30 November 2013

deleterious

[del-i-teer-ee-uhs]

1. injurious to health: deleterious gases.
2. harmful; injurious: deleterious influences.

Origin:

1635–45; < Greek dēlētḗrios destructive, adj. derivative of dēlētḗr destroyer, equivalent to dēlē- variant stem of dēleîsthai to hurt, injure + -tēr agent suffix + -ios adj. suffix; see -ious

Related forms
del·e·te·ri·ous·ly, adverb
del·e·te·ri·ous·ness, noun
non·del·e·te·ri·ous, adjective
non·del·e·te·ri·ous·ly, adverb
non·del·e·te·ri·ous·ness, noun

Synonyms
2. pernicious, hurtful, destructive; noxious.

Antonyms
2. beneficial.

Today’s aphorism

When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown,
The dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

– Roger Waters, David Gilmour: from the song ‘Comfortably Numb’, on Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

On this day

30 November 1835 – birth of Mark Twain, U.S. novellist, author of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’. Died 21 April 1910.

30 November 1874 – birth of U.K. Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Died 24 January 1965.

30 November 1936 – Crystal Palace in Britain is destroyed by fire. The Crystal Palace had been constructed for the Great Exhibition in 1851 and featured the first public toilets in England. During the Exhibition, visitors were able to pay 1 penny to use the conveniences. It was from this that the term ‘spend a penny’ came into use as a euphemism for visiting the loo.

30 November 1950 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces that he is willing to use atomic bombs to bring peace to Korea.

30 November 1979 – Pink Floyd releases their cult album ‘The Wall’, which was later made into a movie and one of the greatest stage-shows of all time. The songs were written by Rogers Waters and Dave Gilmour. Roger Waters performed ‘The Wall’ stage-show with other celebrities on 21 July 1990 in Berlin, to celebrate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

30 November 2007 – death of U.S. daredevil, Evel Knievel from breathing difficulties. 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. Born on 17 October 1938 as Robert Craig Knievel.

29 November 2013

retrobate

[re-truh-beyt]

noun

– a person living in the past, who shuns the latest technology. E.g. He is such a retrobate, he hasn’t ever used a computer and has no idea what an iPad is.

Today’s aphorism

The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.

– Mahatma Gandhi

On this day

29 November – International Day of Solidarity with Palestine.

29 November 1898 – birth of C.S. Lewis, Irish novellist, author of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘The Screwtape Letters’. Died 22 November 1963.

29 November 1922 – Federal authorities are engaged to assist in the enforcement of prohibition laws in the United States.

29 November 1947 – the United Nations votes in favour of Resolution 181 for the partitioning of the land of Palestine in order to create both a Jewish state, named Israel, and an Arab state named Palestine. Arab nations refused to accept the resolution and the state of Palestine was not created, while the state of Israel was.

29 November 1948 – the first Holden car is manufactured in Australia by General Motors Holden Automotive (GMH). The first model is a Holden FX.

29 November 1963 – The Warren Commission is established to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. After 10 months, the Chief Justice Earl Warren hands down his findings that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in the assassination.

29 November 1986 – death of Cary Grant, born Archibald Alexander Leach, actor (‘North by Northwest‘, ‘To Catch a Thief‘, ‘An Affair to Remember‘, ‘Gunga Din‘).

29 November 2012 – The United Nations votes to recognise Palestine as a ‘non-member state’, implicitly acknowledging Palestinian statehood.

28 November 2013

reprobate

[rep-ruh-beyt]

noun, adjective, verb, rep·ro·bat·ed, rep·ro·bat·ing.

noun

1. a depraved, unprincipled, or wicked person: a drunken reprobate.
2. a person rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.
adjective
3. morally depraved; unprincipled; bad.
4. rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.
verb (used with object)
5. to disapprove, condemn, or censure.
6. (of God) to reject (a person), as for sin; exclude from the number of the elect or from salvation.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English reprobaten < Latin reprobātus; past participle of reprobāre to reprove

Related forms
rep·ro·ba·cy [rep-ruh-buh-see] Show IPA , rep·ro·bate·ness, noun
rep·ro·bat·er, noun
un·rep·ro·bat·ed, adjective

Synonyms
1. tramp, scoundrel, wastrel, miscreant, wretch, rascal, cad, rogue. 2. outcast, pariah. 3. wicked, sinful, evil, corrupt. 5. reprehend, blame, rebuke, reprove.

