28 October 2017

coulomb

[koo-lom, -lohm, koo-lom, -lohm]

noun

1. the standard unit of quanitity of electricity in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the quantity of charge transferred in one second across a conductor in which there is a constant current of one ampere.
Abbreviation: C.

Origin of coulomb

1880-1885 First recorded in 1880-85; after Coulomb

Coulomb

[koo-lom, -lohm, koo-lom, -lohm; French koo-lawn]

noun

1. Charles Augustin de [sharl oh-gy-stan duh], 1736–1806, French physicist and inventor.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

Club Moo
cool bum
cub loom

Today’s quote

The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn’t live boldly enough, that they didn’t invest enough heart, didn’t love enough. Nothing else really counts at all.

– Ted Hughes

On this day

28 October 1922 – Benito Mussolini, of the National Fascist Party, takes over the leadership of Italy’s government, after forcing Prime Minister Luigi Facta to resign following the ‘March on Rome’. Mussolini took the title ‘IL DUCE’ (The Leader).

28 October 1962 – end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, known in Cuba as the October Crisis and in Russia as Kарибский кризис (Caribbean Crisis), one of the major events of the Cold War as it brought the world to the brink of nuclear conflict. It started when a USAF U-2 plane photographed evidence of Soviet air bases being constructed in Cuba on 14 October 1962. The U.S. considered bombing the bases, but ended up blockading Cuba, preventing Soviet weapons being delivered. Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev wrote to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, stating the blockade constituted an act of war. For 13 days, the Americans and Soviets conducted talks to resolve the crisis. On 28 October 1962, Kennedy and UN Secretary General U. Thant reached a public and secret agreement with Khrushchev. Publicly, the Soviets agreed to dismantle their weapons in Cuba, while the U.S. gave an agreement to never invade Cuba. Secretly, the U.S. agreed to dismantle its ballistic missiles in Turkey.

28 October 1965 – Ernest Hemingway wins the Nobel Prize for Literature. Author of ‘The Old Man and the Sea‘.

28 October 1998 – death of Ted Hughes, English poet, children’s writer. Has been described as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes married American poet, Sylvia Plath in 1957. They separated in 1962 after she discovered he was having an affair with Assia Wevill, a German-born Jewish woman who escaped the Nazis during World War II. Plath suicided six months after the separation, at the age of 30. Plath had a history of suicide attempts and there is conjecture that her death could have been accidental as she had left a note to call her doctor. However, others believe the effort put into this attempt indicate that she intended to kill herself. Plath died from carbon monoxide poisoning after placing her head in a gas oven with the gas turned on. She had sealed the rooms between her and her sleeping children, with wet towels to ensure the gas didn’t harm the children. Hughes was devastated by her suicide and stopped writing poetry for three years. He had been having an affair with Assia Wevill and eventually had a child to her. Their daughter was named Alexandra Tatiana Elise (nicknamed ‘Shura’). In 1969, Wevill also suicided in the same manner as Sylvia Plath, by sealing the kitchen door and window, and turning on the gas stove. Whereas Plath had protected her children from the gas, Wevill gave 4 year old Shura a sleeping tablet mixed in a glass of water. Their bodies were found laying on a mattress in the kitchen. Some blamed Hughes for both suicides, alleging that he was abusive to both women. Hughes was unable to finish his poetry series, ‘The Crow’ after the death of Wevill. In 1970, he married Carol Orchard, who remained his wife until his death. From 1984, Hughes served as Poet Laureate. Born 17 August 1930.

27 October 2017

riff(1)

[rif] Jazz.

noun

1. a melodic phrase, often constantly repeated, forming an accompaniment or part of an accompaniment for a soloist.
verb (used without object)
2. to perform riffs.

Origin of riff(1)

1930-1935 First recorded in 1930-35; perhaps alteration and shortening of refrain2

Can be confused

riff, rift.

rif or riff(2)

[rif]

verb (used with object), riffed, riffing. Informal.

1. to discharge (a person) from military or civil service, especially as part of an economy program.

