union. He continued his opposition to Stalinism from his base in Mexico.

19 October 2001 – 353 asylum seekers drown when the boat they are on sinks 70km south of Java. The victims included 146 children, 142 women and 65 men. They were travelling from Indonesia to Australia and were predominantly Iraqi. Australian authorities labelled the boat SIEV-X (SIEV is short for ‘Suspected Illegal Entry Vehicle’). The incident became a major political issue and coupled with other incidents, such as the ‘Tampa crisis’ and the ‘Children Overboard affair’, resulted in major changes to Australia’s migration laws, including excising 4,600 islands from Australia’s migration zone and introduction of the controversial ‘Pacific Solution’.

18 October 2013

junket

[juhng-kit]

noun

1. a sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet.
2. a pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing.
3. a trip, as by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.
verb (used without object)
4. to go on a junket.
verb (used with object)
5. to entertain; feast; regale.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English jonket < Old French (dial.) jonquette rush basket, equivalent to jonc (< Latin juncus reed) + -ette -ette

Related forms
jun·ket·er, noun

Today’s aphorism

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

On this day

18 October – Anti-slavery day, created by an act of the U.K. Parliament in 2010. It defines modern day slavery as child trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude and trafficking for sexual exploitation. It provides an opportunity to draw attention to the subject and to pressure government, local authorities, public institutions and private and public companies to address the scale and scope of human trafficking.

18 October 1776 – the ‘cocktail’ is invented when a customer requests a drink decorated with a bird-tail, in a New York bar.

18 October 1926 – birth of Chuck Berry, legendary American musician and pioneer of rock and roll and famous for songs such as ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’.

18 October 1931 – death of Thomas Edison, U.S. inventor. Born 11 February 1847.

17 October 2013

tallyho

[tal-ee-hoh for 1; tal-ee-hoh for 2–5]
noun, plural tal·ly·hos, interjection, verb, tal·ly·hoed or tal·ly·ho’d, tal·ly·ho·ing.
noun
1. Chiefly British. A mail coach or a four-in-hand pleasure coach.
2. a cry of ‘tallyho’.
interjection
3. the cry of a hunter on first sighting the fox.
verb (used with object)
4. to arouse by crying ‘tallyho’, as to the hounds.
verb (used without object)
5. to utter a cry of ‘tallyho’.
Origin:
1750–60; compare French tayau hunter’s cry

Today’s aphorism

I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries.

– Stephen King

On this day

17 October 1814 – London Beer Flood causes the deaths of 8 people. The flood occurred when a vat containing 610,000 litres (135,000 gallons) of beer ruptured, causing other vats in the building to also rupture, resulting in a total of 1,470,000 litres (323,000 gallons) to flood nearby streets, destroying two homes and the wall of a pub. Those killed were living in the basement of houses which filled with the beer. The brewery was sued, however, the court ruled the event an ‘Act of God’.

17 October 1901 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt issues an Executive Order changing name of the ‘Executive Mansion’ to the ‘White House’.

17 October 1938 – birth of U.S. daredevil, Evel Knievel (Robert Craig Knievel). Knievel was best known for his failed attempt to jump over the Grand Canyon on a rocket-propelled motor-bike. He also successfully, and often unsuccessfully, attempted long distance motor-bike jumps, such as jumping 14 buses. Through his career, Knievel broke 35 bones. Died 30 November 2007.

17 October 1989 – Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

17 October 2010 – Mary McKillop is canonised by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming Australia’s first saint.

17 October 2011 – Richard Branson, of Virgin Group, opens the world’s first commercial space-port, which he has based in Mexico. The first commercial launch is expected in 2013.

16 October 2013

duff

[duhf]

verb (used with object) Slang.

1. to give a deliberately deceptive appearance to; misrepresent; fake.
2. British . (in golf) to misplay (a golf ball), especially to misjudge one’s swing so that the club strikes the ground behind the ball before hitting it.
3. Australian.
a. to steal (cattle). e.g. ‘The police arrested the cattle duffer’.
b. (formerly) to alter the brand on (stolen cattle).
c. pregnant, e.g. ‘The last time I saw her, she was up the duff’.
4. to cheat someone.
5. Homer Simpson’s favourite beer, e.g. ‘Mmmm …. Duff Beer …’

Origin:
1830–40; back formation from duffer

Today’s aphorism

The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there… and still on your feet.

