Gerry A Bridge Too Far This phrase is commonly used to indicate something that is out of reach or unattainable – perhaps over-ambitious or simply too dangerous physically or reputationally. It appears to date from the Second World War and is attributed to the British Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning who was one
The word for today is… victual (noun) – 1. Food fit for human consumption. 2. victuals Food supplies; provisions. (verb) – 1. To lay in food supplies. 2. To eat. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : If you’re hungry for the story behind victual, get ready to dig into a rich and
The word for today is… verdigris (noun) – 1. A blue or green powder consisting of basic cupric acetate used as a paint pigment and fungicide. 2. A green patina or crust of copper sulfate or copper chloride formed on copper, brass, and bronze exposed to air or seawater for long
The word for today is… spontaneous (adj) – 1. Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated. 2. Arising from a natural inclination or impulse and not from forethought or prompting. 3. Unconstrained and unstudied in manner or behaviour. 4. Growing without cultivation or human labour. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology
Gerry Useful Idiot The coining of this term seems to swing between Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx and it is hard to find a definitive etymology. Nevertheless, whoever of the two who used the phrase first, the meaning is quite clear. Lenin used the term to describe communist sympathisers in
David Wojick cfact.org Future energy mixes should show a growing contribution from modern nuclear power plants. That is the core finding of the new “No Regrets Energy Policy” proposed by the Climate Intelligence Foundation (CLINTEL). CLINTEL finds current governmental energy-transitions to be “scientifically unfounded and economically suicidal” because of
The word for today is… seditious (adj) – 1. Of, relating to, or having the nature of sedition. 2. Given to, engaging in, or promoting sedition. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Mid-15th century, sedicious, “tending to incite treason,” from Old French sedicios (Modern French séditieux), from Latin seditiosus “full of discord,
The word for today is… rescind (verb) – Countermand, repeal, veto; nullify, retract. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Rescind and the lesser-known words exscind and prescind all come from the Latin verb scindere, which means “to cut” or “to split.” Rescind was adapted from its Latin predecessor rescindere in the 16th
Rezwan globalvoices.org Muslin, the fine handwoven cotton fabric that originated in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is now set for a revival. The fabric, produced from a variant of the cotton plant grown only in the area south of Dhaka, has a long history. Produced since pre-colonial times and
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com “Your 20-year wait is over-Parnell Waterfront” was a recent Bayleys heading for an Auckland residential property. First, why 20 years? Are potential buyers who’ve spent say only 12 years looking for such a property disqualified? But worse is their redefinition of the term “waterfront”
The word for today is… presage (verb) – 1. To indicate or warn of in advance; portend. 2. To have a presentiment of. 3. To foretell or predict. (noun) – 1. An indication or warning of a future occurrence; an omen. 2. A feeling or intuition of what is going to occur;
The history of animal activism is littered with idiotic stunts by people who clearly don’t actually know that much about the animals they profess to love – stunts which more often than not backfire spectacularly. Last year, vegan nutcases stole a goat from a Victorian farm; in short order, the
The word for today is… prerogative (noun) – 1. An exclusive right or privilege held by a person or group, especially a hereditary or official right. 2. The exclusive right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : In ancient Rome, voting at legal assemblies was
The word for today is… prehensile (adj) – 1. Able to seize, grasp, or hold, especially by wrapping around an object. 2. Having a keen intellect or powerful memory. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : You may be familiar with prehensile from the animal world: monkeys have prehensile tails, elephants have prehensile
The Police are winning over the criminal fratenity one maligned group after the other. First, they stopped doing the catch bit of their previously signalled catch and release programe by ceasing police pursuits. Now they’ve stopped the annual dope harvest thus ensuring that cannabis prices on the street will
The word for today is… posthumous (adj) – 1. Occurring or continuing after one’s death. 2. Published after the writer’s death. 3. Born after the death of the father. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : The etymology of the word posthumous tells a complex story. In Latin, posterus is an
