four-flush and standpat

A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

four-flush  (FOHR-flush)  verb intr.  To bluff or act in a fraudulent manner.

In a game of poker, a full flush is five cards of the same suit.  A four-flush, only four cards of the same suit, is almost worthless.  A player pretending to have a full flush while holding only a four-flush, is said to be four-flushing.  Earliest documented use:  1896.
standpat  (STAND-pat)  adjective:  Refusing to consider change in one's beliefs and opinions, especially in politics.  noun:  One who refuses to consider change.   In a game of poker, to stand pat is to play one's hand as dealt, without drawing other cards.  From pat (apt).  Earliest documented use: 1910.   

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From:  Gearoid O'Brien  Subject:  sconce  The word sconce is also a slang term for a 'quick look' in Ireland, as in "Give us a sconce at that" is equivalent to "Give me a look at that".

From:  Doug Bodley   Subject:  mortify   Finally the (English) title of one of Bach's chorales makes sense:  it is the second meaning of the word "mortify " (to discipline by self-denial)  that really works in this instance:  "Mortify us by Thy grace."  

If a magician invents a device that allows him to, say, teleport across the stage in the blink of an eye, he can patent the device.  But the patents themselves are open to the public.  Anyone can see them.  When an R.J. Reynolds tobacco newspaper ad revealed Horace Goldin’s “Sawing a Lady in Half” illusion and Golden sued for “unfair competition,” the court sided with Reynolds, essentially arguing something like “if you wanted to keep it a secret you shouldn’t have patented it.”  Patents don’t protect secrets; they reveal them.  Plus, many magicians’ tricks don’t use special devices; they use misdirection and sleight-of-hand.  What about trade secret law?  (This is different than trademark law, which only lets you protect the name or logo of your trick.)  Liability is found against only those who share secrets “improperly.”  That means you can’t score a job as Copperfield’s assistant, promise to keep his secrets, and then turn around and start performing his tricks yourself.  However, if you figure out one of his illusions while sitting in the audience, trade secret law won’t stop you from copying it and performing it.  Prolific magic creator Andre Kole sued the “Masked Magician” and FOX for exposing his “Table of Death” illusion.  It didn’t go well.  The court said the trick was too similar to a trick that had been published in several magic books the 1800s, and that under trade secret law, the courts must consider the “ease or difficulty with which the information could be properly acquired or duplicated by others.”  Because if a trick is published in several books, it’s easy to acquire the information.  Rick Lax  See much more at:  http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/07/the-tricky-business-of-innovation-can-you-patent-a-magic-trick/all/1 

The word supersede is currently the only English word that ends with -sede.  This word is a verb meaning “to take the place of” – and it’s possible that over time the spelling supercede may supersede the current spelling (some dictionaries now show both versions.  Why is there this difference in spelling?  The answer is in the history of the words.  Supersede comes from the Latin prefix super- (“above”) and root word sedere (“to sit”).  Traditionally, someone who “sits above” someone else replaces them in authority or position.  All of the other words that end in -cede derive from the Latin root word cedere instead, which means “to go.”  Therefore, adding prefixes to this root we get “to go before” (pre-), “to go apart” (se-), “to go back” (re-), and so on.  In general, other than the word supersede as discussed above, any word that ends in the sound SEED is spelled with -cede.  Of course, since this is the English language there are exceptions to this rule. These three words are spelled -ceed instead:   proceed, exceed, succeed.  Although these three words also come from the Latin root word cedere (proceed = “to go forward” / exceed = “to go above” / succeed = “to go after”) their spellings are different.  This is due to the fact that they became part of the English language at about the same time, in the 14th century, and so were all governed by the rules of spelling in Old French.  Words such as precede were later added to the English language from Middle French, which had different spelling rules. 

http://www.ultimatespelling.com/spelling-tips-cede-vs-sede-vs-ceed 

Abbreviations

WOO:  Wizard of Oz

EC:  Emerald City
A Lion Among Men, Volume Three in the Wicked Years

May 25, 2013  A new survey of charter schools in 10 states highlights what charters face in terms of facilities – and why, perhaps, charter advocates in states like Florida are seeking recurring sources of money for those needs.  Put together by the Charter School Facilities Initiative, a joint effort by the Colorado League of Charter Schools and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the survey did not include Florida.  In each of the surveyed states, at least 60 percent of the charter classrooms were considerably smaller than those in district schools.  Fewer than 50 percent have a kitchen that allows the school to prepare meals on site and qualify for free, federally-funded meal programs.  Many middle and high school charters don’t have access to gyms.  In Tennessee, 53.3 percent of them don’t have access.  In Indiana, it’s 50 percent.  In almost every state, a majority of charter schools don’t have at least one specialized instructional place, such as a library, computer lab or music classroom.  In Indiana, 71.4 percent of charters lack a library.  In New Jersey, 60.6 percent don’t have a computer lab.  In Texas, 56.2 percent don’t have an art or music room.  The report offers some ideas for states to help charter schools with capital funding, including creating a state grant program and/or loan program for charter school facilities.  Connecticut has provided public charter schools with $20 million in bond financing for facilities.  Sherrie Ackermann  http://www.redefinedonline.org/2013/05/charter-schools-dont-look-like-the-taj-mahal  The 40-page April 2013 "Initial Findings from Ten States" report is at:  http://www.facilitiesinitiative.org/media/3080/csfinationalsummary-fnl_april2013_.pdf 

Libraries Without borders (LWB)  LWB establishes libraries, reading centers, and bookmobiles around the world for children, university students, and adults.  LWB works to reduce inequality in access to technology and information in more than 20 countries.  LWB's projects in emergency zones provide disaster victims with relief from trauma and the ability to look forward to the future.  Learn about work in different countries, how to volunteer, how to donate and more at:  http://www.librarieswithoutborders.org/ 

Bell bottom trousers may refer to:  the commercial song composed and recorded by Moe Jaffe,

the folksong from which the Moe Jaffe song was adapted, and the article of clothing.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Bottom_Trousers 

Bellbottom trousers  noun 

trousers with legs that flare; worn by sailors; absurdly wide hems were fashionable in the 1960s  https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bellbottom_trousers#word=bellbottom%20trousers 

With bells on, in its most common current use, is an informal expression that means 'eagerly; ready to enjoy oneself', and your response was sure to please your host.  There's the added connotation that you're not only looking forward to the occasion (usually some sort of party) but that you're all set to contribute to the festivities and add to everyone else's enjoyment.  There are special variations, of course. F. Scott Fitzgerald left the final preposition off in his 1922 Beautiful & Damned, where we see, "All-ll-ll righty. I'll be there with bells."  And there is an occasional use of with bells on as a more general intensifier, something to add a little punch.  As for origins, various sources postulate a rather vague association between bells and gala gatherings ("rings on her fingers and bells on her toes," and all that). 

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20000519  NOTE that other sources think "with bells on" refers to a horse-drawn cart with bells and a festive arrival.