Today’s quote

‘Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to the men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human, and suppose what they did to be beyond amendment…But I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors. It is this preposterous idea which has lately deluged Europe in blood. Their monarchs, instead of wisely yielding to the gradual change of circumstances, of favoring progressive accommodation to progressive improvement, have clung to old abuses, entrenched themselves behind steady habits, and obliged their subjects to seek through blood and violence rash and ruinous innovations, which, had they been referred to the peaceful deliberations and collected wisdom of the nation, would have been put into acceptable and salutary forms’.

– Thomas Jefferson, in his letter to Samuel Kercheval.

On this day

28 November 1968 – death of Enid Blyton, British author of numerous series of children’s stories, including ‘Noddy‘, ‘Famous Five‘, and ‘Secret Seven‘. (Born 1897).

28 November 1990 – UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher formally tenders her resignation following disendorsement by her Cabinet on 22 November 1990.

28 November 1994 – U.S. serial killer and cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer, bashed to death while cleaning a prison toilet. Dahmer was serving 15 life sentences for the murder of 15 men and boys. He had initially faced 17 murder charges, but this had been reduced.

27 November 2013

adduce

[uh-doos, uh-dyoos]

verb (used with object), ad·duced, ad·duc·ing.

– to bring forward in argument or as evidence; cite as pertinent or conclusive: to adduce reasons in support of a constitutional amendment.

Origin:
1610–20; < Latin addūcere to bring into, equivalent to ad- ad- + dūcere to lead

Related forms
ad·duce·a·ble, ad·duc·i·ble, adjective
ad·duc·er, noun
un·ad·duce·a·ble, adjective
un·ad·duced, adjective
un·ad·duc·i·ble, adjective

Can be confused: adduce, deduce, induce.

Today’s aphorism

Be prepared.

– Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement.

On this day

27 November 1942 – birthday of Jimi Hendrix. American guitarist and singer-songwriter.

27 November 1975 – Ross McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of World Records, is shot dead outside his house in North London. Police suspect the Irish Republican Army (IRA) of the murder, as McWhirter had posted a £50,000 reward for information that lead to the arrest of IRA bombers.

27 November 1999 – Helen Clark is elected as New Zealand’s first female Prime Minister. She represented the centre-left of the Labour Party.

26 November 2013

assuage

[uh-sweyj, uh-sweyzh]

verb (used with object), as·suaged, as·suag·ing.

1. to make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate: to assuage one’s grief; to assuage one’s pain.
2. to appease; satisfy; allay; relieve: to assuage one’s hunger.
3. to soothe, calm, or mollify: to assuage his fears; to assuage her anger.

Origin:

1250–1300; Middle English aswagen < Old French asouagier < Vulgar Latin *assuāviāre, equivalent to Latin as- as- + -suāviāre, verbal derivative of Latin suāvis agreeable to the taste, pleasant (cf. suave; akin to sweet)

Related forms
as·suage·ment, noun
as·suag·er, noun
un·as·suaged, adjective
un·as·suag·ing, adjective

Synonyms
1. alleviate, lessen.

Antonyms
intensify.

Today’s aphorism

Never let yesterday use up too much of today.

– Will Rogers

On this day

26 November 1922 – British archaeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon enter the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen which Carter had discovered a few days earlier. Legend held that the tomb was protected by the ‘Mummy’s Curse’. Within 7 months of entering the tomb, both Carter and Carnavon were dead.

26 November 1942 – world premiere of iconic film ‘Casablanca’, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The movie was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 3 of them.

26 November 1992 – The Queen begins paying income tax and the number of royals receiving tax-payers funds is reduced to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen Mother.

25 November 2013

adscititious

[ad-si-tish-uhs]

adjective

– added or derived from an external source; additional.

Origin:
1610–20; < Latin a ( d ) scīt ( us ) derived, assumed, foreign (past participle of a ( d ) scīscī ), equivalent to ad- ad- + scī- (stem of scīre to know) + -tus past participle suffix + -itious

Related forms
ad·sci·ti·tious·ly, adverb

Today’s aphorism

Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

– Benjamin Franklin

On this day

25 November 1963 – funeral of assassinated President John F. Kennedy in Washington DC. Over 800,000 people lined the streets. He was interred at Arlington Cemetery.

25 November 1947 – The ‘Hollywood Ten’ are blacklisted for their allegiance with, or sympathy for the American Communist Party. They were cited for Contempt of Congress when they refused to testify to the House Committee on Unamerican Activities. The Hollywood Ten were unable to work in the movie industry again. The ten were Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner Jr., John Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott and Dalton Trumbo.

24 November 2013

conurbation

[kon-er-bey-shuhn]

noun

– an extensive urban area resulting from the expansion of several cities or towns so that they coalesce but usually retain their separate identities. Example: A conurbation of cities.

Origin:
1910–15; con- + Latin urb- (stem of urbs ) city + -ation

Today’s aphorism

You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

– Friedrich Nietzsche

On this day

24 November 1806 – birth of William Webb Ellis, Anglican clergyman who is credited for creating Rugby Union after allegedly picking up the ball during a soccer match and running with it, while a student at Rugby School. Died 24 February 1872.

24 November 1859 – Charles Darwin publishes his iconic work, The Origin of Species, which has become the foundation of evolutionary biology.

24 November 1991 – death of Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara). British musician and vocalist. Lead singer of rock group, Queen. Born 5 September 1946.

24 November 1991 – death of Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello), drummer with Kiss. Born 12 July 1950.

23 November 2013

nascent

[nas-uhnt, ney-suhnt]

adjective

1. beginning to exist or develop: the nascent republic.

2. Chemistry . (of an element) in the nascent state.

Origin:

1615–25; < Latin nāscent- (stem of nāscēns ), present participle of nāscī to be born, arise, equivalent to nā ( tus ) born (variant of gnātus ) + -sc- inchoative suffix + -ent- -ent

Related forms

nas·cence, nas·cen·cy, noun

un·nas·cent, adjective

Today’s aphorism

Do not judge by appearances; a rich heart may be under a poor coat.

– Scottish proverb

On this day

23 November 534BC – Thespis of Icaria becomes the first recorded actor to portray a character on stage.

23 November 1859 – birth of William H. Bonney aka Billy ‘The Kid’. American outlaw. Legend has it that he killed 21 men, although historians believe it may have been between 4 and 9 men. He was shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett around 14 July 1881. Some conspiracy theorists believe that Bonney did not get shot that day, but that Garrett staged the shooting so that Billy ‘The Kid’ could escape.

23 November 1889 – the first jukebox commences operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco.

23 November 1963 – Dr Who premiers on BBC TV, starring William Hartnell. It has become the longest running science fiction series in the world.

23 November 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan signs the top secret National Security Directive 17 (NSDD-17), authorising the Central Intelligence Agency to recruit, train and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua, in order to wage guerilla warfare against the ruling leftist Sandanista regime. In 1982, the Boland Amendment was passed by Congress which banned US support of the Contras. The Reagan administration illegally continued funding the rebels. Part of the funding was obtained by illegally selling arms to Iran, which was the subject of an international arms boycott. The Reagan administration sold the arms in an effort to free seven US hostages being held by a group linked with Iran. The scandal became known as the Iran-Contra affair and was the subject of a Presidential Commission (the Tower Commission) as well as investigations by a number of  Congressional Committees. As a result, a number of high ranking members of Reagan’s administration were indicted, including Caspar Weinberger (Secretary of Defence) – later pardoned by President H.W. Bush in 1991 before standing trial, William Casey (Head of the CIA), Robert C. MacFarlane (Assistant Secretary of State), Oliver North (National Security Council), Admiral John Poindexter, and numerous others. While Reagan knew of the operations, it was not definitively shown that he issued the orders.

