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Born today: Nellie Campobello
The Mexican Revolution was a ten-year conflict (about 1910 to about 1920) that ended in the creation of the modern Mexican government, which is based on the Constitution of Mexico. It was more of a series of regional conflicts than a single, centralized war, but was nevertheless destructive, costing about two million people their lives. Continue reading
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November 7
November seventh turns out to be the anniversary of three of the oldest things around. In 1492, on the outskirts of Ensisheim, France, a meteorite fell — it’s the oldest one with a record of when it arrived. Then in 1665, in London, the “London Gazette” was first published. It’s the oldest journal in the Continue reading
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The Nocebo Effect
A “placebo” is a medical term for a treatment that gives only psychological benefits (or none). If you have a drug trial you might want to give some patients the real drug and others a placebo, then wait to see what happens. “Placebo” is a Latin word transplanted into English. In Latin in means “I Continue reading
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Allison
When one thing bumps into another, that’s a “collision.” The that comes from the Latin “collidere,” which was formed from “col” (together) and “laedere” (to hurt by hitting). “Collision” showed up in English in the 1400s, and it’s been in constant use ever since. Except in one very specific case. When a ship (and only Continue reading
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Born today: Suleiman the Magnificent
We’ve recently presented some historical figures known by their given names and a descriptor, like Louis the Stammerer and Charles the Bald, but not everybody’s descriptor was even vaguely critical. At the top of the heap is a chap born November 6, 1494 in Trabzon, an area that’s now part of Turkey. His given name Continue reading
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November 6
Today is November 6, and it’s a holiday! But I bet you didn’t know that. You see, unlike other holidays that have primarily caught on because of catchy names like “Mother’s Day” and “Halloween” — that is, holidays with competent public relations teams — today is the “International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Continue reading
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Don’t mention it
Did you ever wonder why trousers are referred to as a “pair” of pants? And for that matter, why is “shirt” singular but “pants” plural? It all goes back a few centuries when, evidently, clothing design and assembly still had a ways to go. At the time each leg of the garment was a separate Continue reading
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Prevaricate
Ask me no questions,I’ll tell you no lies.Cottleston, cottleston, cottleston pie. -A.A.Milne Isn’t it interesting that English has so many ways to describe different ways of saying things that aren’t true. There’s the plain old “lie,” of course, but there are a number of alternatives, each with its own subtleties and connotations. You can distort, Continue reading
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Remember, remember, the 5th of November
It’s November 5, which in England means it’s the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot. In 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested in the basement of the Parliament building with a bit of incriminating evidence: 36 barrels of gunpowder. The plot was to destroy the House of Lords while the Lords — including, in particular, King James Continue reading
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A dog by any other word
If you ever happen to be talking to a self-appointed expert in grammar and usage (this clearly doesn’t include me, by the way), you might hear them talk about things like “gerunds” and “subjunctive tense;” stuff like that. If you feel like you’re getting out-jargoned, pull out a few of these handy terms; you’re sure Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate Bossypaws. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Check out my other blog, Techlimitics, where I’m grappling with the nature of simplicity.
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