Green Eggs and Ham contains just fifty words.
Doctor Seuss' publisher, Bennett Cerf bet him fifty dollars he could
not write a book using just fifty words. Cerf lost. Forty nine of
the fifty words are one syllable words.
The U.S. Constitution has 4,543 words, including signatures. Abraham
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contained 271 words. The US Tax Code
has about 3,800,000 words, but is constantly being updated.
Apr 27, 2012
Knock Off Work
The phrase, which means to quit work for the
day, originated in the days of ships propelled by oarsmen. To keep
the oarsmen rowing in unison, a man with the gift of perfect rhythm
would beat time on a block of wood; when it was time to rest or
change shifts, he’d give a special knock. The term to knock off
became popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Apr 24, 2012
What's in a Name, Beverly Hills
The area we now call
Beverly Hills was a series of ranches until it was purchased in the
1880s by two men named Charles Denker and Henry Hammel. Their
ultimate ambition was to turn the area into a “North-African themed
subdivision called Morocco.” Severe drought and an economic collapse
forced them to sell the land in 1900 to the Amalgamated Oil Company.
After the company failed to find oil under the land, they changed
their name to Rodeo Land and Water Company and called the area
Beverly Hills, after Beverly Farms in Massachusetts.
Beverly Farms itself is named after the town of Beverly, which it skirts. The town was once a popular tourist resort; President Taft had a summer house there. It also claims to be the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, although this is debated. In 1668, English settlers named the town after the village of Beverley in Yorkshire, England.
So why was this English town called Beverley? Because in the 700s, a bishop named John founded a monastery in the town of Inderawuda and called it Beverlac, possibly after a colony of beavers in a nearby river.
Eventually a slightly altered version of the name came to stand for the whole town, and Bishop John became known as St. John of Beverley after his canonization in 1037.
There you have it: Beverly Hills is actually named after some medieval English beavers.
Beverly Farms itself is named after the town of Beverly, which it skirts. The town was once a popular tourist resort; President Taft had a summer house there. It also claims to be the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, although this is debated. In 1668, English settlers named the town after the village of Beverley in Yorkshire, England.
So why was this English town called Beverley? Because in the 700s, a bishop named John founded a monastery in the town of Inderawuda and called it Beverlac, possibly after a colony of beavers in a nearby river.
Eventually a slightly altered version of the name came to stand for the whole town, and Bishop John became known as St. John of Beverley after his canonization in 1037.
There you have it: Beverly Hills is actually named after some medieval English beavers.
Eight Regional Slang Words
English is bad enough
without more words, but it seems some parts of our great country
have come up with some words of their own.
whoopensocker (n.), Wisconsin - Whoopensocker can refer to anything extraordinary of its kind, from a sweet dance move to a knee-melting kiss.
wapatuli, (n.), Wisconsin - Nearly everyone who has been to college in America has either concocted a homemade alcoholic drink with any combination of hard liquors or other beverages. A wapatuli can also refer to the occasion at which that stuff is consumed. In Kentucky, the word for terrible liquor is splo, while in the mid-Atlantic, moonshine is ratgut or rotgut.
jabble (v.), Virginia - When you are standing at your front door rifling through your purse for fifteen minutes because you can’t find your keys it is because all the stuff in your purse is all jabbled up. It means 'to shake up or mix', but can also be used as 'to confuse'.
sneetered (v.), Kentucky - If you’ve ever been hoodwinked, duped, swindled, fleeced, or scammed, you have been sneetered. The noun version, sniter, refers to that treacherous person responsible for your unfortunate sneetering.
chinchy (adj.), South, Midwest - This useful word perfectly describes your stingy friend who is too cheap to split the bill or pay his fair share.
mizzle-witted (adj.), South - This word means 'mentally dull', but depending on where you are in the country, mizzle can also be used as a verb meaning 'to confuse', 'to depart in haste' or 'to abscond'.
mug-up (n.), Alaska - When Alaskans take a break from work to grab a cup of coffee, they are enjoying a “mug-up” or coffee break.
bufflehead or bufflebrain (n.), Pennsylvania - This word means a fool or idiot. I guess calling someone a mizzle-witted bufflehead would be doubly unkind.
whoopensocker (n.), Wisconsin - Whoopensocker can refer to anything extraordinary of its kind, from a sweet dance move to a knee-melting kiss.
wapatuli, (n.), Wisconsin - Nearly everyone who has been to college in America has either concocted a homemade alcoholic drink with any combination of hard liquors or other beverages. A wapatuli can also refer to the occasion at which that stuff is consumed. In Kentucky, the word for terrible liquor is splo, while in the mid-Atlantic, moonshine is ratgut or rotgut.
jabble (v.), Virginia - When you are standing at your front door rifling through your purse for fifteen minutes because you can’t find your keys it is because all the stuff in your purse is all jabbled up. It means 'to shake up or mix', but can also be used as 'to confuse'.
sneetered (v.), Kentucky - If you’ve ever been hoodwinked, duped, swindled, fleeced, or scammed, you have been sneetered. The noun version, sniter, refers to that treacherous person responsible for your unfortunate sneetering.
chinchy (adj.), South, Midwest - This useful word perfectly describes your stingy friend who is too cheap to split the bill or pay his fair share.
mizzle-witted (adj.), South - This word means 'mentally dull', but depending on where you are in the country, mizzle can also be used as a verb meaning 'to confuse', 'to depart in haste' or 'to abscond'.
mug-up (n.), Alaska - When Alaskans take a break from work to grab a cup of coffee, they are enjoying a “mug-up” or coffee break.
bufflehead or bufflebrain (n.), Pennsylvania - This word means a fool or idiot. I guess calling someone a mizzle-witted bufflehead would be doubly unkind.