Origin

First recorded in 1945-50; special use of RIF

Examples from the Web for riff

Contemporary Examples

Not that the Shakespearean riff on/rip off is limited to novels.
Book Bag: 5 Novels Shakespeare Sort of Wrote
Lois Leveen
October 10, 2014

The crowd was there to listen to Chappelle riff on everything from the Wu-Tang Clan to Barack Obama to gay rights.
Dave Chappelle’s Triumphant Return to New York City
Alex Suskind
June 19, 2014

Remember the Woody Allen riff about “what terrible food, and such small portions” at a Catskill Resort?
Comedy Is His Calling: The Brilliance of Billy Crystal
Tom Shales
April 18, 2014

He repeated the same trick later on in his speech, starting a riff with “Take Obamacare—not literally, but figuratively.”
Paul Ryan: Democrats Offer Americans a ‘Full Stomach and an Empty Soul’
Olivia Nuzzi
March 6, 2014

Then Harrison keeps the riff going while Lennon plays the solo, one of only a handful he played as a Beatle.
Was The Beatles’ Music Really That Unique? Yeah, It Totally Was.
Michael Tomasky
February 2, 2014

Historical Examples

In the riff he might be potted at, he might not: he would risk that.
In the Tail of the Peacock
Isabel Savory

Today’s quote

Indecision and reveries are the anesthetics of constructive action.

– Sylvia Plath

On this day

27 October 1728 – birth of Captain James Cook, British explorer. Made three major voyages in which he discovered many of the islands of the south pacific, including the east coast of Australia. Cooktown, Queensland, is named after him. The house he grew up in was relocated from Yorkshire, England, to Melbourne, Australia and is open to visits (now known as Captain Cook’s Cottage and is situated in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne). Died 14 February 1779 after being stabbed by Hawaiians who credited their Chief Kalanimanokahoowaha (Kanaina) with the kill. Captain Cook’s body was then subjected to a funeral ritual that was normally reserved for a Chief.

27 October 1923 – birth of Roy Lichtenstein, American pop artist. Died 29 September 1997.

27 October 1927 – death of Joseph Theodore Leslie (Squizzy) Taylor, Australian gangster, earned money from sly-grog, two-up, illegal bookmaking, extortion, prostitution, cocaine dealing. Died from a gunshot wound inflicted by ‘Snowy’ Cutmore. Born 29 June 1888.

27 October 1932 – birth of Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Boston, she travelled to the UK and studied at Cambridge University. It was here that she met British poet, Ted Hughes. In 1957 they married. For a while they lived in Boston, before returning to England and living in London and later Devon. Plath often wrote about her experiences, particularly with depression. She advanced the genre of ‘confessional poetry’. Plath struggled with the loneliness of Devon and returned to London, renting a unit in house in which the poet, William Butler Yeats once lived. The unit was owned by Assia and David Wevill. Plath’s husband, Ted Hughes, was captivated by Assia’s beauty. In September 1962, Plath left Hughes after discovering he’d been having an affair with Assia. Plath suffered bipolar disorder and had made numerous suicide attempts throughout her life. In February 1963, she suicided by turning the gas on in her oven and placing her head in it. She had sealed her children’s rooms with wet towels to avoid poisoning them. Plath had published a number of poetry collections and some were published post-humously. In 1982, she was awarded a post-humous Pulitzer Prize for her poetry. She is considered one of the great poets of the 20th century. Died 11 February 1963.

27 October 2013 – death of Lou Reed (Lewis Allan Reed), American glam rock musician, singer and song-writer. Was lead singer of 60s alternative band, Velvet Underground, before going solo and having hits such as ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, ‘Vicious’, ‘Satellite of Love’ and ‘Perfect Day’. His albums Transformer and Berlin are considered among the most influential albums of the 20th century. Reed coined the term ‘Ostrich tuning’ in relation to a type of trivial tuning of strings. The six strings of a guitar are normally tuned to EADGbe. However in his 1964 song, The Ostrich (performed by the Primitives, which later became Velvet Underground) Reed tuned all six strings of his guitar to a single D note: DDDDdd. Born 2 March 1942.

26 October 2017

balalaika

[bal-uh-lahy-kuh]

noun

1. a Russian musical instrument having a triangular body and a neck like that of a guitar.

