Thomas Buckley Thomas Buckley is the former mayor of Lake Elsinore, Cal. and a former newspaper reporter. He is currently the operator of a small communications and planning consultancy. brownstone.org “I remember when Friday used to mean something,” said the dishevelled man on the bus. Dependent poverty has a
Just stop talking sweetie… Tory Whanau says speculation about her night out at Wellington’s Havana Bar last month is “definitely rumours”. In an interview with NZ Herald, Whanau made comments about the night that caused her to come forward about her drinking problem, but she would not go into
The word for today is… faze (verb): : to disturb the composure of : disconcert, daunt Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you’re hazy on faze, let us filter out the fuzz. Faze (not to be confused with phase) first appeared in English in the early 1800s with the same meaning we
Rawiri reminds me of Mrs Brown… Change my mind. Discuss it on The BFD. If you would like to access exclusive Member content or just remove the ads to make your reading experience more enjoyable click here to browse our Membership options.If you enjoyed this article please share it
The word for today is… tentative (adjective, noun): adjective 1: not fully worked out or developed 2: hesitant, uncertain noun : something that is uncertain or subject to change : something that is tentative Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Tentative is from the Latin tentare (“to attempt”), and its original meaning was “attempted,
All that Greymouth woman Brittany Kremers has wanted is to live a normal life and to look and feel normal, but she’s lived with pain and facial disfigurement for two decades after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer as a child. Brittany hoped a prosthetic would mean she could
The word for today is… coax (verb): 1: to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : wheedle 2: to draw, gain, or persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery 3: to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with considerable effort toward a desired state or activity 4 obsolete
The word for today is… sartorial (adjective): : of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes broadly : of or relating to clothes Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : It’s easy to uncover the root of sartorial. Just strip off the suffix -ial and you discover the Latin noun sartor, meaning “tailor”
In a paywalled opinion piece yesterday, Steven Joyce took aim at centralisation. Those who supported the change of government will be happy with the early signs, while those who voted for the losing side are proving to be loud in their grief. Such is democracy. […] Wellington’s story is one
The word for today is… fervid (adjective): 1: very hot : burning 2: marked by often extreme fervor Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Fervid comes from the Latin verb fervere, meaning “to boil” or “to glow,” as well as, by extension, “to seethe” or “to be roused.” In English, this root gave
Shane MacGowan, the sandpapery-voiced former Pogues frontman who served as the bridge between traditional Irish folk music and punk rock, died on Thursday at the age of 65. MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Clarke, confirmed the musician’s death in a statement. The BBC wrote that MacGowan “died peacefully at 3.
The word for today is… nepotism (noun): : favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Nepotism is favoritism based on kinship, especially in professional contexts. English speakers have kept nepotism in the family since the late 1600s, having adopted it from the French, who
Explaining is losing: Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has admitted she has a drinking problem after another incident of drunken behaviour in public. The admission follows questions by RNZ about what happened at an inner-city bar two weekends ago. In a written statement to RNZ, the mayor said she had a
The word for today is… grok (verb)): : to understand profoundly and intuitively Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Grok may be the only English word that derives from Martian. Yes, I do mean the language of the planet Mars. No, I’m not getting too weird; we’ve just ventured into the
Former prime minister Chris Hipkins is giving his first press conference as leader of the Opposition, as the Labour Party gets stuck into the new National-led Government with new claims of a “growing fiscal hole”. “I said during the election campaign I was expecting this coalition to be a coalition
The word for today is… lionise (verb): : to treat as an object of great interest or importance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : It is perhaps no surprise that humans have long projected qualities of bravery and regality upon the proverbial “king of the beasts.” It is precisely those and similar admirable
