20 April 2014

prodigious

[pruh-dij-uhs]

adjective

1. extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, force, etc.: a prodigious research grant.
2. wonderful or marvelous: a prodigious feat.
3. abnormal; monstrous.
4. Obsolete , ominous.

Origin:
1545–55; < Latin prōdigiōsus marvelous. See prodigy, -ous

Related forms
pro·di·gious·ly, adverb
pro·di·gious·ness, noun
un·pro·di·gious, adjective
un·pro·di·gious·ly, adverb
un·pro·di·gious·ness, noun

Can be confused: prodigious, prestigious.

Synonyms
1. enormous, immense, huge, gigantic, tremendous. 2. amazing, stupendous, astounding, wondrous, miraculous.

Antonyms
1. tiny. 2. ordinary.

Anagram

odious grip
I rip us good
I is proud go

Today’s aphorism

A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted.

– Billie Holiday

On this day

20 April 1889 – birth of Adolf Hitler in Austria. Austrian-German politician. German Chancellor from 2 August 1934 – 30 April 1945. Genocidal megalomaniac. Died 30 April 1945.

20 April 1908 – first day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League.

20 April 1912 – death of Bram Stoker, Irish novellist, author of ‘Dracula’. Born 8 November 1847.

20 April 1918 – German flying ace, Manfred Von Richthoffen (the Red Baron), shoots down his 79th and 80th victims. The following day he was fatally wounded while pursuing a Sopwith Camel. Before yielding to his injuries, Richthoffen landed his plane in an area controlled by the Australian Imperial Force. Richthoffen died moments after allied troops reached him. Witnesses claim his last word was ‘kaputt’, which means broken, ruined, done-in or wasted.

20 April 1939 – Billie Holiday records the first civil rights song, ‘Strange Fruit’.

Panda’s Word of the Day has been nominated in the Best Australian Blogs 2014 competition. It would be greatly appreciated if you would vote for it in The People’s Choice awards. To do so, click on the following link and scroll through until you find ‘Panda’s Word of the Day’, select it, scroll to the end and complete the details. Thank you 🙂

http://www.writerscentre.com.au/community/best-australian-blogs-comp/peoples-choice/

19 April 2014

maudlin

[mawd-lin]

adjective

1. tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental: a maudlin story of a little orphan and her lost dog.
2. foolishly or mawkishly sentimental because of drunkenness.

Origin:
1500–10; special use of Maudlin, Middle English Maudelen ≪ Late Latin Magdalēnē < Greek Magdalēnḗ Mary Magdalene, portrayed in art as a weeping penitent

Related forms
maud·lin·ism, noun
maud·lin·ly, adverb
maud·lin·ness, noun
un·maud·lin, adjective
un·maud·lin·ly, adverb

Anagram

mud nail

Today’s aphorism

To belittle, you have to be little.

– Kahlil Gibran

On this day

19 April 1987 – The Simpsons is first aired on television in the United States.

19 April 1993 – 70 members of the cult Branch Davidian sect, led by David Koresh, perish following a fire at their Waco compound. It is believed they lit the fire deliberately as federal agents stormed the compound following a siege that began in February 1993.

19 April 1995 – Terrorist Timothy McVeigh detonates a bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring 680 people. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on 11 June 2001.

18 April 2014

radical

[rad-i-kuhl]

adjective
1. of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radical difference.
2. thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company.
3. favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms: radical ideas; radical and anarchistic ideologues.
4. forming a basis or foundation.
5. existing inherently in a thing or person: radical defects of character.
6. Mathematics .
a. pertaining to or forming a root.
b. denoting or pertaining to the radical sign.
c. irrational ( def 5b ) .
7. Grammar . of or pertaining to a root.
8. Botany . of or arising from the root or the base of the stem.

Anagram

air clad

Today’s aphorism

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.

– Albert Einstein

On this day

18 April 1839 – birthday of Henry Kendall, Australian poet. Died 1 August 1882.

18 April 1897 – The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

18 April 1955 – death of Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the theory of relativity and of course his mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2 (energy = mass x speed of light squared). Born 14 March 1879.

18 April 1983 – a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb that destroyed the United States Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 63 people, 17 of whom were American. Most of the victims were CIA and embassy staff, a number of soldiers and a Marine. Pro-Iranian group, Islamic Jihad Organization, claimed responsibility. However, it’s believed the attack was undertaken by Lebanese group, Hezbollah, in response to the intervention of a multinational force, comprised of western nations, in the Lebanese Civil War.