Reading and Viewing Tip
When you are looking at any page on your
computer screen, including email, there is an option to hold down
the CTRL key and move the scroll wheel on a mouse forward or back to
make the size larger or smaller. If you do not use a mouse, you can
hold down the CTRL key and click on the + (plus sign) or - (minus
sign) to make what you see larger or smaller.
Apr 20, 2012
Happy Friday
There is the beauty of infancy, the beauty of youth, the beauty of maturity, and the beauty of age.
It is also true that young, old, and mature all agree on the beauty of a Happy Friday!
It is also true that young, old, and mature all agree on the beauty of a Happy Friday!
Sounds of the Past
Here are a few things we will likely not hear again. A gas station driveway bell, a flash cube flashing from a camera, a rotary dial sound from a phone, a coffee percolator perking, film moving through a film projector, and scratches from a well used 33 and a third or 45 rpm record.
PB&J Vodka
The fragrance is predominately of peanuts, but it is complimented by the fresh fruit aroma of the raspberry. On the tongue, the roles are reversed and the raspberry flavor is more focal, giving it a velvety texture with a hint of vanilla on the side.
After I read about this I made and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mmmm!
After I read about this I made and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mmmm!
Magnify Small Print
If you can't read that small text on cans, boxes, or anything and you have your phone or digital camera available, use the macro focus feature to snap a photo. You should be able to zoom in and magnify the text enough to read.
Seven Facts From The Seventies
The World Trade Center twin towers were opened in 1973.
Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and killed in Munich by the Palestinian group Black September.
President Nixon resigned in 1974.
Three Mile Island meltdown happened in 1979 and was the worst accident in U.S. nuclear power plant history.
During the oil crisis in 1979, license plates ending in odd numbers could buy gas on odd number days and even number plates on even days.
Lyme disease is named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut, where several cases were identified in 1975.
The IRS regulated alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, until the ATF became its own bureau in 1972.
Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and killed in Munich by the Palestinian group Black September.
President Nixon resigned in 1974.
Three Mile Island meltdown happened in 1979 and was the worst accident in U.S. nuclear power plant history.
During the oil crisis in 1979, license plates ending in odd numbers could buy gas on odd number days and even number plates on even days.
Lyme disease is named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut, where several cases were identified in 1975.
The IRS regulated alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, until the ATF became its own bureau in 1972.
Flutie Flakes
Have you ever heard of these? Buffalo Bills quarterback Doug Flutie released his brand of corn flakes cereal in 1998 to raise money for autism awareness in honor of his son, who is autistic. The cereal ended up being a hit, selling more than 3 million boxes.
He also branched out into other foods, including a fruit snack called Flutie’s Fruities.
He also branched out into other foods, including a fruit snack called Flutie’s Fruities.
What's in a Name, Cheddar Cheese
Cheddar Cheese cheese gets its name from the town of Cheddar in southwest England. Unlike other cheeses named for their town of origin, like Gorgonzola and Parmesan, Cheddar is not covered by a Protected Designation of Origin, which means no matter where it is produced it can still legally be called Cheddar cheese.
Who Was Bartholomew Gosnold
He was a prolific explorer and also gave both Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod their names.
In addition, he pioneered the quickest way to sail from Great Britain to the northeastern seaboard of America. Gosnold recruited John Smith for his Jamestown expedition and a published account of his voyage in 1602 to explore the coast south of Nova Scotia in search of a passage to Asia. He was responsible for popularizing the colonization of New England.
Martha’s Vineyard is named after a daughter of Gosnold who died in infancy. Originally the name was applied to a much smaller island; a “place most pleasant” according to a contemporary source. The larger island was actually called Martin’s Vineyard, after the captain of the ship Gosnold was sailing on, for much of its history. Eventually the feminine name came to stand for the larger island as well. Martha’s Vineyard is the eighth-oldest surviving place name the United States. You can visit the grave of little Martha in the churchyard of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England.
For centuries, codfish have figured prominently in Cape Cod's history and fortunes. Bartholomew caught a ton of cod near this cape and named it in a note in his logbooks about the plentiful "codfyshes" which "pestered" his ship.
Although many explorers and fishermen had sailed New England's waters in the 1500s, Gosnold is credited with the European discovery of New England decades later.
In addition, he pioneered the quickest way to sail from Great Britain to the northeastern seaboard of America. Gosnold recruited John Smith for his Jamestown expedition and a published account of his voyage in 1602 to explore the coast south of Nova Scotia in search of a passage to Asia. He was responsible for popularizing the colonization of New England.
Martha’s Vineyard is named after a daughter of Gosnold who died in infancy. Originally the name was applied to a much smaller island; a “place most pleasant” according to a contemporary source. The larger island was actually called Martin’s Vineyard, after the captain of the ship Gosnold was sailing on, for much of its history. Eventually the feminine name came to stand for the larger island as well. Martha’s Vineyard is the eighth-oldest surviving place name the United States. You can visit the grave of little Martha in the churchyard of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England.
For centuries, codfish have figured prominently in Cape Cod's history and fortunes. Bartholomew caught a ton of cod near this cape and named it in a note in his logbooks about the plentiful "codfyshes" which "pestered" his ship.
Although many explorers and fishermen had sailed New England's waters in the 1500s, Gosnold is credited with the European discovery of New England decades later.
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