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Backpackronyms?
A portmanteau word is coined by combining two or more words into one. “Brunch,” for example, is made up from “breakfast” and “lunch.” Portmanteau words seem to be getting more common; “cyborg,” “edutainment,” and, for that matter, “internet” are all well known and recent. But the practice of combining existing words into new ones has… Continue reading
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William Henry Ogilvie
If you enjoy Australian literature, you probably know about the Australian “bush poets,” Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, and “Glenrowan.” Glenrowan was one of the pen names of William Henry Ogilvie, who was born August 21, 1869 in Kelso, Scotland. Ogilvie, who also used the pen names Will Ogilvie, Swingle-bar, and WHO, wrote well over 1,100… Continue reading
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August 21
When you fill out an online form with your postal location information, one of the choices in the “country” dropdown menu is “United States Outlying Islands.” Ever wonder about those? Today, August 21, is the anniversary of the naming of one of them in 1821. Jarvis Island is a tiny coral island that’s really, totally,… Continue reading
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Exceptional!
“The exception proves the rule” is repeated often enough that most people have probably heard it. On the face of it, it seems to mean that finding an exception to a rule provides proof that the rule is correct. Or maybe that the rule is in effect. Or something. Maybe it doesn’t make any sense… Continue reading
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Eliel and Eero Saarinen
Today would be a good day to appreciate some striking examples of architecture, especially since it’s the anniversary of the birthday of Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen in 1873. He’s the Finnish architect famous for art nouveau buildings in the early 20th Century. And it’s also the anniversary of Eero Saarinen, the Finnish architect born in 1910… Continue reading
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August 20
You’ve probably heard the term “going postal.” When it’s used as dark humor, it means being driven nuts by events and people around you. When it’s used seriously, it means shooting your coworkers. “Going postal” comes from this very day in 1986. Patrick Sherrill, a “relief carrier” in the Edmond, Oklahoma post office, brought a… Continue reading
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Who’s yere?
US states all have nicknames. It’s not clear why a state needs a nickname, and some of them, like New Mexico’s (“the land of enchantment”) sound like the product of a marketing meeting in the state capital. Many of the nicknames come from some aspect of the history of the state — or even the… Continue reading
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August 19
Carl Fisher was born in Indianapolis in 1874. Not today; his birthday was in January. He joined in the bicycle craze of the late 1800s and opened a bike shop. By the early 20th century the shop was doing pretty well, and Fisher’s new enthusiasm was for those new horseless carriages. He saw a big… Continue reading
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K-L-M-N-O-P
Oh…K The letter K is somewhat underused in English. Its sound is often usurped by a hard C and even, in some cases, X. The K section of dictionaries is one of the thinner chapters. There are nevertheless some interesting words lurking in there. One of the best is also one of the most obscure,… Continue reading
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August 18
Pierre Janssen, who was an astronomer, discovered helium on August 18, 1868. Wait, you ask, what is an astronomer doing discovering a chemical element? Ah, that’s the right question. Not only did Janssen discover helium, he was the first person in history to discover a new element, but not on Earth. In fact, at the… 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. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Recent Posts
- Stand back from the cliff, please
- Wherein an answer is punctually directed
- Nonsensical padding
- Dis- or Ab-?
- Thoughtfulness about fake thought
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Scripting News
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Kansas Reflector
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Krugman Wonks Out
Daring Fireball
[citation needed]
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