Smart was first used in Old English to
describe things that cause pain. Weapons, nails, and darts were
smart. Shakespeare’s Henry VI has the phrase “as smart as
lizards’ stings.” It took on connotations of sharpness,
quickness, intensity, and, through smart, pain-causing words or
wit came to stand for quick intelligence and fashionableness.
Egregious was a
positive word that turned negative. It used to mean "eminent and
distinguished," but because people started using it
sarcastically, it came to mean "bad and offensive."
Sad started with the
meaning of "satisfied or sated," also sometimes "steadfast" or
"firm." It then went from meaning "serious," to "grave," to
"sorrowful."
Smug first meant
"crisp, tidy, and presentable." A well-dressed person was smug
in this way, and it later came to mean "self-satisfied and
conceited."
Devious comes from de
via, "off the way." It once meant "distant" or "off the road."
It took on the meaning of wandering, such as devious comets,
devious minnows, and, because to do wrong was to stray from the
right path, it eventually came to mean "scheming and deceitful."
Facetiousness was once
to have elegant, gracious, high style, and to be jokey and
witty. It came from a Latin term for playful humorousness. It is
still connected with a type of humor, but with an unproductive
or annoying connotation.
Bully used to be a term
of endearment for men or women. A bully could be a good friend
or a sweetheart. It then came to stand for a swaggering braggart
and than a coward who picks on others.
Jun 5, 2020
Friends With Benefits
When the show came to an end, the cast of the
popular TV show Friends negotiated syndication rights for
themselves. That means they receive a percentage of the revenue
(2 percent) from reruns airing across all broadcasting
companies. Since the much-loved TV show still pulls in around $1
billion of revenue, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Jennifer
Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry each make
about $20 million per year.
Costco Shopping Tip
According to Redditt, “For extra lean (and cheap) ground beef,
ask the meat department for a 10lb chub. We sell our regular
ground beef (88/12 percent) for $3.49 a pound. The way we make
it is we take our fat trimmings from cutting steaks and mix it
with the chubs to bring up the fat content and increase our
profits. The 10lb chubs are probably sitting around 5 percent –
8 percent fat and only cost $2.99 a pound. You will have to ask
for these specifically as we don’t normally put them out for
sale.”
One interesting tip is to request a chub of beef. Although most people are unfamiliar with this meat-packing term, a “chub” is a tube of ground beef, sealed in plastic. Looking a bit like an over-sized hot dog, chubs contain the same ground beef, but in packaging that is less expensive than the traditional foam box with clear plastic topper. The Costco deli can package your beef at your request and the chub is usually sold at a discount.
One interesting tip is to request a chub of beef. Although most people are unfamiliar with this meat-packing term, a “chub” is a tube of ground beef, sealed in plastic. Looking a bit like an over-sized hot dog, chubs contain the same ground beef, but in packaging that is less expensive than the traditional foam box with clear plastic topper. The Costco deli can package your beef at your request and the chub is usually sold at a discount.
Google Tip
If you know you are looking for a PDF, Excel spreadsheet,
PowerPoint presentation or another type of file that has been
uploaded to the web, you can search “filetype:PDF,”
“filetype:xlsx,” “filetype:ppt” etc. It is a quick way to find
reports from agencies, and examples of presentations on certain
topics and more.
Five Ways to be Happy
Know that you are in control of your happiness.
Science tells us that about 50 percent of our happiness is based
on genetic factors, 10 percent is on environmental factors
(marital status, health, career), and the remaining 40 percent
consists of the activities that we intentionally choose to
participate in. Simply realizing that you can do something about
how happy you are is a powerful first step on your journey to a
happier life.
Choose specific activities. The results of several "happiness experiments" in a research lab showed that people who made very specific plans, including an activity, a time, and his/her companions, were the happiest people in the study. Pick an activity that you have always wanted to try, like signing up for a dance class, exploring a museum, trying a new food, or traveling to a new place.
The more the merrier. You have probably heard this all your life, but that is because it is scientifically true. In studies, we saw that people who enjoyed an activity with someone else — a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend — were the happiest people. Find a partner in happiness, make a plan, and as the date approaches, the anticipation you experience will increase your hope, which is a major factor in creating happiness.
Exercise. This is one of those activities that you can make more fun with a partner in happiness, and it is an important one to incorporate into your lifestyle if you are seeking greater happiness. Studies show that people who exercise are about 20 percent happier on average. As you may have heard, exercising releases endorphins, which basically make the brain happier. Just 20 focused minutes of walking a day can make a difference.
