Pylimitics

The Washington Times was opining about the US managing to finally get out of Iraq, back in 2006, when it printed “That’s why we should have used some bellweather event like the signing of the Iraqi constitution, or the parliamentary elections as our moment to declare victory and exit stage left.” Whenever US national elections… Continue reading

If you were in the wrong place for watching a full moon or an eclipse it could be due to “obnubilation.” The sky can be obnubilated any time, of course, not just when there’s an eclipse. Skies have been potentially obnubilated since the late 1500s when the word “obnubilate” appeared in English. It’s derived from… Continue reading

A “pachyderm” is an elephant. Quite a large sort of animal in most people’s opinions. And although elephants don’t, strictly speaking, have toes, the term “pachydactyl” means a type of animal (often a bird) that has large toes or talons. An ostrich, for example. Or the Road Runner from the cartoons. Another group of animals… Continue reading

Nautical affairs have contributed a huge number of words to English over the centuries. If you define “nautical affairs” broadly enough, that would include ships, sailors’ jargon, and even books and stories set in seagoing contexts.  Patrick O’Brian wrote historical novels set on 18th century British naval ships, so his works certainly qualify. The books… Continue reading

At the Olympics (at least the winter version), some events begin at the peak of a mountain. All Olympic events are so competitive an athlete needs to deliver a peak performance in order to win a medal. A few of the athletes — and some of the fans — have a hairline featuring a widow’s… Continue reading