11 May 2014

incongruous

[in-kong-groo-uhs]

adjective

1. out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming: an incongruous effect; incongruous behavior.
2. not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts: an incongruous mixture of architectural styles.
3. inconsistent: actions that were incongruous with their professed principles.

Origin:
1605–15; < Latin incongruus inconsistent. See in-3 , congruous

Related forms
in·con·gru·ous·ly, adverb
in·con·gru·ous·ness, noun

Can be confused: congruous, congruent, incongruous, incongruent.

Synonyms
1. discrepant, unsuitable, ridiculous, ludicrous, absurd. 2. inharmonious, discordant. 3. contrary, contradictory. See inconsistent.

Antonyms
1. becoming, appropriate. 2. consonant. 3. consistent.

Anagram

unicorn go us
our snug icon
no coin gurus

Today’s aphorism

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.

– Salvador Dali

On this day

11 May 1904 – birth of Salvador Dali, Spanish surrealist painter. Died 23 January 1989.

11 May 1981 – death of Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae singer and musician. Born 6 February 1945.

11 May 1985 – death of Chester Gould, American creator of the cartoon strip, ‘Dick Tracy’. He drew the comic strip from 1931 to 1977. Born 20 November 1900.

10 May 2014

sashay

[sa-shey]

verb (used without object) Informal.

1. to glide, move, or proceed easily or nonchalantly: She just sashayed in as if she owned the place.
2. to chassé in dancing.

Origin:
1830–40, Americanism; metathetic variant of chassé

Can be confused: sachet, sashay, Sasha.

Anagram

has say

Today’s aphorism

To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.

– Bono

On this day

10 May 1837 – the Panic of 1837: New York City banks fail and unemployment reaches record levels.

10 May 1893 – the Supreme Court of the United States rules in Nix v Hedden that a tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit, under the Tariff Act of 1883.

10 May 1908 – Mother’s Day first celebrated. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia in the United States becomes the first place in the world to hold the first official Mother’s Day celebration. 407 women were in attendance that day. In 1872 Julie Ward Howe suggested a national holiday to celebrate peace and motherhood. At that time, many local groups held their own celebration of motherhood, but most were religious gatherings. Another influential figure was Anna Jarvis who campaigned for a national holiday following the death of her mother in 1905. Her mother, social activist Ann Jarvis used to hold an annual celebration, Mother’s Friendship Day, to help ease the pain of the US Civil War. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday on the second Sunday of May. Anna Jarvis was arrested at a Mother’s Day celebration when she tried to stop the selling of flowers. She stated, ‘I wanted it to be a day of sentiment not of profit‘.

10 May 1924 – Edgard J. Hoover appointed Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A position he holds until his death in 1972.

10 May 1933 – in Germany, Nazis stage massive public book burnings.

10 May 1941 – Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess, parachutes into Scotland to negotiate a peace settlement between the UK and Germany. Hess was arrested and convicted of crimes against peace and spent the remainder of his life in jail. He died in 1987.

10 May 1954 – Bill Haley and the Comets release Rock Around the Clock, the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts.

10 May 1960 – birth of Bono (Paul David Hewson), activist and Irish singer-songwriter with U2.

10 May 1994 – Nelson Mandela inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president.

10 May 2003 – The Golden Gumboot opens in Tully, North Queensland. It stands 7.9m tall and represents the record annual rainfall of 7900mm that Tully received in1950. Tully is officially Australia’s wettest town.

9 May 2014

tarantism

[tar-uhn-tiz-uhm]

noun

– a mania characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to dance, especially as prevalent in southern Italy from the 15th to the 17th century, popularly attributed to the bite of the tarantula. Also, tarentism. Compare tarantula.
Origin:
1630–40; < Neo-Latin tarantismus. See Taranto, -ism

Related forms
tar·ant·ist, noun

Anagram

Strait man
anti smart
Titan Mars

Today’s aphorism

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

– Nelson Mandela

On this day

9 May – Russian Victory Day which marks the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

9 May 1960 – the ‘pill’, a contraceptive, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It is now used by 100 million women worldwide.

9 May 1970 – 100,000 protestors gather near the White House to protest US involvement in the war in Cambodia.

9 May 1994 – Nelson Mandela is chosen by the newly-elected South African parliament to be the country’s new President.

8 May 2014

duplicity

[doo-plis-i-tee, dyoo-]

noun, plural du·plic·i·ties for 2, 3.

1. deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter; double-dealing. Synonyms: deceit, deception, dissimulation, fraud, guile, hypocrisy, trickery. Antonyms: candidness, directness, honesty, straightforwardness.
2. an act or instance of such deceitfulness.
3. Law. the act or fact of including two or more offenses in one count, or charge, as part of an indictment, thus violating the requirement that each count contain only a single offense.
4. the state or quality of having two elements or parts; being twofold or double.

