27 November 2012

furphy

[fur-fee]
noun
plural furphies. Australian slang.

– a false report; rumor.
– also a portable water container.

Origin

1910–15; after Furphy carts which were water and rubbish carts manufactured by the Furphy family of Shepparton, Victoria, and used during World War I.

Example:

‘There was panic in the streets of Melbourne when the Sydney Morning Herald published the headline, “AFL Grand Final to be played at the SCG”, however, it was just a furphy, capitalising on the Swans making it to the grand final’.

Today’s aphorism

‘When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace’.

– Jimi Hendrix

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.