Monday, November 7, 2022

 greenhorn (n.)  mid-15c., "horn of an animal recently killed," also "young horned animal," from green (adj.) in sense of "new, fresh, recent" + horn (n.).  Applied to new soldiers from c. 1650; extended to any inexperienced person by 1680s.

green (adj.)  Old English grene, Northumbrian groene "green, of the color of living plants," in reference to plants, "growing, living, vigorous," also figurative, of a plant, "freshly cut," of wood, "unseasoned" earlier groeni, from Proto-Germanic *grōni- (source also of Old Saxon grani, Old Frisian grene, Old Norse grænn, Danish grøn, Dutch groen, Old High German gruoni, German grün), from PIE root *ghre- "grow" (see grass), through sense of "color of growing plants."  From c. 1200 as "covered with grass or foliage."  From early 14c. of fruit or vegetables, "unripe, immature;" and of persons, "of tender age, youthful, immature, inexperienced;" hence "gullible, immature with regard to judgment" (c. 1600).  From mid-13c. in reference to the skin or complexion of one sick.

Green cheese originally was that which is new or fresh (late 14c.), later with reference to coloring; for the story told to children that the moon is made of it, see cheese.  Green light in figurative sense of "permission" is from 1937 (green and red as signals on railways first attested 1883, as nighttime substitutes for semaphore flags).  Green thumb for "natural for gardening" is by 1938.  Green beret originally "British commando" is from 1949.  Greenroom (also green room) "room for actors when not on stage" is from 1701; presumably a once-well-known one was painted green.  The color of environmentalism since 1971.

horn (n.)  Old English horn "horn of an animal; projection, pinnacle," also "wind instrument" (originally one made from animal horns), from Proto-Germanic *hurni- (source also of German Horn, Dutch horen, Old Frisian horn, Gothic haurn), from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head."  Late 14c. as "one of the tips of the crescent moon."  The name was retained for a class of musical instruments that developed from the hunting horn; the French horn is the true representative of the class.  Of dilemmas from 1540s; of automobile warning signals from 1901.  https://www.etymonline.com/word/greenhorn   

John Michael Crichton (1942–2008) was an American author and filmmaker.  His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films.  His literary works heavily feature technology and are usually within the science fictiontechno-thriller, and medical fiction genres.  His novels often explore technology and failures of human interaction with it, especially resulting in catastrophes with biotechnology.  Many of his novels have medical or scientific underpinnings, reflecting his medical training and scientific background.  Crichton received an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1969 but did not practice medicine, choosing to focus on his writing instead.  Initially writing under a pseudonym, he eventually wrote 26 novels, including:  The Andromeda Strain (1969), The Terminal Man (1972), The Great Train Robbery (1975), Congo (1980), Sphere (1987), Jurassic Park (1990), Rising Sun (1992), Disclosure (1994), The Lost World (1995), Airframe (1996), Timeline (1999), Prey (2002), State of Fear (2004), and Next (2006).  Several novels, in various states of completion, were published after his death in 2008.  Crichton was also involved in the film and television industry.  In 1973, he wrote and directed Westworld, the first film to utilize 2D computer-generated imagery.  He also directed:  Coma (1978), The First Great Train Robbery (1978), Looker (1981), and Runaway (1984).  He was the creator of the television series ER (1994–2009), and several of his novels were adapted into films, most notably the Jurassic Park franchiseCrichton used pseudonyms, such as Michael Douglas, John Lange, Jeffery Hudson (17th century dwarf and a reference to Crichton’s own height of 6’9”).    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton  See also https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&u=googlescholar&id=GALE|H1200011627&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-LitRC&asid=efc19179   

When “hogwash” showed up in the mid-1500s, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it meant “kitchen refuse and scraps (esp. in liquid form) used as food for pigs.”  The earliest OED example is from Jacob’s Well, an anonymous Middle English sermon cycle, written around 1450, in which the human soul is likened to a foul well in need of cleansing.  In the early 1600s, Oxford says, “hogwash” took on the sense of a “liquid for drinking that is of very poor quality, as cheap beer, wine, etc.”  In the late 1800s, the word took on the modern meaning of “nonsense; esp. worthless, ridiculous, or nonsensical ideas, discourse, or writing.”  “Claptrap” originated in the early 1700s as theatrical jargon for a “trick or device to catch applause; an expression designed to elicit applause,” the OED says.  By the early 1800s, “claptrap” was being used to mean catchy language or cheap, showy sentiment, as in this OED citation, which we’ve also expanded, from Byron’s satirical poem Don Juan (Canto II, 1819):  “I hate all mystery, and that air / Of clap-trap, which your recent poets prize.”  And by the late 1800s, the word had acquired its modern meaning of nonsense.  https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2018/06/hogwash-claptrap.html 

The tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered on 4 November 1922 in the Valley of the KingsEgypt.  It was the first known largely intact royal burial from Ancient Egypt.  Wiktionary 

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus, writer and philosopher (7 Nov 1913-1960) 

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2588  November 7, 2022

 


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