28 February 2018

Foozle

noun

You’d probably hear this one coming out of the home of an old married couple. “Ye olde foozle, ye forgot to lock the door again!” The word foozle means “a conservative, out-of-date person, especially an old man; dodo, fogy.” Fair enough. You can also use this word to imply a bungled effort on someone’s part. Say your first shot off the 18th tee landed in the lake. Well, ya foozled that one.

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elf zoo

Today’s quote

I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be, to inspire me and not terrify me.

– Tracee Ellis Ross

On this day

28 February 1942 – birth of Brian Jones. English guitarist for the Rolling Stones. Died 3 July 1969.

28 February 2007 – death of Billy Thorpe, English-born Australian rock legend. Front man for ‘Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs’. Born 29 March 1946.

______________________

29 February 1940 – Hattie McDaniels wins an Oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone With The Wind. She is the first African-American to win an Oscar.

29 February 2012 – death of Davy Jones, singer with British 1960’s rock band, The Monkees. Born on 30 December 1945.

26 February 2018

Smell-Feast

noun

Say you’ve laid out a big dinner for some invited guests. Knock knock, someone at the door. Oh, look. It’s an uninvited guest, and they’re expecting to have a slice or two of that fine roast beast on the table. This freeloader is known as a smell-feast. They probably didn’t bring a bottle of wine, either.

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melts fleas
males lefts

Today’s quote

Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.

– Zora Neale Hurston

On this day

26 February 1829 – birth of Levi Strauss, German-born, American clothing manufacturer. Most notable for Levi jeans. Died 26 September 1902.

26 February 1887 – birth of José Paronella in Catalonia, northern Spain. In 1913, Paronella travelled to Innisfail, Queensland, to establish himself before bringing his fiance, Matilda, over to join him. Eleven years later he returned for her, only to find that she’d married someone else. José was determined to return to Australia with a wife, so proposed to Matilda’s younger sister, Margarita, and the couple travelled to Australia 12 months later. José purchased 5 hectares (13 acres) of land at Mena Creek where the couple commenced building their dream home, which ended up being a regal Catalan-style castle. They planted more than 7,000 trees around the property and in 1933, built North Queensland’s first hydro-electric plant to power the property. They built a 47 step stair case, tennis courts, a pavilion with turret-topped balconies, a movie theatre which they transformed into a ball-room with live bands that people from surrounding areas could enjoy for dances, a museum that housed collections of coins, pistols, dolls, timbers and keepsakes. He also excavated a tunnel through a small hill on the property. It was never completed, but he had intended on it becoming a ‘tunnel of love’.José died on 23 August 1948. He and Margarita had two children. Margarita died in 1967. In 1979 the castle was ravaged by fire, leaving on the walls and turrets standing. In 1986, the park was further damaged from Cyclone Winifred. In 1993, the park was partially restored. The park again suffered damage in 2006 when Cyclone Larry struck. In 2009, the hydro-electric plant was rebuilt. Today, visitors can tour the grounds and walk through what would have been the ‘tunnel of love’, which is now inhabited by ghost bats. The property is heritage-listed and a fascinating and spectacular part of North Queensland’s history.

26 February 1928 – birth of Fats Domino, American rhythm and blues, and rock and roll musician. He sold more than 5 million records and had 35 U.S.A. Top 40 hits. His songs included Blueberry Hill, When My Dreamboat Comes Home, Whole Lotta Loving.

26 February 1932 – birth of Johnny Cash, American singer and musician. Cash was considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Hits included Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire, Get Rhythm, I Walk the Line, A Boy Named Sue. Died 12 September 2003.

26 February 1945 – birth of Peter Brock, Australian car racing legend. Died 8 September 2006.

25 February 2018

Raggabrash

noun

Do you know someone who is absolutely, completely disorganized or really, disgustingly grubby? That’s raggabrash. Example: “That boy is a total raggabrash!” Think of it as a nicer way of saying “nope, not for me,” since most folks will be left scratching their heads on this one. But you won’t, since you just read this.

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grab rags has

Today’s quote

Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.

– Dr Mae Jemison

On this day

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

25 February 1921 – The Russian Army seized the capital of Georgia, eventually incorporating the republic into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

25 February 1948 – communist rule established in Czechoslovakia by President Eduard Benes.

25 February 1982 – the European Court of Human Rights rules that beating school children without the consent of their parents is a violation of the Human Rights Convention.