Get enough sleep. People who are sleep-deprived tend to remember negative thoughts more easily than positive thoughts. Even cat naps or power naps during the day will help boost your mood.
Choose specific activities. The results of several "happiness experiments" in a research lab showed that people who made very specific plans, including an activity, a time, and his/her companions, were the happiest people in the study. Pick an activity that you have always wanted to try, like signing up for a dance class, exploring a museum, trying a new food, or traveling to a new place.
The more the merrier. You have probably heard this all your life, but that is because it is scientifically true. In studies, we saw that people who enjoyed an activity with someone else — a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend — were the happiest people. Find a partner in happiness, make a plan, and as the date approaches, the anticipation you experience will increase your hope, which is a major factor in creating happiness.
Exercise. This is one of those activities that you can make more fun with a partner in happiness, and it is an important one to incorporate into your lifestyle if you are seeking greater happiness. Studies show that people who exercise are about 20 percent happier on average. As you may have heard, exercising releases endorphins, which basically make the brain happier. Just 20 focused minutes of walking a day can make a difference.
Get enough sleep. People who are sleep-deprived tend to remember negative thoughts more easily than positive thoughts. Even cat naps or power naps during the day will help boost your mood.
Happy Friday
If you wake up with a
smile, you will go to bed happy and vice versa.
I like to do both, especially on a Happy Friday!
I like to do both, especially on a Happy Friday!
Wordology, Disgruntled
Back in the 1600s “gruntling” meant
“grumbling.” So if someone was gruntling, they were even more
upset if they were disgruntling. The first known use of
“gruntled” as an adjective to mean “in good humor” or “pleased”
in the Oxford English Dictionary is attributed to P.G.
Wodehouse, who included this sentence in his 1938 novel The Code
of the Woosters: "He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his
voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was
far from being gruntled."
Instead of being negative, the “dis-” prefix in “disgruntled” is an intensifier. It means “utterly” or “completely” and adds emphasis to the root.
Gruntled” is a back-formation that people derived from “disgruntled.” In other words, so many people thought “disgruntled” should have the corresponding positive word, “gruntled,” that it emerged and was accepted.
Instead of being negative, the “dis-” prefix in “disgruntled” is an intensifier. It means “utterly” or “completely” and adds emphasis to the root.
Gruntled” is a back-formation that people derived from “disgruntled.” In other words, so many people thought “disgruntled” should have the corresponding positive word, “gruntled,” that it emerged and was accepted.
Superman Fact
The original comic book Superman could leap tall buildings in a
single bound, but then he had to come back down to Earth,
because he did not fly. It was not until the 1940s, when
animators for a new animated series decided it would be too
difficult to routinely draw him bending his knees, that it was
decided that Superman could take off into the air. Readers were
able to see smooth animation, and a superhero gained a new
power.
Google Tip
If
you are looking for comparisons or more varied reviews, an easy
way to find them is to type the name of the product you are
interested in into Google, followed by “vs.” An example is
iphone vs. android. You will see other popular alternatives.
Wordology, Pronounciations
Crayon - Some people pronounce it
cray-awn, rhyming with "dawn," and others pronounce it cray-ahn,
rhyming with "man." According to Crayola, the correct way to say
it is cray-awn, but even they admit that there are too many
regional differences to try and implement a single
pronunciation.
Coupon - You do not pronounce the word "cool" with a /q/ sound, so you would not think to pronounce the word "coupon" with a /q/ sound either. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Though the word's accepted pronunciation is the simple koo-pon, many an educated individual pronounce the first syllable of the word like "kyoo," as if they are sounding out the letter q.
Poem - Wherever you travel to in the United States, you will find people who pronounce the word "poem" as both pome (rhyming with "home") and po-emme. The pronunciation of this word is not limited to regions, but to personal preference.
Bowie Knife - Bow-ie knife, or Boo-wie knife, depends on who you are talking to. In the Harvard Dialect Survey, researchers found that approximately 19 percent of respondents, most of whom lived in the Northeast region pronounced it the second way.
Monday - Most people will say the days of the week—Monday, Tuesday, etc.—and pronounce the second syllable so that it rhymes with "day." A small portion of the population, however, primarily in the South and Midwest, will say this syllable so that it rhymes with "dee."
Huge - A majority of Americans pronounce the letter "h" in words like "huge. In the Harvard Dialect Survey, though, approximately 3 percent of respondents, mostly people in the Northeast, do not pronounce the "h" sound when saying words like "huge," "humor," "humongous," and "human."
