15 October 2016

apophony

[uh-pof-uh-nee]

noun, plural apophonies.

1. ablaut

Origin of apophony

1880-1885; apo- + -phony

Related forms

apophonic [ap-uh-fon-ik], adjective

1. ablaut.
[ahb-lout, ab-; German ahp-lout]

noun, Grammar.
1. (in Indo-European languages) regular alternation in the internal phonological structure of a word element, especially alternation of a vowel, that is coordinated with a change in grammatical function or combination, as in English sing, sang, sung, song; apophony.

Origin of ablaut

1840-1850; < German, equivalent to ab- off + Laut sound

Dictionary.com

Anagram

doom intricacy
narcotic dim yo
rid minty cocoa
dry atomic icon
croon city maid

Today’s quote

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.

– George Bernard Shaw

On this day

15 October 1917 – death of Mata Hari, (born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle), Dutch dancer, courtesan and spy. She was charged with espionage and executed by firing squad in France, after being accused of spying for Germany during World War I. Born 7 August 1876.

14 October 2016

varmint or varment

[vahr-muh nt]

noun

1. Chiefly Southern and South Midland U.S.
vermin.
an objectionable or undesirable animal, usually predatory, as a coyote or bobcat.
2. a despicable, obnoxious, or annoying person.

Origin of varmint

1530-1540; variant of vermin (with regular outcome of Middle English ĕr before consonant (cf. argal3, parson ) and parasitic t)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for varmint

Contemporary Examples

Across the wilderness I once shot a varmint in the wilderness!
Mitt Romney Finds the Funny in ‘America the Beautiful’ (VIDEO)
Mark Katz
February 9, 2012

Historical Examples

“The varmint has run tu the nearest hole he could find,” he said with a smile.
Buckskin Mose
Buckskin Mose

I begun to fear that the varmint had a cave, and so, cuss him!
The Hunters’ Feast
Mayne Reid

These were the trophies of the professional ” varmint killer,” a man hired by the month.
The Killer
Stewart Edward White

“The varmint shall be speedily unearthed,” said Wilder, rushing to the spot.
Rookwood
William Harrison Ainsworth

A skunk’s a varmint that don’t stink tell ye meddle with him, but Hank Halliday stinks all the time.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith

I’d just like to look along the barrels of my gun at the varmint, as Jim calls him.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods
Lawrence J. Leslie

I’m goin’ to stop this business if I’ve got to kill every thievin’ varmint in the Army o’ the Cumberland.
Si Klegg, Book 5 (of 6)
John McElroy

Anagram

van trim

Today’s quote

The petty man is eager to make boasts, yet desires that others should believe in him. He enthusiastically engages in deception, yet wants others to have affection for him. He conducts himself like an animal, yet wants others to think well of him.

– Xun Kuang

On this day

14 October 1066 – Battle of Hastings. When King Edward of England died, William the Duke of Normandy felt the throne should go to him. Meanwhile, Earl Harold Godwinson (cousin of King Edward) felt the throne was his. The two went to battle with William decisively defeating Harold. The battle changed history as William brought England under Norman rule and stripping the Saxons of their rights. King William introduced three major changes, firstly, he made himself the principal authority, having executive, judicial and legislative power. (This was replaced centuries later by the Westminster System, which separates these three powers). Secondly, William introduced a new language and culture, by replacing 300 years of Anglo-Saxon culture with a French dialect. Thirdly, he introduced the feudal system in which a plot of land (called a fief) would be given to loyal followers.

14 October 1322 – Scotland forces led by Robert the Bruce defeat England at Byland, forcing King Edward II to grant Scotland’s independence.

14 October 1947 – American pilot, Chuck Yeager, breaks the speed of sound in the experimental jet, Bell X-1, travelling at Mach 1 and at 45,000 feet.

