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This post is terrific
Words take on new meanings all the time. One of them is terrific. No, I mean one of them is “terrific.” It comes from the Latin word “terrificus,” which means frightening. But of course nowadays if you say something is terrific, you mean it’s marvelous and not frightening at all. Something like, I don’t know, Continue reading
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Out of nowhere?
Mind your P’s and Q’s is an old saying meaning “be on your best behavior” or “mind your manners.” It’s still used today, here and there. It’s the sort of thing a grandma might say to her grandchild. But calling it an “old saying” is an understatement, it turns out that it’s much older than Continue reading
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The Absentee Father of TV
There are quite a few people who’ve been called the “father of television” and the “inventor of television.” That’s because television isn’t a thing — over the years, it’s been many different things. And Paul Julius Gottlieb Nipkow is the father of it all. Just kidding — Nipkow is one of the people who invented Continue reading
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August 22
Today is the anniversary of the first time a yacht owned by some really rich guy beat a yacht owned by another really rich guy in a race to win the America’s Cup. Except they didn’t really win the America’s Cup, because at the time it was called the R.Y.S. One Hundred Sovereign Cup. “RYS” Continue reading
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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
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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peterharbeson@me.com