25 February 1986 – The People Power Revolution in the Philippines results in the ousting of corrupt dictator Ferdinand Marcos who is airlifted from the Presidential Palace in Manila by U.S. helicopters. The U.S. repatriated him to Hawaii where he lived in exile until his death in 1989 at the age of 72. Marcos had stolen billions from the Philippine treasury and was a suspect in the 1983 assassination of Benigno Aquino, the opposition party leader.

25 February 2001 – death of Sir Donald Bradman (The Don), Australia’s (and arguably, the world’s) greatest cricketer. In his last Test, Bradman’s batting average was 101.39 runs per innings, but on the second ball he faced, he was bowled for a duck (zero), reducing his batting average to 99.94. It is the highest batting average in test cricket. Born 27 August 1908.

24 February 2018

Cumberworld

noun

While this sounds somewhat like the name of a theme park, or perhaps actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s home, cumberworld was a term used to denote a person that was totally useless (just like fopdoodle). They’re taking up your space and they’re breathing your air. Be off with you.

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crowd rumble
red owl crumb

Today’s quote

You can’t write a script in your mind and then force yourself to follow it. You have to let yourself be.

– Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

On this day

24 February 1872 – death 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. Born 24 November 1806.

24 February 1955 – birth of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. Died 5 October 2011.

24 February 2008 – death of Larry Norman, pioneering Christian rock musician. Born 8 April 1947.

23 February 2018

Klazomaniac

noun

This would be a person WHO CAN ONLY SPEAK BY SHOUTING. That’s all we’re going to say ABOUT THAT!

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I lack Amazon
am zinc koala

Today’s quote

I’ve found that no matter what life throws at me, music softens the blow.

– Unknown

On this day

23 February 1836 – the Battle of the Alamo commences. It was a 13 day siege and a pivotal point in the Texas Revolution, in which Mexican forces attacked Texan forces stationed at the Alamo Mission. All 100 Texans were killed. Several months earlier, all Mexicans had been driven out of Mexican Texas.

23 February 1896 – the Tootsie Roll is invented.

23 February 1915 – death of Robert Smalls, African American who was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. When he was a teenager, his master sent him to Charleston to work. Smalls ended up working on boats and became adept at all manner of work around wharves and boats, including stevedore, rigger, sail maker and wheelman (essentially a pilot, although slaves were not granted that title). During the Civil War, he was asked to steer a lightly armed Confederate vessel, the CSS Planter. One evening, after the white crew members disembarked, Smalls dressed in the captain’s uniform and commandeered the vessel with the help of seven other slaves, sailing towards Union ships. On the way, he picked up his wife and child, as well as the families of the other slave crewman. As they neared the Union ships, Smalls flew a white bed-sheet from the mast as a symbol of surrender. Smalls was treated as a hero by the Union. He later successfully petitioned President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, to allow black men to fight for the Union. Stanton signed an order allowing 5,000 black men to enlist with Union forces. Smalls was made pilot of the USS Keokuk. After the Civil War, Smalls returned to Beaufort and bought his former master’s house. Smalls became a businessman, operating a store for freed men. He also became politically active, joining the Republican Party. In 1868 Smalls was elected to the State House of Representatives. He worked on passing the Civil Rights Bill and in 1868, the Republican government enacte the Civil Rights Act, which gave citizenship to all Americans, regardless of race. Smalls was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1874, and served two terms.In 1912, Smalls famously described the Republican Party as, ‘the party of Lincoln … which unshackled the necks of four million human beings‘. In 1913, Smalls stopped a lynch mob from lynching two black men, after he warned their mayor that blacks he’d sent through the city would burn the town down if the mob wasn’t stopped. The mayor and sheriff stopped the mob. Smalls inspirational life went from slave, to hijacker, to defector, to politician and civil rights campaigner. Born 5 April 1839.

23 February 1944 – the Soviet Union begins the forced deportation of Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.

23 February 1954 – Polio vaccines first become available.

23 February 1958 – Five time Formula 1 racing car driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, is kidnapped by Cuban rebels led by Fidel Castro. The Batista Dictatorship had established a non-Formula 1 race (the Cuban Grand Prix) in 1957, so the rebels were hoping to embarrass Batista by forcing him to cancel the race. The race went ahead and the captors let Fangio listen to it on the radio. Fangio was released unharmed. Castro’s forces overthrew Batista in January 1959 and cancelled the race that year.

23 February 1987 – the light from Supernova 1987A reaches Earth, 170,000 years after it exploded. The supernova was 1 million trillion miles away.

