25 December 2015

yclept

[ee-klept]

adjective

(poetic, archaic)

– called, named

Verb

– past particple of clepe (to call or name)

Origin

before 900; Middle English clepen, Old English cleopian, variant of clipian; akin to Middle Low German kleperen to rattle

Historical

At the foot of this rock there is a deep, narrow, crooked cleft, yclept the ‘Needle’s Eye.’
Nooks and Corners of Shropshire
H. Thornhill Timmins

Am I not yclept quacksalver by those that come not near me, and wizard by those I heal?
The Cloister and the Hearth
Charles Reade

Who, in your opinion, is the greatest leader of the “opposition” yclept the Christian religion?
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 8 (of 12)
Robert G. Ingersoll

Today’s quote

There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.

– Muhammad Ali Jinnah

On this day

25 December 1876 – birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan. Leader of the Muslim League calling for the creation of Pakistan. Served as Pakistan’s first Governor-General from 15 August 1947 until his death on 11 September 1948. Pakistan celebrates his birthday with a national holiday.

25 December 1914 – Soldiers from Britain, Germany, Russia and France agree to a ‘Christmas’ truce. They crossed no-man’s land and wished each other ‘Merry Christmas’ in each nation’s language.

25 December 1974 – Cyclone Tracy strikes Darwin, Northern Territory, killing 71 people and flattening 70% of the city, leaving 41,000 homeless (out of a population of 47,000). The cyclone had winds up to 240km/h, central pressure of 950 hectorpascals,

25 December 1991 – Soviet President Gorbachev resigns, declaring the Soviet presidency extinct, and hands power to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, effectively bringing an end to the Soviet Union.

25 December 2006 – death of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. He was born 3 May 1933.

25 December 2008 – death of Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress. She played Catwoman in the 1960’s Batman TV series. Two of her more famous songs were ‘C’est Si Bon’ and ‘Santa Baby’. She was born on 17 January 1927.