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The Hackneyed Hackneys of Hackney
If you hear the word “hackney” today it’s nearly always in the context of some idea that’s tired or played out. A “hackneyed expression” is one that’s simply overused; a cliché. You can have a “hackneyed excuse” (your dog ate your homework AGAIN?), hackneyed speeches (“We offer our thoughts and prayers…”), and even people can… Continue reading
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Beginning at the end
In many books — the old kind, actually printed in real ink on real paper — there’s a page near the end that tells you some things about the book itself. Sometimes it lists the typefaces used, occasionally the paper, and maybe even some of the people involved in creating the book, such as the… Continue reading
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Oh stop your grumbling
A “pet peeve” is an annoyance you notice all over the place, but doesn’t usually rise above “irritating”. And besides, there’s generally nothing you can really do about it. Many people have pet peeves about words, and how other people misuse them! Take, for example, “systematic” and “systemic.” You’ll often hear them used interchangeably —… Continue reading
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Catch and release
The word “complete”, which means something having all of its parts or components, has been around in English since the 1300s. It comes from the Latin word “complere,” which means “full.” Back in the 1500s, “complete” had another meaning as well. When you used it in reference to a person, it meant highly accomplished, or… Continue reading
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December 23
December 23 is not just Christmas Eve Eve; it’s a holiday in its own right. More than one, in fact. It’s the Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca City, Mexico, Tibb’s Eve in Newfoundland, Tom Bawcock’s Eve in Cornwall, and Festivus everywhere. Festivus first became widely recognized (in the US, anyway) in 1997 when it… Continue reading
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December 22
December 22 In case you haven’t noticed, politics and politicians all around the world have recently been pretty obviously making poor decisions, screwing things up, and being generally incompetent. But wait, it’s December 22, which means there’s a long list of similarly idiotic actions taken by politicians, going back a long, long time. Not as… Continue reading
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The elements of style
Chemical elements are named for all sorts of reasons. Americium was named because it was discovered in the United States — there’s also Europium, named because it was discovered in Europe. Gallium is named after France (Gaul). Hassium is named after the German state Hesse, where it was discovered. There are loads of other examples,… Continue reading
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December 20
December 20 has for a long time been a day of expansion, especially for nation-states. The United States finalized the Louisiana Purchase from France on this day in 1803. On the one hand, it was quite a bargain at just $15 million for what looks like, on a map, to virtually double the size of… Continue reading
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Here is my lovely assistant
Calling a magician a “prestidigitator” is not unusual — in fact, depending on the stage persona of the magician in question, “prestidigitator” might even be part of their act. It means “quick fingers,” as in “the hand is quicker than the eye,” and it comes from French, where it was the nearly-identical “prestidigitateur.” I bet… Continue reading
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Tradeoff
I dislike rain falling on my neckbut after it’s done I like the effect.‘Specially when there’s piles of leaves,The sniffs are better! You wouldn’t believe. So I’ll allow the rain, I s’pose,Because it’s better for my nose.I stay inside until it stopsand then I’ll venture on my walks. -Chocolate Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer (among other things) located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate Bossypaws. No surprise, 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. You can also find some of my minor software projects at GitHub. Nothing very impressive. I mostly write tiny utilities in Python.
I find myself suddenly de-corporatized (their choice, not mine). To help keep the lights on, buy me a coffee!
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Contact
peterharbeson@me.com