18 April 1996 – At least 106 civilians are killed in Lebanon when Israel shells a United Nations refugee compound at Quana where more than 800 Palestinians and Lebanese were sheltered. Israel claimed it was an accident and that they were trying to hit a nearby Hezbollah position that had fired at them. Hezbollah claimed they had fired because Israel breached the security zone in order to lay land-mines. Both the UN and Amnesty International investigated and found that Israel had deliberately attacked the refugee camp; a claim that Israel denies. Human Rights Watch found that Israel’s use of high-explosive shells and anti-personnel shells were designed to maximise casualities and their use so close to a civilian area, breached international humanitarian law.

17 April 2014

abnegate

[ab-ni-geyt]

verb (used with object), ab·ne·gat·ed, ab·ne·gat·ing.

1. to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce. Mother Teresa abnegated self to minister to those society had rejected‘.
2. to relinquish; give up. ‘I abnegate smoking‘.

Origin:
1650–60; < Latin abnegātus denied (past participle of abnegāre ). See ab-, negate

Related forms
ab·ne·ga·tion, noun
ab·ne·ga·tor, noun
un·ab·ne·gat·ed, adjective
un·ab·ne·gat·ing, adjective

Anagram

began eat
bean gate
a gnat bee

Today’s aphorism

For success I consider three factors are necessary: firstly, an awareness of my own strengths and weaknesses; secondly, an accurate understanding of my opponent’s strengths and weaknesses; thirdly, a higher aim than momentary satisfaction.

– Alexander Alekhine (considered to be one of the world’s greatest chess champions)

On this day

17 April 1521 – Martin Luther appears before the Diet of Worms to be questioned by representatives the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, over the alleged possession of heretical books. (Worms is a town in Germany and Diet is a formal assembly).

17 April 1961 – the U.S. government sponsor 1,500 Cuban exiles to invade the Bay of Pigs, Cuba in an effort to overthrow the socialist government of Fidel Castro. The attacks fails, resulting in the deaths or capture of all of the exiles.

17 April 1969 – assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy by Sirhan Sirhan. Robert Kennedy was the brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

17 April 2010 – A Manhattan library reveals that first President George Washington failed to return two library books, accruing overdue fees of $300,000. The library said they weren’t pursuing payment of the fees.

16 April 2014

umbra

[uhm-bruh]

noun, plural um·bras, um·brae [uhm-bree]

1. shade; shadow.
2. the invariable or characteristic accompaniment or companion of a person or thing.
3. Astronomy.
a. the complete or perfect shadow of an opaque body, as a planet, where the direct light from the source of illumination is completely cut off. ‘The blood moon was fully eclipsed by the Earth’s umbra’.
Compare penumbra (partial or incomplete shadow outside the complete shadow of an opaque body, as a planet).
b. the dark central portion of a sunspot. Compare penumbra (shadowy, indefinite or marginal area)
4. a phantom or shadowy apparition, as of someone or something not physically present; ghost; spectral image.

Origin:
1590–1600; < Latin: shade, shadow

Related forms
um·bral, adjective

Anagram

rumba

Today’s aphorism

If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

– Bernard Baruch

On this day

16 April – Panda Appreciation Day. It was on this day in 1972, that the People’s Republic of China presented US President Richard Nixon with two pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing.

16 April 73AD – The Great Jewish Revolt ends when the fortress Masada falls to the Romans.

16 April 1850 – death of Marie Tussaud, French-English sculptor, founder of Madam Tussaud’s wax museum. Born 1 December 1761.

16 April 1917 – Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd, Russia following exile in Switzerland.

16 April 1947 – Bernard Baruch coins the term ‘Cold War’ to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.

16 April 1990 – Dr Jack Kevorkian, (euthanasia activist, otherwise known as the Doctor of Death) participates in his first assisted suicide.

Panda’s Word of the Day has been nominated in the Best Australian Blogs 2014 competition. It would be greatly appreciated if you would vote for it in The People’s Choice awards. To do so, click on the following link and scroll through until you find ‘Panda’s Word of the Day’, select it, scroll to the end and complete the details. Thank you 🙂

http://www.writerscentre.com.au/community/best-australian-blogs-comp/peoples-choice/

14 April 2014

gratuitous

[gruh-too-i-tuhs, -tyoo-]

adjective

1. given, done, bestowed, or obtained without charge or payment; free; voluntary.
2. being without apparent reason, cause, or justification: a gratuitous insult.
3. Law. given without receiving any return value.

Origin:
1650–60; < Latin grātuītus free, freely given, spontaneous, derivative of grātus thankful, received with thanks (for formation cf. fortuitous); see -ous

Related forms
gra·tu·i·tous·ly, adverb
gra·tu·i·tous·ness, noun
non·gra·tu·i·tous, adjective
non·gra·tu·i·tous·ly, adverb
non·gra·tu·i·tous·ness, noun

Can be confused: gracious, gratis, gratuitous.

