“I know that you know that sarcasm is the weapon of weakness.”  “You can be anonymous, that’s what’s the trouble with the Internet.”  “You belong to society, you give to society.”  The Burgess Boys, the fourth book by Elizabeth Strout, published in 2013.   

In 1811, an Old Fogey was a nickname for an invalid, wounded soldier; derived from the French fougueux (“fierce or fiery”).  old fogey (plural old fogies)  noun  (idiomatic)  An old and over-conservative person. quotations ▼ Related terms  young fogey  fogey  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/old_fogey   

Cesare Pavese, (1908-1950), Italian poet, critic, novelist, and translator, who introduced many modern U.S. and English writers to Italy.  Born in a small town in which his father, an official, owned property, he moved with his family to Turin, where he attended high school and the university.  Denied an outlet for his creative powers by Fascist control of literature, Pavese translated many 20th-century U.S. writers in the 1930s and ’40s:  Sherwood Anderson, Gertrude Stein, John Steinbeck, John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner; a 19th-century writer who influenced him profoundly, Herman Melville (one of his first translations was of Moby Dick); and the Irish novelist James Joyce.  He also published criticism, posthumously collected in La letteratura americana e altri saggi (1951; American Literature, Essays and Opinions, 1970).  His work probably did more to foster the reading and appreciation of U.S. writers in Italy than that of any other single man.  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cesare-Pavese   

COMIC STRIP HUMOR  Cats are natural ignorers.  (Garfield)   

The earliest hand gesture emoji were a raised fist, a hand with two fingers making a "V" shape and an open raised palm.  Initially these represented "rock", "scissors" and "paper", though a "V" shape can also represent "peace" or "victory" and a raised fist "Black Lives Matter".  Lauren Gawne, a linguist at La Trobe University in Australia, is hoping that an emoji of a raised little finger will one day make the cut. This gesture might make English speakers think of "pinky promises" or even sipping tea, but in India it is a useful code for subtly asking for directions to the toilet.  The proposal for the raised little finger put forward by Gawne and her colleagues suggests it can mean:  fancy, classy, etiquette, promise, effort, toilet and power move.  William Park  Read extensive article at https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210818-the-hand-gestures-that-last-longer-than-spoken-languages

A Mufti is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (fatwa) on a point of Islamic law (sharia).  The word mufti comes from the Arabic root f-t-y, whose meanings include "youth, newness, clarification, explanation."  A number of related terms derive from the same root.  A mufti's response is called a fatwa.  The person who asks a mufti for a fatwa is known as mustafti.  The act of issuing fatwas is called iftāʾ.  The term futyā refers to soliciting and issuing fatwas.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mufti 

Mufti is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language neo-noir action thriller film directed by Narthan, making his debut, and produced by Jayanna Combines.  The film tells the story of a police officer, played by Sriimurali, who tracks down and confronts an underworld boss, played by Shiva Rajkumar.  Production started in July 2016, and the film was released on 1 December 2017.  Initial reception of the film was positive.  It was declared blockbuster of the Year.  And was one of the highest-grossing movies in Shivarajkumar film career.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mufti_(film) 

A mufti day (also known as casual clothes day, casual Friday, colour day, own clothes day, home clothes day, plain clothes day, non-uniform day, free dress day, civvies day, dress down day, uniform-free day) is a day where students and staff go to school in casual clothing instead of school uniform.  This is found in many countries where students are required to wear uniform, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Fiji, Australia, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mufti_(dress) 

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus is a play written by Taylor Mac.  The play is set in the aftermath of William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.  The play premiered on Broadway in April 2019 starring Nathan Lane and received seven Tony Award nominations.  The play premiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in previews on March 11, 2019 and officially on April 21.  The cast consisted of Nathan Lane (Gary), Kristine Nielsen (Janice), and Julie White (Carol).  The production was directed by George C. Wolfe and produced by Scott Rudin, with scenic design by Santo Loquasto, costume design by Ann Roth, and lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer.  The play received seven Tony Award nominations, including for Best Play and Best Featured Actress in a Play (White and Nielsen).  The play closed on June 16, 2019 after 45 previews and 65 regular performances.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary:_A_Sequel_to_Titus_Andronicus  Thank you, Muse reader! 

Taylor Mac (born Taylor Mac Bowyer 1973) is an American actor, playwright, performance artist, director, producer, and singer-songwriter active mainly in New York City.  In 2017, Mac was the recipient of a "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.  Mac was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  See awards, residencies and bibliography at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Mac 

The rare noun wether means a castrated male sheep.  The word bellwether (from the Middle English bellewether) originally referred to a wether that wore a bell around his neck and led the herd.  Today, while herders may still use the term in that sense, the word is more often used metaphorically, meaning one that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends.  Bellwether may be a noun or an adjective.  The word is occasionally misspelled bellweather, perhaps partially because bellwethers sometimes predict the weather.  https://grammarist.com/usage/bellwether/   

Official 'Ted Lasso' biscuit recipe  https://www.today.com/food/here-s-official-ted-lasso-biscuit-recipe-t230627

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2437  October 12, 2021