14 October 1959 – death of Errol Flynn, Australian-born American actor. Born 20 June 1909.

14 October 2012 – Felix Baumgarten, Austrian adventurer, becomes the first man to break the speed of sound while in freefall after jumping from a helium balloon at the edge of space, 39km above the surface of the earth. He reached a speed of 1,342 km/hr (1.24 times the speed of sound). He also broke the record for the highest altitude reached in a manned balloon flight.

13 October 2016

apophenia

[ap-oh-fee-nya]

noun

1. the human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns within random data. This can include pareidolia, which is the perception of images or sounds in random stimuli. For example, hearing a ringing phone while taking a shower. The noise produced by the running water provides a background from which the mind perceives the sound of a phone. A more common example is the perception of a face within an inanimate object—the headlights and grill of an automobile may appear to be “grinning”. People around the world see the “Man in the Moon”. People sometimes see the face of a religious figure in a piece of toast or in the grain of a piece of wood.[12]
Another common example is of one standing in a large crowd and perceiving that several people within the crowd are calling one’s name.

Example

The popular TV show, Lost, involves extensive use of apophenia in its storyline, including Biblical and numerological patterns, misidentified faces, intentional use of pareidolia, and more.

Wikipedia.org

Anagram

piano heap
a pain hope

Today’s quote

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.

– Plato

On this day

13 October 54AD – death of Claudius, Roman Emperor. He was treated as an imbecile because he’d been born with a limp and slight deafness. As a result he was not seen as a threat by others and therefore survived the purges by Caligula and Tiberius. He was the last surviving man in his family following Caligula’s assassination, leading to him being declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. He proved himself to be an able administrator and constructed many roads, aqueducts and canals across the empire. He successfully invaded Britain, something that previous emperors, including Caligula, had failed to achieve. He was assassinated by poisoning, many believe by his wife. He was succeeded by his grand-nephew, Nero. Born 1 August 10BC.

13 October 1307 – Pope Clement V orders the overthrow, arrest and torture of Knights Templar in France. This is believed to be the origin of Black Friday or Friday the 13th being unlucky.

12 October 2016

embouchure

[ahm-boo-shoo r, ahm-boo-shoo r; French ahn-boo-shyr]

noun, plural embouchures [ahm-boo-shoo rz, ahm-boo-shoo rz; French ahn-boo-shyr] (Show IPA)

1. the mouth of a river.
2. the opening out of a valley into a plain.
3. Music.
the mouthpiece of a wind instrument.
the adjustment of a player’s mouth to such a mouthpiece.

Origin of embouchure

1750-1760; < French, equivalent to embouch (er) to put (an instrument) to one’s mouth ( em- em-1+ bouche mouth < Latin bucca puffed cheek) + -ure -ure

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for embouchure

Historical Examples

The flat stream of air from the lips, known as the air-reed, breaks against the sharp outer edge of the embouchure.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5
Various

It has, from ten to twelve miles above its embouchure into Lake Ontario, one of the finest cataracts in the world.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott

The banks of the river about its embouchure are bordered by highly-cultivated fields, in some parts covered with low wooded land.
Ti-Ping Tien-Kwoh
Augustus F. Lindley

It is still to be seen to the north of the embouchure of the Hellespont.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 07
Various

In less than ten seconds the craft entered the embouchure of the gorge, gliding downward with the velocity of an arrow.
The Maroon
Mayne Reid

Its source and its embouchure were alike unknown to De Soto.
Ferdinand De Soto, The Discoverer of the Mississippi
John S. C. Abbott

For some seconds, the hunter maintains his attentive attitude—his eye sternly fixed upon the embouchure of the path.
The Wild Huntress
Mayne Reid

The breath is projected into the embouchure with modulated force.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii
Nathaniel Bright Emerson

Probably, according to Teulet, the present Sandhofer-fahrt, a little below the embouchure of the Neckar.
Essays Upon Some Controverted Questions
Thomas H. Huxley

I estimated it at about two-thirds of a mile broad at its embouchure.
A Narrative of the Expedition to Dongola and Sennaar
George Bethune English

Anagram

curb hoe emu
bore cue hum

Today’s quote

“…the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time.”