– Stephen King

On this day

16 October – Dictionary Day (in the U.S.A), coinciding with the birthday of Noah Webster (born 1758), creator of Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language and known as the ‘Father of American Scholarship and Education’.

16 October 1834 – London’s House of Lords and House of Commons damaged by fire caused by an over-heating chimney flue during the destruction of tally sticks.

16 October 1962 – start of the Cuban Missile Crisis, known in Cuba as the October Crisis and in Russia as Kарибский кризис (Caribbean Crisis), one of the major events of the Cold War as it brought the world to the brink of nuclear conflict. It started when a USAF U-2 plane photographed evidence of Soviet air bases being constructed in Cuba on 14 October 1962. The U.S. considered bombing the bases, but ended up blockading Cuba, preventing Soviet weapons being delivered. Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev wrote to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, stating the blockade constituted an act of war. For 13 days, the Americans and Soviets conducted talks to resolve the crisis. On 28 October 1962, Kennedy and UN Secretary General U. Thant reached a public and secret agreement with Khrushchev. Publicly, the Soviets agreed to dismantle their weapons in Cuba, while the U.S. gave an agreement to never invade Cuba. Secretly, the U.S. agreed to dismantle its ballistic missiles in Turkey.

15 October 2013

cabal

[kuh-bal]

noun, verb, ca·balled, ca·bal·ling.

noun
1. a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.
2. the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue.
3. a clique, as in artistic, literary, or theatrical circles.
verb (used without object)
4. to form a cabal; intrigue; conspire; plot.

Origin:
1610–20, for an earlier sense; earlier cabbal < Medieval Latin cabbala. See cabala

Related forms
ca·bal·ler, noun

Can be confused: cabal, cabala.

Synonyms
1. junta, faction, band, league, ring. 2. See conspiracy.

Today’s aphorism

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

– Winston Churchill

On this day

15 October 1917 – death of Mata Hari, (born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle), Dutch dancer, courtesan and spy. She was charged with espionage and executed by firing squad in France, after being accused of spying for Germany during World War I.

Today’s word of the day has been updated with a quote from 1970’s sitcom, Good Times, in commemoration of the Battle of Hastings which occurred on this day in 1066.

14 October 2013

shrift

[shrift]

noun Archaic.

1. the imposition of penance by a priest on a penitent after confession.
2. absolution or remission of sins granted after confession and penance.
3. confession to a priest.

The term ‘short shrift’ referred to condemned criminals being given only a short amount of time with the priest to confess their sins.

These days, ‘short shrift’ means to receive little attention or consideration in dealing with a person or matter: ‘to give short shrift to an opponent’s arguments’.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English scrift penance; cognate with German, Dutch schrift writing; see shrive

Today’s quote

From the 1970’s sitcom, ‘Good Times’, Junior the Senior episode (0.46 to 1.00)

Mama:  You goin’ need that education when the school turns you out into the streets.

JJ:  Aw, Mama, what’s going to happen, someone’s going to pull me into an alleyway and say, “Tell me what happened in 1066; otherwise, I’ll blow your brains out”?

Thelma:  He could blow your brains out with a soda straw.

On this day

14 October 1066 – Battle of Hastings. When King Edward of England died, William the Duke of Normandy felt the throne should go to him. Meanwhile, Earl Harold Godwinson (cousin of King Edward) felt the throne was his. The two went to battle with William decisively defeating Harold. The battle changed history as William brought England under Norman rule and stripping the Saxons of their rights. King William introduced three major changes, firstly, he made himself the principal authority, having executive, judicial and legislative power. (This was replaced centuries later by the Westminster System, which separates these three powers). Secondly, William introduced a new language and culture, by replacing 300 years of Anglo-Saxon culture with a French dialect. Thirdly, he introduced the feudal system in which a plot of land (called a fief) would be given to loyal followers.

14 October 1322 – Scotland forces led by Robert the Bruce defeat England at Byland, forcing King Edward II to grant Scotland’s independence.

14 October 1947 – American pilot, Chuck Yeager, breaks the speed of sound in the experimental jet, Bell X-1, travelling at Mach 1 and at 45,000 feet.

14 October 1959 – death of Errol Flynn, Australian-born American actor. Born 20 June 1909.

14 October 2012 – Felix Baumgarten, Austrian adventurer, becomes the first man to break the speed of sound while in freefall after jumping from a helium balloon at the edge of space, 39km above the surface of the earth. He reached a speed of 1,342 km/hr (1.24 times the speed of sound). He also broke the record for the highest altitude reached in a manned balloon flight.