Synonyms
2. unnecessary, superfluous, redundant; causeless, unreasonable, groundless, unprovoked, unjustified.

Anagram

guitars out
August trio
ragout suit
go tutu sari

Today’s aphorism

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

– Abraham Lincoln (attributed to Lincoln, although there is evidence to suggest it may have been Denis Diderot or Jacques Abbadie)

On this day

14 April 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater, Washington DC. Lincoln died the following day.

14 April 1912 – the RMS Titanic strikes an ice-berg just before midnight in the north Atlantic ocean as it sailed on its maiden voyage from Southampton UK to New York City USA , resulting in the deaths of 1,502 of the 3,372 people onboard.

14 April 1988 – Soviet Union begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan after nine years of occupation.

13 April 2014

metanoia

[met-uh-noi-uh]

noun

1. a profound, usually spiritual, transformation; conversion. Example: ‘After years of persecuting Christians, Saul of Tarsus experienced a metanoia, becoming one of the most influential forces in Christendom where he is now better known as the Apostle Paul’.
2. a fundamental change of character. Example: ‘Her metanoia from flibbertigibbet to philosopher was astounding’.
3. the journey of changing one’s heart, mind or self. Example: ‘His metanoia to greater compassion and understanding commenced when he read the wistful and poignant words of the destitute victim’.
4. rhetorical term for self-correction in speech or writing. An example of metanoia in literature:
“One of the greatest myths in the world–and the phrase ‘greatest myths’ is just a fancy way of saying ‘big fat lies’–is that troublesome things get less and less troublesome if you do them more and more”. from (Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid. HarperCollins, 2007)

Origin:
1870–75; < Greek metánoia change of mind, repentance; see meta-, -noia

Anagram

amen iota
atone aim

Today’s aphorism

One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.

– Joan of Arc

On this day

13 April 1570 – birth of Guy Fawkes, English soldier and one of the masterminds behind the failed ‘Gunpowder Plot’ to blow up English Parliament in an effort to assassinate King James 1 and VI of Scotland. Died 31 January 1606.

13 April 1923 – birth of Don Adams, American actor, most famous for his character Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) in the TV show ‘Get Smart’. Died 25 September 2005.

13 April 1975 – The 15 year long Lebanese Civil War starts when Christian Phalangists attack a bus, massacring 26 members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

13 April 2014 – Palm Sunday

12 April 2014

abrogate

[ab-ruh-geyt]

verb (used with object), ab·ro·gat·ed, ab·ro·gat·ing.

1. to abolish by formal or official means; annul by an authoritative act; repeal: to abrogate a law.
2. to put aside; put an end to.

Origin:
1520–30; < Latin abrogātus repealed (past participle of abrogāre ). See ab-, rogation, -ate1

Related forms
ab·ro·ga·ble [ab-ruh-guh-buhl] Show IPA , adjective
ab·ro·ga·tion, noun
ab·ro·ga·tive, adjective
ab·ro·ga·tor, noun
non·ab·ro·ga·ble, adjective

Can be confused: abdicate, abrogate, arrogate, derogate.

Synonyms
1. cancel, revoke, rescind, nullify, void, invalidate.

Antonyms
1. ratify, establish; preserve.

Anagram

bare toga
boat rage

Today’s aphorism

In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

On this day

12 April 1961 – Uri Gagarin (Russian) becomes the first man in space.

11 April 2014

expatiate

[ik-spey-shee-eyt]

verb (used without object), ex·pa·ti·at·ed, ex·pa·ti·at·ing.

1. to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion: to expatiate upon a theme.
2. Archaic. to move or wander about intellectually, imaginatively, etc., without restraint.

Origin:
1530–40; < Latin expatiātus past participle of ex ( s ) patiārī to wander, digress, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + spatiārī to walk about, derivative of spatium space; see -ate1

Related forms
ex·pa·ti·a·tion, noun
ex·pa·ti·a·tor, noun

Anagram

a pate exit
tie at apex

Today’s aphorism

To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.

– Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth

On this day

11 April 1979 – Ugandan President Idi Amin (Dada) is ousted when Tanzanian rebels sieze power. Amin flees to Libya and eventually settles in Saudi Arabia. Amin had been responsible for ethnic cleansing, killing an estimated 80,000 to 300,000 people.

11 April 1981 – Riots in Brixton, South London commence following the arrest of a black man. On a day known as ‘Black Saturday’, up to 5,000 youths confront police and run riot through the streets, looting, throwing petrol bombs, burning hundreds of cars and buildings, and injuring hundreds of people. Police arrested 82 people.