Origin of balalaika

1780-1790; Russian balaláĭka, equivalent to balalaĭ-, probably originally a v. base, akin to balabólitʾ, balákatʾ chatter, talk nonsense (compare Russian dial., Ukrainian balabáĭka balalaika), expressive derivatives of Slavic *bay- speak, tell, akin to fate, -phasia + -ka noun suffix

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for balalaika

Historical Examples

And from every saddle dangled a balalaika and the terrible Cossack whip.
The Crimson Tide
Robert W. Chambers

The sound of music came from somewhere outside, notes of the balalaika.
The Secret of the Night
Gaston Leroux

One of the children played a balalaika and sang in a broken, mournful voice that did not at all belong to her age.
Trapped in ‘Black Russia’
Ruth Pierce

Today’s quote

I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection. Every story, every incident, every bit of conversation is raw material for me.

– Sylvia Plath

On this day

26 October 1863 – Football Association forms in England, standardising the rules of soccer.

26 October 1881 – Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, the most famous gunfight in the Wild West. It is believed the gunfight lasted around 30 seconds and was between outlaws Billy Clanton, Ike Clanton, Billy Claiborne, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury and lawmen Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday. Three of the outlaws were killed, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury. The gunfight has been immortalised in a number of movies and songs.

26 October 1917 – birth of Felix the Cat, legendary cartoon character.

26 October 1940 – Brisbane’s beer riot shuts down the CBD, with trams and traffic brought to a standstill as hundreds of soldiers and civilians take to the streets protesting against the 8pm hotel closing time. Although 8pm had been the closing time for years, it hadn’t been enforced until this time when temperance organisations pressured the government. As the hotels were forced to close by police, hundreds of drinkers poured out of the hotels and into the street attacking trams, traffic and kicking in doors and windows of nearby businesses. The angry mob stormed down Queen Street chanting ‘roll out the barrel, we want beer’. Some of them kicked in the doors of the Grand Central Hotel in Ann Street and stole a beer barrel, which they managed to crack open. Civilian and military police were brought in and the riot was finally quelled in the early hours of the next morning.

25 October 2017

tetchy or techy

[tech-ee]

adjective, tetchier, tetchiest.

1.irritable; touchy.

Origin of tetchy

1585-1595; origin uncertain; cf. tetched, -y1

Related forms

tetchily, adverb
tetchiness, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tetchy

Historical Examples

But tetchy ‘s berries were unquestionably very superior ones.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865
Various

But one day, when the fruit season was over, my sister was bold enough to invite herself into tetchy ‘s garden.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865
Various

I often saw the tetchy girls hoeing and weeding, and have no doubt they performed a very large part of that important labor.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865
Various

Today’s quote

Events can neither be regarded as a series of adventures nor strung on the thread of a preconceived moral. They must obey their own laws.

– Leon Trotsky

On this day

25 October 1854 – Charge of the Light Brigade. A famous cavalry charge led by Lord Cardigan of Britain, against the Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. The Russians were victorious. The charge was immortalised in the poem of the same name by poet laureate, Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem can be read here: http://www.ram.org/contrib/the_charge_of_the_light_brigade.html

25 October 1917 – October Revolution. This is the traditional date (old style Julian calendar) for the October Revolution, which corresponds with 7 – 8 November 1917 (new style Gregorian calendar) for the October Revolution. Part of the Russian Revolution which commenced with the February Revolution (8-12 March 1917) and which overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and replaced it with the Soviet government.

25 October 1923 – the first jar of vegemite rolls off the production lines. It was developed by a chemist named Dr Cyril P. Calister, under direction of the Fred Walker Company (which later became Kraft). Australia’s iconic vegemite is a yeast extract spread, great for toast, crumpets, pikelets, gravy, stews, soups and anything else.

25 October 1941 – birth of Helen Reddy, legendary 1970’s Australian singer, with hit songs such as I Am Woman, and Delta Dawn.

25 October 1964 – Zambian Independence. Formally, Northern Rhodesia, the British government grants independence. The first president is Kenneth Kaunda of the United National Independence Party.