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English duplicite < Middle French < Medieval Latin, Late Latin duplicitās, with -ite replacing -itās; see duplex, -ity

Related forms
non·du·plic·i·ty, noun

Anagram

lucid pity
cut idyl pi

Today’s aphorism

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.

– George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

On this day

8 May 1911 – birthday of Robert Johnson. American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.

8 May 1945 – VE day. Victory in Europe – the day that Nazi Germany formally surrendered in World War II.

7 May 2014

riposte

[ri-pohst]

noun

1. a quick, sharp return in speech or action; counterstroke: a brilliant riposte to an insult.
2. Fencing. a quick thrust given after parrying a lunge.

verb (used without object), ri·post·ed, ri·post·ing.
3. to make a riposte.
4. to reply or retaliate.

Also, ri·post.

Origin:
1700–10; < French, variant of risposte prompt answer < Italian risposta, noun use of feminine past participle of rispondere to answer < Vulgar Latin *respondere for Latin respondēre; see respond

Anagram

pie rots
stop ire
so tripe
sir poet

Today’s aphorism

The press is our chief ideological weapon.

– Nikita Khrushchev

On this day

7 May 351 – Jews in Palestine revolt against the rule of Constantius Gallus, Caesar of the East and brother-in-law of Emperor Constantius II, after he arrived in Antioch to take up his post.

7 May 1429 – Joan of Arc leads the victorious final charge in the Siege of Orleans, marking a turning point in the One Hundred Years war.

7 May 1718 – the city of New Orleans is founded on the banks of the Mississippi River in the American state of Louisiana, by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.

7 May 1919 – birthday of Eva Perón, first lady of Argentina and second wife of Argentine President, Juan Perón. Her life was immortalised in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Evita, which included the hit song, ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’.

7 May 1952 – the concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is published by Geoffrey W.A. Drummer.

6 May 2014

paradigm

[par-uh-dahym, -dim]

noun

1. Grammar .
a. a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, especially the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme.
b. a display in fixed arrangement of such a set, as boy, boy’s, boys, boys’.
2. an example serving as a model; pattern. Synonyms: mold, standard; ideal, paragon, touchstone.
3.
a. a framework containing the basic assumptions, ways of thinking, and methodology that are commonly accepted by members of a scientific community.
b. such a cognitive framework shared by members of any discipline or group: the company’s business paradigm.

Origin:
1475–85; < Late Latin paradīgma < Greek parádeigma pattern (verbid of paradeiknýnai to show side by side), equivalent to para- para-1 + deik-, base of deiknýnai to show (see deictic) + -ma noun suffix

Anagram

drama pig
a map grid

Today’s aphorism

If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.

– Socrates

On this day

6 May – Following ‘May the Fourth be with you’, and Cinco de Mayo yesterday, does this make today ‘Revenge of the Sixth?’

6 May 1937 – the German passenger dirigible (Zeppelin), The Hindenburg, crashes bursts into flames, falling 200 feet to the ground, killing 37 people. The Hindenburg was the world’s largest hydrogen airship and the disaster marked the end of the airship era. The disaster was captured on camera and a newsreel released, which can be viewed on Youtube.

6 May 1945 – Hermann Göring, Hitler’s second in command and the most powerful Nazi alive, surrenders to US forces, effectively marking the end of the Second World War. The official surrender was announced by German officers on 8 May 1945.

6 May 1954 – Roger Bannister becomes the first man break the 4 minute mile on foot. He ran the mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road Track, Oxford, England.

5 May 2014

brood

[brood]

noun

1. a number of young produced or hatched at one time; a family of offspring or young.
2. a breed, species, group, or kind: The museum exhibited a brood of monumental sculptures.
verb (used with object)
3. to sit upon (eggs) to hatch, as a bird; incubate.
4. (of a bird) to warm, protect, or cover (young) with the wings or body.
5. to think or worry persistently or moodily about; ponder: He brooded the problem.
verb (used without object)
6. to sit upon eggs to be hatched, as a bird.
7. to dwell on a subject or to meditate with morbid persistence (usually followed by over or on ).
adjective
8. kept for breeding: a brood hen.
Verb phrases
9. brood above / over, to cover, loom, or seem to fill the atmosphere or scene: The haunted house on the hill brooded above the village.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English; Old English brōd; cognate with Dutch broed, German Brut. See breed

Related forms
brood·less, adjective
un·brood·ed, adjective

Can be confused: brewed, brood (see synonym study at the current entry).

Synonyms
1. Brood, litter refer to young creatures. Brood is especially applied to the young of fowls and birds hatched from eggs at one time and raised under their mother’s care: a brood of young turkeys. Litter is applied to a group of young animals brought forth at a birth: a litter of kittens or pups. 2. line, stock, strain.

Anagram

Do rob

Today’s aphorism

What is success? It’s being able to go to bed at night with your soul at peace.

– Paulo Coelho

On this day

5 May – Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for 5th of May), celebrates Mexican heritage and pride. It originated as a celebration of freedom for Mexicans following the victory by Mexican forces over the French at the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862.

5 May 1821 – death of Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor

5 May 1970 – University of New Mexico is the scene of protests against the Vietnam War, US attacks on Cambodia and the Kent State University massacre (see 4 May 1970), the National Guard and police are called in. The National Guard fixed bayonets and attacked the protestors, resulting in eleven protestors and journalists being bayonetted.

4 May 2014

brunt

[bruhnt]

noun

– the main force or impact, as of an attack or blow: His arm took the brunt of the blow.

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English; perhaps orig. sexual assault; akin to Old Norse brundr, German Brunft heat, ruttish state, Old English brunetha heat, itching; cognate with Old High German bronado. See burn1

Synonyms
thrust, stress, burden.

Anagram

burnt

Today’s aphorism

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

– Aristotle

On this day

4 May – International Firefighters Day

4 May – Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be with you!

4 – 8 May 1942 – Battle of the Coral Sea, a major naval battle in the Pacific Theatre during World War 2, fought between the Japanese Imperial Navy and Allied forces from Australia and USA. Japan was attempting to occupy Port Moresby, but was repelled by the Allied forces.

4 May 1970 – National Guards open fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wrote the song ‘Ohio’ about the incident.

3 May 2014

hellion

[hel-yuhn]

noun Informal.

– a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy, or mischievous person.

Origin:
1835–45, Americanism; hell + -ion, as in scullion, rapscallion

Anagram

hell ion
eon hill

Today’s aphorism

Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s in rhythm or you’re in trouble

– Sugar Ray Robinson

On this day

3 May 1913 – The Indian film industry (otherwise known as Bollywood) kicks off with the release of its first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra.

3 May 1915 – The iconic poem In Flanders Fields written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

3 May 1919 – birth of Peter Seeger, American singer-songwriter, musician, activist. Died 27 January 2014.

3 May 1921 – birth of Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith Jr), American welterweight and middleweight professional boxer, declared to be the greatest boxer of all time. Sugar Ray stood at 5′ 11″ (1.80m). He fought 200 fights, winning 173 (108 by knock-out), lost 19, drew six, with two no contests. By 1946 Sugar Ray had won 40 fights straight, but was denied a shot at the world welterweight championship because he refused to cooperate with the mafia, which controlled much of boxing. In December 1946, he was finally allowed to contest the world championship and won. In 1947 Sugar Ray defended his welterweight title against Jimmy Doyle. In the eighth round, Doyle was knocked out and died later that night. Sugar Ray crossed weight classes and also won the world middleweight championship. In 1950, he broke the record for the shortest fight by knocking out Jose Basora 50 seconds into the first round. The record wasn’t broken for a further 38 years. in 1951, he fought Jake La Motta in what became known as the St Valentine’s Day massacre after the fight was stopped in the 13th round when La Motta was out on his feet, unable to even lift his arms throw a punch. That fight and some of the other matches with La Motta were adapted for the Martin Scorsese movie, Raging Bull. Died 12 April 1989.

3 May 1933 – birth of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. He died 25 December 2006.

3 May 1978 – the first spam email (unsolicited bulk email) is sent by a marketing representative for Digital Equipment Corporation to every ARPANET address on the West Coast of the USA.

3 May 1979 – Margaret Thatcher forms government in the UK.

2 May 2014

niggardly

[nig-erd-lee]

adjective

1. reluctant to give or spend; stingy; miserly.
2. meanly or ungenerously small or scanty: a niggardly tip to a waiter.

adverb
3. in the manner of a niggard.

Origin:
1520–30; niggard + -ly

Related forms
nig·gard·li·ness, noun

Synonyms
1. penurious, miserly, mean, tight, avaricious, mercenary, illiberal, close. 2. poor.

Antonyms
1. generous.

Anagram

lying drag

Today’s aphorism

The cure for crime is not the electric chair, but the high chair.

– J. Edgar Hoover

On this day

2 May 1519 – death of Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian renaissance inventor, painter, sculptor, mathematician, writer.

2 May 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.

2 May 1568 – Mary Queen of Scots escapes from Loch Leven Castle.

2 May 1611 – the King James Bible is published for the first time in London by Robert Barker.

2 May 1986 – The Ukrainian city of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the nuclear reactor disaster.

2 May 2011 – Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of Al Qaeda, FBI’s most wanted man, is killed by US Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.