-
October 3
It’s October third; Happy Thanksgiving! No, really — this is the day George Washington proclaimed it was Thanksgiving in 1789. But — you knew there was a “but” coming — Washington’s proclamation was only for that one year. Thanksgiving as a national holiday showed up only occasionally after that, when whoever was President at the Continue reading
-
Fantastic
In the 1300s there were people who called themselves “physicians” who had some ideas we consider somewhat strange today. They knew about the brain, for example, and at least had a better idea than the ancient Egyptians did about its function (the Egyptians considered the brain unimportant; thinking, to them, occurred in the heart). The Continue reading
-
Zymurgy
The first word in an English dictionary is often “aardvark”. But what about the last one? That depends on the dictionary. In many cases it’s “zymurgy,” which is fermentation such as in making beer or wine. In fact the American Homebrewers Association, which is “dedicated to empowering home brewers to make the best beer in Continue reading
-
Born today: Marvel Whiteside Parsons
There was a very unusual person born October 2, 1914 in Los Angeles, California. I’m talking about John Parsons — and the first thing about him is his name; he always went by “Jack Pastons,” but his birth name was Marvel. Not his surname; his given name; Marvel Whiteside Parsons. He evidently changed it (or Continue reading
-
October 2
What’s on (October) second. Who’s on first, of course, and Tomorrow, the pitcher, will be the third, where you can find I Don’t Know, manning the infield catching Today…I mean, Today catching, and the last one, well, I Don’t Give a Darn. But the right fielder? We never find out his name. Obviously that’s the Continue reading
-
Pining
When someone is seized by an intense romantic yearning — particularly when that someone happens to be a character in a romantic novel written around, say, 1885 — they might be described as “pining over” their wished-for paramour. That generally implies that they’re moping around, unable to do much of anything. If this state of Continue reading
-
October 1
In 1861, in spite of the part of the US Constitution requiring separation of government and religion, the Civil War had begun and some religious leaders — including the Reverend Mark Watkinson of Pennsylvania — tried to convince the government that the nation’s official currency ought to include a religious statement. This was in order Continue reading
-
Teterrimous
It’s high time to review some words in the “obsolete” pile to see if we should bring them back and start using them again. Here’s a word we could make use of: teterrimous. Back in the 1700s and 1800s when it was in use it meant “most foul,” as in “beware the teterrimous monster Continue reading
-
Splurge
At one time, using words like “soporific” or “annihilate” in a missive like this might have been called “splurging.” “Splurge” appeared in English in the middle of the 1800s and originally meant “to make an ostentatious, showy display; to show off.” It might, for example, involve the same sort of behavior that in the 1500s Continue reading
-
Pinchbeck
People remember how their neighbors act toward them and others. Particularly if you live in a village, you know who’s generous and kind, and you also know who’s a tightwad. In the case of the scrooge, you might also call them a nithing, a shut-purse, a chinch, a hayne, a nigon, or a pinchbeck. Well, 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.
Privacy policy
No trackers, no ads, no data collected or saved.
Contact
peterharbeson@me.com