A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
kinesics (kuh/ky-NEE-siks/ziks) noun
The study of body movements, such as gestures or facial expressions, as
a form of communication. Coined by the
anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell (1918-1994).
From Greek kinesis (motion), from kinein (to move). Earliest documented use: 1952.
googol (GOO-gol, -guhl) noun A
number equivalent to 1 followed by 100 zeros (10100). Coined by Milton Sirotta, nine-year-old
nephew of the mathematician Edward Kasner.
Earliest documented use: 1940.
inscape (IN-skayp)
noun The unique essence of a
personal, place, or thing, especially as expressed in a work of art such as a
poem. Coined by the poet and priest
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) who, in turn, was inspired by the philosopher
Duns Scotus (c. 1266-1308). Earliest
documented use: 1868.
blurb (bluhrb) noun A
short description of a creative work, such as a book, film, etc. used for
promotional purposes. verb tr. To write a brief description of a creative
work. Coined by Gelett Burgess
(1866-1951) for promoting his book Are You a Bromide?. The dust jacket of this book featured a Miss
Belinda Blurb singing its praises.
Earliest documented use: 1914.
Feedback to A.Word.A.Day
From: Oliver Fletcher Subject: googol Googol is infamous in the UK as being the winning answer* to the question “A number one followed by one hundred zeroes is known by what name?” on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? where Army Major Charles Ingram climbed his way to the top £1 million prize in 2001 with the help of his wife and a friend/accomplice who also happened to be a contestant in the opening “Fastest Finger First” round. Ingram slowly read the possible answers aloud then waited for confirmation by way of a discreet cough or two from his accomplice or wife in the audience when the correct answer was read out. Even host Chris Tarrant was in disbelief when Ingram suggested he knew the answer to certain questions then expressed different logic and changed his mind before confirming the correct answer fifteen times. Ingram and his wife Diana thought they had pulled off the audacious heist but the production company suspended payout after another contestant and at least one crew member raised suspicion. The case went to court and all three individuals involved were found guilty of “procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception”. There is a fascinating book by a Daily Mail investigative journalist, Bad Show: The Quiz, The Cough, The Millionaire Major. *the three other possible answers provided were “Megatron”, “Gigabit” and “Nonomole.”
From: Andrew Pressburger Subject: Inscape The Renaissance sculptor/painter/poet Michelangelo Buonarotti claimed that the statue was already present in the marble, all he did was to chisel away the extraneous surface.
From: Oliver Fletcher Subject: googol Googol is infamous in the UK as being the winning answer* to the question “A number one followed by one hundred zeroes is known by what name?” on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? where Army Major Charles Ingram climbed his way to the top £1 million prize in 2001 with the help of his wife and a friend/accomplice who also happened to be a contestant in the opening “Fastest Finger First” round. Ingram slowly read the possible answers aloud then waited for confirmation by way of a discreet cough or two from his accomplice or wife in the audience when the correct answer was read out. Even host Chris Tarrant was in disbelief when Ingram suggested he knew the answer to certain questions then expressed different logic and changed his mind before confirming the correct answer fifteen times. Ingram and his wife Diana thought they had pulled off the audacious heist but the production company suspended payout after another contestant and at least one crew member raised suspicion. The case went to court and all three individuals involved were found guilty of “procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception”. There is a fascinating book by a Daily Mail investigative journalist, Bad Show: The Quiz, The Cough, The Millionaire Major. *the three other possible answers provided were “Megatron”, “Gigabit” and “Nonomole.”
From: Andrew Pressburger Subject: Inscape The Renaissance sculptor/painter/poet Michelangelo Buonarotti claimed that the statue was already present in the marble, all he did was to chisel away the extraneous surface.
History of vinegar
Around 5000 BC the Babylonians were
using the fruit of the date palm to
make wine and vinegar to be used as food and a preservative or pickling
agent. Vinegar residues were found
in urns from ancient Egypt and
have been traced to 3000 BC. In ancient Rome different types of
vinegar were made from wine, dates, figs and other fruits and placed in bowls
for the dunking of bread. In ancient
Greece, around 400 BC, Hippocrates, who is considered the father of
modern medicine, prescribed apple cider vinegar mixed with honey for a variety
of ailments, including coughs and colds. Throughout history the antiseptic nature of vinegar has
been used to clean and disinfect the wounds of soldiers and; therefore, speed
up wound healing. Apple cider vinegar
was used to this effect during the American
Civil War and as late as World War I. Read more and see
graphics at http://www.enzyme-facts.com/vinegar-history.html See also http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Vinegar.html
Chicken with Vinegar and
Onions
(Poulet au Vinaigre) by
Molly Stevens In my experience, a poultry sauté is one of the most
overlooked techniques in French cooking.