23 February 2010 – death of Cuban plumber and activist, Orlando Zapata. Zapata was arrested in 2002 by Cuban police for contempt. In 2003 he was arrested during a crackdown on dissidents, for undertaking a hunger strike aimed at securing the release of prisoners. He was sentenced to 36 years imprisonment. Amnesty International recognised him as a ‘prisoner of conscience’. In December 2009 he began a hunger strike which ultimately led to his death. Born 15 May 1967.

22 February 2018

roseate

[roh-zee-it, -eyt]

adjective

1. tinged with rose; rosy:
a roseate dawn.
2. bright or promising:
a roseate future.
3. incautiously optimistic:
a roseate forecast for holiday sales.

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to erase
or tease
rose tea

Today’s quote

Yes, it’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, but sometimes you need to remind the darkness just how loud you can be.

– John Pavlovitz

On this day

22 February 1512 – Death of Amerigo Vespucci in Seville, Spain. Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. Vespucci believed that Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the ‘New World’ or ‘East Asia’ (now known as the Bahamas) and the land mass beyond it, was not part of Asia, but a separate ‘super-continent’. America is named after Vespucci. Born 9 March 1454 in Florence, Italy.

22 February 1962 – birth of Steve Irwin, ‘The Crocodile Hunter’, Australian wildlife expert and television personality. (Died 4 September 2006).

22 February 1987 – death of Andy Warhol. (Born Andrew Warhola). American artist who was a pioneer of pop art. American writer, Gore Vidal, once said, ‘Andy Warhol is the only genius I’ve ever known with an IQ of 60‘ Born 6 August 1928.

21 February 2018

Bedswerver

noun

Shakespeare coined this one to describe an adulterer. BBC America thinks this would make a great band name, and they are totally on the mark. You’re at the show, the lights go down, and suddenly through the swirling fog and darkness you hear “Good evening Cincinnati, how ya doing? We are . . . Bedswerver!”

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served brew
rewed verbs

Today’s quote

A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.

– Unknown

On this day

21 February 1903 – birth of Anais Nin, French-Cuban author. Died 14 January 1977.

21 February 1965 – assassination of Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist. He campaigned for the rights of African-Americans. At the age of 20, while in prison, he joined the ‘Nation of Islam’, a group that preached black supremacy. He eventually became disillusioned with it and its leader, Elijah Muhammad. On 8 Mach 1964, he publicly announced he had the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X founded Muslim Mosque Inc and the Organisation of Afro-American Unity. He converted to Sunni Islam, revoked black supremacy and preached equal rights. He was assassinated on 21 February 1965 by three members of the Nation of Islam; Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan), Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson. All three were convicted, although Butler and Johnson maintained their innocence. Born 19 May 1925.

20 February 2018

Zounderkite

noun

This is a Victorian word meaning “idiot.” An appropriate example with a contemporary angle (spoken with some irritation while driving on the highway): “That zounderkite just cut me off!”

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our zit kneed
irked zen out
it nuked zero
doze rune kit

Today’s quote

Reading is dreaming with open eyes.

– Unknown

On this day

20 February 1895 – death of Frederick Douglass, considered to be the father of the American civil rights movement. Douglass was a social reformer,orator, writer, statesmen and preacher. He was born circa February 1818.

20 February 1967 – birth of Kurt Cobain. Lead singer, guitarist and lyricist for Nirvana. Died approximately 5 April 1994.

20 February 2005 – death of Hunter S. Thompson, American writer and gonzo journalist. Born 18 July 1937.

19 February 2018

Zooterkins

noun

The website Matador Network says this is “a 17th-century variant of zounds, which was an expression of surprise or indignation.” It’s less of an insult and more of something to yell after someone has insulted you. And, of course, to really pour salt on the wound, you can follow up with some other great words from this list.

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snooker zit
ozone skirt
rent ski zoo

Today’s quote

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.

– Marshall Ferdinand Foch

On this day

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

19 February 1980 – death of Ronald Belford ‘Bon’ Scott, Scottish-born Australian rock musician. Most famous as the lead-singer of legendary hard rock band, AC/DC. Scott died after choking on his own vomit following a heavy drinking session. Born 9 July 1946.

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.

19 February 2016 – death of Umberto Eco. Italian writer, philosopher and semiotician. Author of novels, including ‘The Name of the Rose’, ‘Foucalt’s Pendulum’, ‘The Island of the Day Before’, ‘The Prague Cemetery’. Born 5 January 1932.