― William Faulkner

On this day

12 October 1492 – Christopher Columbus lands on an island in the Bahamas, claiming ‘East Asia’ for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.

12 October 1810 – world’s first Oktoberfest when the people of Munich are invited to celebrate a Bavarian royal wedding.

12 October 1823 – Charles MacIntosh, Scottish inventor, sells his first water-proof ‘rubber raincoat’, which became known as the ‘MacIntosh’ or ‘Mac’.

12 October 1944 – ‘Columbus Day Riot’ in which 35,000 hysterical teenage girls dressed in bobby socks, descend on Times Square, New York City, in anticipation of Frank Sinatra appearing.

12 October 1979 – ‘Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams is first published. He eventually wrote a total of 5 books in the series, with a sixth one being written by Eoin Colfer.

12 October 2002 – Terrorist bombings of the Sari Club and Paddy’s Bar in Kuta, Bali, kill 202 people and injure 209. Members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a group linked with Al Qaeda, are convicted of the crime and on 9 November 2006, three of them are executed by firing squad.

11 October 2016

listicle

[lis-ti-kuh l]

noun

1. an article structured in the form of a list, typically having some additional content relating to each item:
“The Best Cities for Singles” and other featured listicles.

Origin of listicle

2000-2005; list1+ (art)icle

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for listicle

Contemporary Examples

There was the listicle with 13,000 Facebook likes “explaining” why “Dana Brody is the worst.”
‘Homeland’ Star Morgan Saylor: TV’s Most Hated Character Talks Back
Andrew Romano
October 6, 2013

Her campaign to appeal to Latino voters with a listicle titled “7 Ways Hillary Clinton Is Like Your Abuela” backfired tremendously and Twitter users called her “out of touch.”
5 Reasons People Hate Hillary Clinton — and How True They Are
http://www.popsugar.com/news/Why-Dont-People-Like-Hillary-Clinton-41786128
Nadya Agrawal
18 July 2016

Anagram

ice lilts
lit slice

Today’s quote

I hope to arrive to my death late, in love and a little drunk.

– Atticus

On this day

11 October – International Day of the Girl.

11 October 1844 – birth of Henry John Heinz, founder of Heinz Company, responsible for canned baked beans. Died 14 May 1919.

11 October 1935 – death of Steele Rudd, Australian author, (pen-name for Arthur Hoey Davis). Wrote ‘On Our Selection‘, which introduced Australia to ‘Dad and Dave’. Born 14 November 1868.

11 October 1930 – Australian Rules football club, Collingwood, win the VFL premiership for the fourth consecutive year.

11 October 1939 – German theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein explains to the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the possibility of building an atomic bomb.

11 October 1967 – premier of the childrens’ TV series, ‘Johnny Sokko and his flying robot‘.

10 October 2016

Brisbane

[briz-beyn, -buh n]

noun

1. a port in E Australia, the capital of Queensland: founded in 1824 as a penal settlement in what was then New South Wales; vast agricultural hinterland. Pop: 1 508 161 (2001). Named after Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, GCB GCH FRS FRSE (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), a Scottish soldier, administrator, and astronomer who was appointed by the Duke of Wellington to be the governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825. (Dictionary.com, Wikipedia.com)

2. Brisbane Name Meaning – Scottish: breaker of bones. Nickname from Old French bris(er) ‘to break’ + Old English ban ‘bone’. The sense of this hybrid name is not clear; it may have been used for someone crippled by a broken bone or for a violent man who broke other people’s bones. Ironic for a penal settlement to be named after a person whose name has this meaning. (Ancestry.com)

Anagram

bane ribs
sabre bin
rain ebbs

Today’s quote

Do you think God stays in heaven because he too, lives in fear of what he’s created here on Earth.

– Dr Romero (Steve Buscemi), Spy Kids II – Island of Lost Dreams

On this day

10 October – World Day Against the Death Penalty.

10 October 1963 – death of Roy Cazaly, Australian Rules football legend, known for his high marks and ruck-work. Immortalised in the song, ‘Up there Cazaly‘, by The Two Man Band (Mike Brady & Peter Sullivan). Born 13 January 1893.