22 November 2013

judicious

[joo-dish-uhs]

adjective

1. using or showing judgment as to action or practical expediency; discreet, prudent, or politic: judicious use of one’s money.
2. having, exercising, or characterized by good or discriminating judgment; wise, sensible, or well-advised: a judicious selection of documents.
Origin:
1590–1600; < Latin jūdici ( um ) judgment (see judge, -ium) + -ous; compare Italian giudizioso, French judicieux

Related forms
ju·di·cious·ly, adverb
ju·di·cious·ness, noun
o·ver·ju·di·cious, adjective
o·ver·ju·di·cious·ly, adverb
o·ver·ju·di·cious·ness, noun

Can be confused: judicial, judiciary, judicious

Synonyms
1. See practical. 1, 2. See moderate. 2. rational, reasonable, sober, sound, sagacious, enlightened, considered. Judicious, judicial both refer to a balanced and wise judgment. Judicious implies the possession and use of discerning and discriminating judgment: a judicious use of one’s time. Judicial has connotations of judgments made in a courtroom and refers to a fair and impartial kind of judgment: cool and judicial in examining the facts.

Antonyms
1. imprudent. 2. silly, unreasonable.

Today’s aphorism

Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.

– John F. Kennedy

On this day

22 November 1906 – the use of the morse code signal ‘SOS’ is implemented as a global distress call. The SOS signal is three dots, three dashes and three dots

(· · · — — — · · ·)

22 November 1963 – assassination of John F. Kennedy. 35th president of the United States.

22 November 1963 – death of Aldous Huxley, English writer. Most famous for his vision of the future, ‘Brave New World’, as well as his work ‘The Doors of Perception’, based on his use of psychedelic drugs. Jim Morrison named his 60′s psychedelic rock band, ‘The Doors’ after Huxley’s book. Born 26 July 1894.

22 November 1963 – death of C.S. Lewis, Irish novelist, author of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘The Screwtape Letters’. Born 29 November 1898.

22 November 1990 – UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher forced to resign by her own Cabinet who refused to endorse her as leader. She had come to power in 1979 and had become known as the ‘Iron Lady’. She is the longest-serving UK Prime Minister and the only female to hold the post. She fought numerous battles with unions over her economic and deregulation reforms. She introduced a ‘Community Charge’ or ‘Poll Tax’, which replaced rates with a flat-tax rate on every adult. It was extremely unpopular even within her own Cabinet and was a crucial catalyst for her disendorsement and subsequent resignation.

22 November 1993 – death of Anthony Burgess, English writer. Most famous for his dystopian novel, ‘The Clockwork Orange’, which Stanley Kubrick made into a controversial movie. Born 25 February 1917.

21 November 2013

huzzah

[huh-zah]

interjection
1. (used as an exclamation of joy, applause, appreciation, etc.) hurrah!
noun
2. the exclamation “huzzah.”
3. an instance of giving praise or applause; accolade: The newspaper’s review was one big huzzah for the new movie.
verb (used without object)
4. to shout “huzzah.”
verb (used with object)
5. to salute with huzzahs.
6. an archaic word for hurrah
Also, huz·za.

Origin:
1565–75; variant of earlier hussa, hissa sailors’ cry; see hoise

Related forms
un·huz·zahed, adjective

Today’s aphorism

Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day

21 November 164BC – Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah.

21 November 1936 – birth of Victor Chang, a Chinese-Australian cardiac surgeon who pioneered heart transplants. Chang was shot dead on 4 July 1991, in a failed extortion attempt.

21 November 1965 – birth of Bjork (Björk Guðmundsdóttir), Icelandic singer-songwriter, producer and actress.

21 November 1986 – Oliver North, National Security Council staffer, begins shredding documents associated with the Iran-Contra debacle that could have implicated themselves and others within the Reagan administration in the illegal sale of arms to Iran in order to fund the rebel Nicaraguan Contras.