25 October 1993 – death of Vincent Price, American actor, starred in a number of horror films, including House of Wax, House of Usher and The Raven. He also acted in the 1960s television series Batman, in which he played the evil mastermind, Egghead; a master criminal with a fixation on eggs. Price provided a voice-over on Alice Cooper’s 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare. In 1976, Price recorded a cover version of Bobby Pickett song, Monster Mash. Born 27 May 1911.

24 October 2017

ambit

[am-bit]

noun

1. circumference; circuit.
2. boundary; limit.
3. a sphere of operation or influence; range; scope:

Origin of ambit

Middle English, Latin

1350-1400; Middle English < Latin ambitus a going around, equivalent to amb- ambi- + itus a going ( i- (stem of īre to go) + -tus suffix of v. action)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ambit

Contemporary Examples

This approach easily sweeps Assange and WikiLeaks into its ambit.
The Espionage Case Against Assange
Stephen L. Carter
December 1, 2010

Whether they are in the ambit covered by Madoff’s alleged help to the SEC is not publicly known.
Ruth’s Secret Stash
Allan Dodds Frank
March 15, 2009

Today’s quote

Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.

– William Blake

On this day

24 October 1648 – signing of the Treaty of Munster, between the Holy Roman Emperor, France and their respective allies. This treaty was the second in a series of peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia which paved the way for the modern sovereign state. The first was the Peace of Munster, signed on 30 January 1648, the third being the Treaty of Osnabruck, signed on 24 October 1648.

24 October 1648 – signing of the Treaty of Osnabruck, between the Holy Roman Emperor, the empire, Sweden and their respective allies. This treaty was the third in a series of peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia which paved the way for the modern sovereign state. The first was the Peace of Munster, signed on 30 January 1648, the second being the Treaty of Munster signed on 24 October 1648.

24 October 1929 – Black Thursday, one week before Wall Street’s infamous Black Tuesday and in a harbinger of the impending crash, investors dumped 13 million shares and the market lost 11% in value.

24 October 1930 – birth of Jiles Perry ‘J.P.’ Richardson Jr, otherwise known as the Big Bopper. 1950s rock and roll star, famous for songs such as ‘Chantilly Lace’ and ‘Running Bear’. Died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959 with other musicians, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Their deaths were immortalised in the Don McLean song, ‘American Pie’, when he sang about the day the music died.

24 October 1945 – UN Day. The Charter of the United Nations took effect and the United Nations General Assembly declared that it ‘shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for its work’.

23 October 2017

blimp

[blimp]

noun

1. a small, nonrigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.
2. Slang. a fat person.
3. any elderly pompous reactionary ultranationalistic person. a person, esp a military officer, who is stupidly complacent and reactionary Also called Colonel Blimp. Word Origin: after a character created by Sir David Low (1891–1963), New Zealand-born British political cartoonist.

Word Origin and History for blimp
n. 1916, of obscure origin, many claimants. “One of the weird coinages of the airmen” [Weekley]. Common theory is that it is from designers’ prototype nickname Type B-limp, in the sense of “without internal framework,” as opposed to Type A-rigid ; thus see limp (adj.).

Examples from the Web for blimp

Historical Examples

“Message from the ‘ blimp,’ sir,” again iterated the messenger on the deck.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers
H. Irving Hancock

As Darrin glanced upward he saw the ” blimp ” nearly overhead.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers
H. Irving Hancock

Apart from the ” blimp ‘s” report there could be no doubt as to the destruction.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers
H. Irving Hancock

Today’s quote

As my father used to tell me, the only true sign of success in life is being able to do for a living that which makes you happy.

‘Weird’ Al Yankovic

On this day

23 October 4004BC – The day the world was created, according to Archbishop James Ussher.

23 October 42BC – death of Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, for a while known as Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus before returning to his original name. He is more commonly known as Brutus, Roman senator. He led a group who assassinated then Emperor Julius Caesar. Brutus suicided after his Army was defeated during the Roman civil wars at the Second Battle of Philippi, by Mark Antony and Octavian.

23 October 1959 – birth of ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic, American parody singer-songwriter.

23 October 1998 – Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, establish a ‘Land for Peace’ deal regarding the West Bank, after a marathon 21 hour negotiation.