Dear Editor I am enjoying the BFD. Maybe it’s just me but I found these FB reply comments from The Humans Right Commission (or their agent), in a recent voice of racism campaign, totally pernicious (and pretty revealing to the state of play). I’m 100% for equal opportunity
Am I the only one who thinks this is an absolutely absurd expression? I’m never going to agree to disagree with anybody. Either we agree on a matter or we don’t. Either it’s factually correct or it isn’t. There’s no middle ground. Isn’t it
The Prime Minister has said we would know them by their deeds. Last week I looked at the debacle in housing. Now we can look at another debacle, this time with flu vaccinations. TVNZ has now revealed that the Ministry of Health, led by Dr Ashley Bloomfield has misled everyone
The word for today is… crux (noun) – 1. a vital or decisive stage, point, etc. 2. a baffling problem or difficulty. 3. (Mountaineering) mountaineering the most difficult and often decisive part of a climb or pitch 4. (Heraldry) a rare word for cross Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : In Latin,
The word for today is… argot (noun) – A specialised vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular group. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : We borrowed argot from French in the early 1800s, although our language already had several words covering its meaning. There was jargon, the Anglo-French ancestor
One of the problems with convincing yourself that something is true when it is blatantly not is that often you end up having to bend reality as a result. A prime example is the idea that a man can become a woman just by self-identifying as a woman and
Today’s face of the day is Caesar, a “No Drama Llama.” He works as a therapy llama and also as a “llamactivist.” thanks to his owner being a Black Lives Matter activist. I could do with a no Drama Llama at BFD HQ. We used to have pet possum
The word for today is… stalwart (adj) – 1. Loyal and resolute. 2. 2. Strong and imposing. (noun) – One who steadfastly supports an organisation or cause. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Sometime in the 15th century, English speakers began to use stalwart in place of the older form stalworth. Although stalworth
Dr Oliver Hartwich nzinitiative.org.nz There must be a German word for it: That feeling when you are enjoying something that is just not quite right. Not a guilty pleasure, more an incorrect one. Whatever you call it, I have that feeling each time I visit the München beer
The word for today is… null (adj) – 1. Having no legal force; invalid. 2. Of no consequence, effect, or value; insignificant. 3. Amounting to nothing; absent or nonexistent. 4. (Mathematics) Of or relating to a set having no members or to zero magnitude. (Noun) – 1. Zero; nothing. 2. An instrument
The word for today is… masterful (adj) – 1. Acting or capable of acting as a master or leader, especially in being domineering or imperious. 2. Having or showing mastery or skill. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Some commentators insist that masterful must only mean “domineering,” reserving the “expert, skillful” sense
You know journalism is dead when a reporter asks the prime minister if it’s okay for a comedian to make a joke at a press conference about COVID-19. Without being a mind reader, which most modern journalists have become, it’s as if this person thought for a
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com Our Glasgow office manager David rang the other day. He’s in the office with only one staff member in attendance, she a young Russian girl (the others are in a necessary ‘lockdown’ because the schools are closed and they have children) while another, my
The word for today is… harangue (noun) – 1. A long pompous speech, especially one delivered before a gathering. 2. A speech or piece of writing characterised by strong feeling or expression; a tirade. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : In Old Italian, the noun aringo referred to a public assembly, the
Thanks to Jacinda Ardern’s decision to lock down New Zealand businesses and destroy the economy, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis are now looking for employment. As one of those people I have been looking at government jobs. In times like these a government job is one of the most
The word for today is… envisage (verb) – 1. To conceive an image or a picture of, especially as a future possibility. 2. To consider or regard in a certain way. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Envisage has been part of the English language since the 17th century. It was sometimes