10 October 1963 – death of Édith Piaf, French singer. Born Édith Giovanna Gassion, born 19 December 1915.

10 October 1965 – the ‘Vinland Map’, is presented by Yale University, which claims it was the first known map of America, drawn in 1440 and based on Norseman Leif Eriksson’s discovery of the Americas 500 years before Columbus.

9 October 2016

gaposis

[gap-oh-sis]

noun, Facetious.

1. a noticeable gap or series of gaps, as between the fastened buttons or snaps on an overly tight garment.

Origin of gaposis

1950-1955; gap + -osis

Dictionary.com

Anagram

I so gasp

Today’s quote

And God help Bruce Springsteen when they decide he’s no longer God… They’ll turn on him, and I hope he survives it.

– John Lennon

On this day

9 October 1940 – birth of John Lennon. English guitarist and singer-songwriter for the Beatles. Murdered 8 December 1980.

9 October 1967 – death of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Argentinian Marxist revolutionary, physician, author. Executed in Bolivia. Born 14 June 1928.

9 October 1969 – birth of P.J. Harvey, English musician.

9 October 1975 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet dissident, wins Nobel Peace Prize.

8 October 2016

confabulation

[kuh n-fab-yuh-ley-shuh n]

noun

1. the act of confabulating; conversation; discussion.
2. Psychiatry. the replacement of a gap in a person’s memory by a falsification that he or she believes to be true.

Origin of confabulation

Late Latin

1490-1500; < Late Latin confabulātiōn- (stem of confābulātiō) conversation, equivalent to confābulāt (us) (see confabulate ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

confabulatory [kuh n-fab-yoo-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] (Show IPA), adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for confabulation

Contemporary Examples

This is most apparent in his discussion of the many forms of confabulation.
The Unpersuadables: Why Smart People Believe Crazy Theories
Kevin Canfield
March 15, 2014

The constant disinformation, distraction, misdirection, confabulation, and endless stream of threats actually works.
Al-Dura Report: Smear Tactics That Work
Emily L. Hauser
May 23, 2013

Historical Examples

With the details of that confabulation we will not trouble the reader.
The Island Queen
R.M. Ballantyne

During the course of this confabulation evening had come on.
In Search of the Castaways
Jules Verne

Word Origin and History for confabulation Expand
n. mid-15c., “talking together,” from Late Latin confabulationem (nominative confabulatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin confabulari (see confabulate ).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

confabulation in Medicine

confabulation con·fab·u·la·tion (kən-fāb’yə-lā’shən)
n. The unconscious filling of gaps in one’s memory by fabrications that one accepts as facts.

Confabulate

verb (used without object), confabulated, confabulating.
1. to converse informally; chat.
2. Psychiatry. to engage in confabulation.

Examples

Paranormal consultant, Fiona Broome, coined the term ‘Mandela Effect’, to describe collective confabulation; the misremembering of events or facts, such as those who believe there are 52 states in the USA, or that South African activist, Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s when he actually died in 2013, or that Humphrey Bogart said ‘Play it again, Sam’ in the classic movie, Casablanca.

Today’s quote

Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle.

– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Anagram

nonfactual bio
in factual boon
no nautical fob
onto facial bun

On this day

8 October 1769 – Captain James Cook lands at Poverty Bay, New Zealand.

8 October 1939 – birth of Paul Hogan, Australian actor.

8 October 1970 – Soviet dissident author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins Nobel Price for Literature. Author of ‘The Gulag Archipelago‘.

8 October 1971 – John Lennon releases the iconic song, ‘Imagine’.

8 October 1980 – Bob Marley collapses on stage in New York. The following day he collapses while jogging in Central Park. He is diagnosed with a brain tumour, which developed from a melanoma that had spread from his toe. He died on 11 May 1981.