It’s easier than pan-frying and more elegant than a stew. A sauté refers to dredging a cut-up bird
(usually a small chicken) in flour before cooking it in a deep skillet with
either butter or olive oil and very little, if any, added liquid. As the chicken cooks, it simmers in its own
juices mingled with the fat, creating a very concentrated, rich sauce. Most cooks add some aromatics (onions, leeks,
or shallots) and a bit of wine or vinegar to balance the richness. Leave the lid of the skillet slightly ajar to
let some steam escape during cooking.
This concentrates the liquid for a more intense sauce, and it also
ensures that the liquid doesn’t boil or simmer too hard, which would overcook
the chicken. Find recipe serving four to six at https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/chicken-with-vinegar-and-onions-poulet-au-vinaigre
hobnob
verb (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To have or
have not; to give or take. (intransitive, obsolete) To toast one another by touching glasses.
(intransitive) To drink together. (intransitive) To associate with in a friendly manner, often with those of a higher class or status.
Wiktionary
Authors the Muser is grateful for:
George Eliot (1819–1880;
alternatively "Mary Ann" Evans or "Marian" Evans)
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616; in
full Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)
Helen Hooven Santmyer (1895–1986)
Margaret
Atwood (born 1939)
Jasper
Fforde (born 1961)
Eudora Alice Welty
(1909-2001)
Herman Melville (1819-1891)
Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964
full name Mary Flannery O'Connor)
Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)
Tracy Kidder (born 1945)
Quirky tradition at Wimbledon Suddenly
"Miss Williams" has become "Mrs. Williams" in the words of
chair umpires--a small change that has led to bigger-picture questions about
whether the All England Club is too old-fashioned. Only the women at the grass-court Grand Slam
are addressed with a title before their names to reflect their marital
status. In other words, when a chair
umpire announces that Serena has won a game, it's, "Game, Mrs.
Williams." For her sister Venus,
it's, "Game, Miss Williams."
And for Roger Federer, it's simply:
"Game, Federer." There are no such marriage lists for the men. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/tennis/serena-williams-marital-status-shines-spotlight-quirky-wimbledon-tradition
World Cup 2018 Semi-finals Tues July 10: France vs Belgium Weds July 11: Croatia vs England Sat July 14: Third place
play-off: Losers of two semi-finals World Cup 2018 final Sun July 15: World Cup final
Stephen John Ditko, artist, born 2
November 1927; died c29 June 2018 Steve
Ditko, who has died aged 90, was the artist who brought Spider-Man and Doctor Strange to life, one of the
three crucial creators of the Marvel explosion that redefined comic books
in the 1960s. The trio–Ditko, the
writer Stan Lee and the artist Jack Kirby–created and
refined the iconic characters who moved from featuring in 12-cent comics
to dominating film screens in productions
costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Like Kirby’s, Ditko’s work was stylised, but where Kirby’s square-jawed
characters’ power exploded through the panels, Ditko’s characters stretched
through them, their faces almost cartoonishly expressive. He was the perfect artist to combine the grace
of Spider-Man with the nerdish insecurity of his alter ego, the teenager Peter
Parker. Spider-Man was Lee’s idea and he
first gave it to Kirby to develop. Unhappy
with the result, he passed it on to Ditko, who came up with the costume, powers
and back-story. He was an immediate hit
when he debuted in Amazing Fantasy 15 in 1962. Doctor Strange
came along the following year. Ditko’s
conception of Stephen Strange, the surgeon whose hands are crippled in a car
crash, and who, seeking a cure, becomes “the Master of the Mystic Arts”, led to
a character whose greatest battles were fought on a spiritual plane while his
human body reposed back in our world. Villains
were mind-bending, such as the Dread Dormammu, whose head and hands were flames,
or Eternity, whose silhouette figure encompassed all universes, and who starred
in an unprecedented 17-issue story arc that culminated with Strange and
Dormammu joining forces. Michael Carlson Read more and see graphics at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/08/steve-ditko-obituary
Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient" was named the greatest-ever winner of the Man
Booker Prize at an event July 8, 2018 celebrating five decades
of the prestigious literary award. The
Canadian writer's tale of love and conflict during World War II was awarded the
Golden Man Booker Prize for fiction after winning a public vote. "The English Patient" won the
Booker in 1992 and was made into a 1996 movie starring Ralph Fiennes and
Juliette Binoche that won
nine Academy Awards. Founded in 1969, the Man Booker prize was originally
open to British, Irish and Commonwealth writers, but eligibility was expanded
in 2014 to all English-language novelists. Jill Lawless https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2018/07/08/english-patient-voted-best-man-booker-prize-winner/766604002/
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 1916
July 9, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment