Category: word for the day

conundrum – A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma. (dictionary.com)

Here’s a couple of words related to the whole sleep/non-sleep issue.

narcolepsy -A disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable, though often brief, attacks of deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinations.

sleep apnea – A temporary suspension of breathing occurring repeatedly during sleep.

(dictionary.com)

High schools don’t offer Latin much anymore. When I was in school, we could take four years of Latin. And I did. In third year Latin, you study the orations of Cicero. Cicero used many rhetorical devices. One that I find that I use a lot is praeteritio. It can be used when trying to get a point across to your kids by appearing not to have actually harped upon the subject.

praeteritio – A device that functions in the manipulation of the speaker-audience relationship. Claiming that he will not deal with a certain topic, the speaker mentions it anyway.

So for instance, the other night when Sarah forgot here cell phone, I said in my email, “I won’t lecture you on how important it is to keep your cell phone with you.” Ah, praeteritio, a parent’s sneaky device.

I once heard George Carlin talking about hats. To paraphrase what he said – Isn’t it interesting that when you put on a hat you are, at first, really aware that it’s on your head and then after awhile you don’t even realize you have it on. But when you take it off, it still feels like you are wearing it. It’s the same with smells. Everytime you first get into a relatively new car, it has that “new car” smell. Then after riding in it for a while you don’t smell it. But the next time you get in, there it is again! It’s a phenomenon called habituation.

habituate – To accustom by frequent repetition or prolonged exposure. (dictionary.com)

Happy Birthday, Buffalo Bill. Born February 26, 1846, he’d be 159 years old today. He has been an iconic figure of the expansion west in the United States. Politicians and historians needed a rationalization for the genocide of native Americans and the ecocide of the wildlife in which he took part. They called it Manifest Destiny.

Manifest Destiny – The 19th-century doctrine that the United States had the right and duty to expand throughout the North American continent.

I found a new website the “worthless word of the day.” Of course, in my book there are no worthless words. Each is interesting in some way and a possible crossword puzzle clue or answer. Given the recent weather here in the West, I thought this was an apt word for the day.

pluviose – marked by or regularly receiving heavy rainfall. As in, “Since we have arrived in Utah, we have experienced a pluviose period.”

But the sun is shining today and all is good.

This was the theme of the August 9, 1987 NY Times Sunday Crossword by T. W. Underhill. No wonder people have trouble learning English!

antilogous – of the contrary name or character; the opposite of analogous

So antilogous words are ones that mean opposite things given their usage. Some examples-

oversight – an unintentional omission or a mistake as well as watchful care and supervision.
sanction – to allow or encourage as well as to punish so as to deter.

Can you think of others?

Since we have been discussing Presidents (and perhaps precedents?) today, how about a little history? We have recently been hearing a lot of talk about one branch of the government having too much or too little power. Wisely, the founding fathers tried to keep this all in balance by having a separation of powers; a system of checks and balances.

The doctrine of the separation of powers was described by Montesquieu in his L’esprit des Lois in 1748. He said that a nation’s liberty depended on the separation of the three types of power, legislative, judicial and executive with each having their own separate institution. Originally, President Madison, during the framing of the Bill of Rights, wanted to include an amendment spelling out the separation of powers. This amendment was rejected by the Congress, however, because the separation of powers is implied in the Constitution by the enumeration of each branch’s powers. So what we have today is a system not designed to maximize efficiency but to maximize freedom.

When so many of our holidays seem to be created by Hallmark to sell cards, this one goes back to ancient times to a celebration of Juno, the patroness of marriage and women. Her special day was February 14. So there was a pagan festival early on concerned with love. As the Christian religion took hold in Europe, the church officials wanted to do away with the pagan aspects of the festival. They gave the day a saint’s name. According to the History Channel this is why they chose St. Valentine.

“One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor’s daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today.”

Today, John, Sarah and I were sitting around discussing body parts. I said, if you have a palm, why isn’t there a word for the back of your hand? This discussion, as most discussions here at our house, continued on to why wasn’t there a name for the back of your knee or the inside of your elbow. The inside of your shoulder is your armpit or axilla, why not names for the rest of these neglected body parts. If you know what they are, please let me know.