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September 7
In the 1950s and 60s in New York, if you wanted your fortune told, you might have made your way to Times Square and found Pandora. She worked there for years, telling people about their futures. But she might not have mentioned her own past. Her real name was Edith Hyde, and she was the Continue reading
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The End of Summer Party
“Bring me some snacks!” yelled Ferret. “And something good to drink!” “What’s gotten into Ferret this time?” asked Squirrel. “Why can’t he get his own snacks?” Dog sighed. “It’s not so much what’s gotten into Ferret as what he’s gotten into,” she said. “Did you notice his latest costume?” “Of course I did,” said Squirrel, Continue reading
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Paraprosdokian
I have something fascinating to tell you. This isn’t it. One thing to remember about English is that not all the words are in the dictionary. Unlike some languages (not many, but at least a few), English has no central authority. English grammar is not prescriptive; it’s descriptive — grammarians essentially just listen to and Continue reading
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Doozy
The phrase “it’s a doozy” is an American expression that means something is remarkable and usually excellent. If “His elder daughter arrives in a doozie of a snowstorm,” you know that snowstorm was particularly intense. Popular culture contains a story about the word “doozy.” It’s said to be based on the Duesenberg automobiles of the 1920s. They Continue reading
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Born today: Jessie Willcox Smith
Until I discovered that Jessie Willcox Smith was born September 6, 1863, I had never heard of the “Golden Age of American illustration.” It happened between about 1880 and about 1920, when printing went through a period of technological advancement pretty much like what happened with personal computing a century later. Mass production of paper Continue reading
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September 6
When Norm Woodland was a Boy Scout in the 1930s, he learned Morse Code — he liked that kind of thing much better than other boy scout stuff like camping and tying knots. They might not have used the term in those days, but Norm was a nerd. After he celebrated his 18th birthday (on Continue reading
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What Beaver read
When Raccoon finally finished with her fan club — they were all there to listen to her ask and answer her own questions — and came inside Beaver’s house, Beaver and Hare were sitting in the library having a quiet chat. “Oh, there you are, Raccoon,” said Beaver. “Are your fans satisfied now?” “I’m not Continue reading
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A screed about “screed”
A “screed” is a long speech, particularly a speech that tends to rant about this or that. It can also refer to something similar that’s written rather than spoken. Sometimes it’s used to refer to any writing, even a letter. But if you work in the building trades, there are several other “screeds” you’re probably Continue reading
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Balderdash
If you were to unsuspectingly come across a bunch of nonsense words — say, for example, “’Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe” — you might just call it “balderdash” and continue on your way (possibly keeping a wary eye out for any looming jabberwockies). You’d be in the Continue reading
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Born today: Maria of Jever
It’s hard to really grasp how utterly different everything was in the Europe of five centuries ago. One reason it’s hard to grasp is that we just don’t know that much about it. But one of the things we do know a bit about is the life of Maria of Jever, who was born September 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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