6 October 2016

fatuous

[fach-oo-uh s]

adjective

1. foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly.
2. unreal; illusory.

Origin of fatuous

Latin

1625-1635; < Latin fatuus silly, foolish, idiotic; see -ous

Related forms

fatuously, adverb
fatuousness, noun

Synonyms

1. dense, dull, dim-witted. See foolish.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for fatuous

Contemporary Examples

“They obliterated it with some fatuous piece of commentary about something else,” Gough told the Guardian.
Escalating Row Over BBC Coverage of Jubilee
Tom Sykes
June 6, 2012

During one break in the filming, he was a fatuous British director, “exploring the essence of what we call cinema!”
The Stacks: Robin Williams, More Than A Shtick Figure
Joe Morgenstern
August 15, 2014

I also won’t repeat, or defend him against, all the fatuous charges leveled against him.
Hagel And The Neo-McCarthyites
Bernard Avishai
December 25, 2012

He was cleverer than most everyone else, but he envied the carefree affluence of the rich and fatuous.
The Magazine King
Harold Evans
April 30, 2010

Historical Examples

One of the chappies burst into a fatuous laugh once more at this remark.
Hilda Wade
Grant Allen

We have to love before we can serve, but it is fatuous to love blindly.
Child and Country
Will Levington Comfort

But it must not attempt in fatuous recklessness to make over humanity on the pattern of absolute equality.
Right Above Race
Otto Hermann Kahn

He passed from fatuous credulity to equally fatuous distrust.
The Argonauts of North Liberty
Bret Harte

He was watching the operation with what he began to fear was fatuous imbecility.
The Crusade of the Excelsior
Bret Harte

Anagram

a tofu us

Today’s quote

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

― Alvin Toffler

On this day

6 October 1961 – President John F. Kennedy advises Americans to build fall-out shelters, as Cold War paranoia continues to grow.

6 October 1966 – LSD, a synthetic hallucinogenic drug, is declared illegal in the United States.

6 October 1978 – death of Johnny O’Keefe, Australian rock and roll legend. Known as J.O.K. or ‘The Wild One’. Born 19 January 1935.

5 October 2016

effluvium

[ih-floo-vee-uh m]

noun, plural effluvia [ih-floo-vee-uh] (Show IPA), effluviums.

1. a slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable or noxious.

Origin of effluvium

1640-1650; Latin, equivalent to ef- ef- + fluv-, base of fluere to flow (see effluent ) + -ium -ium

Related forms

effluvial, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for effluvium

Historical Examples

He could perceive the effluvium borne from the hateful insects: there was no longer cause to doubt.
The Bush Boys
Captain Mayne Reid

Some people give forth an effluvium, which is more visible than that of others.
Metapsychical Phenomena
J. Maxwell

If there remains the least effluvium of the fox the hound will detect it.
Birds and Bees, Sharp Eyes and, Other Papers
John Burroughs

Anagram

flu five um

Today’s quote

I’m so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers.

― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

On this day

5 October 1902 – birth of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds … and the Big Mac … Died 14 January 1984.

5 October 1945 – Hollywood Black Friday – following a 6 month strike by set decorators, a violent riot breaks out at the gates of Warner Brothers studio. 300 police are called and 40 people are injured.

5 October 1945 – birth of Brian Connolly, Scottish rocker, lead singer of Sweet (Fox on the Run, Ballroom Blitz, Teenage Rampage, Action). Died 9 February 1997.

5 October 1947 – birth of Brian Johnson, English rocker, lead singer of AC/DC, replacing Bon Scott.

5 October 1951 – birth of Bob Geldoff, Irish singer for the Boomtown Rats.

5 October 1962 – the Beatle’s first single is released, ‘Love Me Do’. Although a Lennon-McCartney composition, it was primarily written by Paul in 1958-9 while he was wagging school. The song reached # 17 in the UK and was the # 1 hit in the U.S.A. in 1964.

5 October 1969 – Monty Python’s Flying Circus first broadcast on BBC-TV.

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