Quarter - Most Americans pronounce the word "quarter" so that it has a [kw] sound at the beginning. However, some people in the Northeast and Midwestern regions pronounce this word so that the first syllable is more of a [k] sound.
Roof - There are actually two common ways to pronounce this four-letter word. While people born and raised in the West tend to pronounce the word as if it rhymes with "hoof," those from the East see it as rhyming with "poof."
Coupon - You do not pronounce the word "cool" with a /q/ sound, so you would not think to pronounce the word "coupon" with a /q/ sound either. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Though the word's accepted pronunciation is the simple koo-pon, many an educated individual pronounce the first syllable of the word like "kyoo," as if they are sounding out the letter q.
Poem - Wherever you travel to in the United States, you will find people who pronounce the word "poem" as both pome (rhyming with "home") and po-emme. The pronunciation of this word is not limited to regions, but to personal preference.
Bowie Knife - Bow-ie knife, or Boo-wie knife, depends on who you are talking to. In the Harvard Dialect Survey, researchers found that approximately 19 percent of respondents, most of whom lived in the Northeast region pronounced it the second way.
Monday - Most people will say the days of the week—Monday, Tuesday, etc.—and pronounce the second syllable so that it rhymes with "day." A small portion of the population, however, primarily in the South and Midwest, will say this syllable so that it rhymes with "dee."
Huge - A majority of Americans pronounce the letter "h" in words like "huge. In the Harvard Dialect Survey, though, approximately 3 percent of respondents, mostly people in the Northeast, do not pronounce the "h" sound when saying words like "huge," "humor," "humongous," and "human."
Quarter - Most Americans pronounce the word "quarter" so that it has a [kw] sound at the beginning. However, some people in the Northeast and Midwestern regions pronounce this word so that the first syllable is more of a [k] sound.
Roof - There are actually two common ways to pronounce this four-letter word. While people born and raised in the West tend to pronounce the word as if it rhymes with "hoof," those from the East see it as rhyming with "poof."
Six Words That Changed Meaning
Fun was first a verb meaning "to cheat
or hoax." It came from fon, an old word for "fool." It still
retains some of that sense in “make fun of,” but now also means
a good time.
Fond also goes back to fon, and it once meant "foolish and weak-minded." It came to then mean over-affectionate in a negative, cloying way. Now it is positive. At its root, being fond of something is basically being a fool for it.
Terrific root is terror, and it first meant terror-inducing. It then became an exaggerated intensifier (“terrifically good!” = so good it is terrifying) and then a positive term.
Tremendous has its roots in fear. Something tremendous was so terrible it caused trembling or shaking. It also became an intensifier (“tremendously good!”) before it became positive.
Awe originally referred to “immediate and active fear.” It then became associated with religious, reverential fear, and then to a feeling of being humbled at the sublime. While awful retains the negative sense, awesome took on the positive one.
To grin was to bare the teeth in a threatening display of anger or pain. It then became the term for a forced, fake smile, before settling into an expression of happiness.
Fond also goes back to fon, and it once meant "foolish and weak-minded." It came to then mean over-affectionate in a negative, cloying way. Now it is positive. At its root, being fond of something is basically being a fool for it.
Terrific root is terror, and it first meant terror-inducing. It then became an exaggerated intensifier (“terrifically good!” = so good it is terrifying) and then a positive term.
Tremendous has its roots in fear. Something tremendous was so terrible it caused trembling or shaking. It also became an intensifier (“tremendously good!”) before it became positive.
Awe originally referred to “immediate and active fear.” It then became associated with religious, reverential fear, and then to a feeling of being humbled at the sublime. While awful retains the negative sense, awesome took on the positive one.
To grin was to bare the teeth in a threatening display of anger or pain. It then became the term for a forced, fake smile, before settling into an expression of happiness.
Happy Friday
Keep your head up so everyone can see your smile.
I like to smile so all can see I am enjoying a Happy Friday!
National Nurse Week
Every year we celebrate this holiday, but this year is especially
relevant. National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and
ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. Florence
Nightingale was a celebrated English, social reformer,
statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. The theme this
year is Compassion|Expertise|Trust.
SpaceX Starlink Broadband
The new satellite service from Elon Musk is
almost here. Musk said that private beta testing for the service
will begin in about three months, with public beta testing
beginning in about six months.
In early 2019, SpaceX received approval to launch 12,000 satellites into space to build a low earth orbit network of satellites, enabling the company to sell home internet. After another successful launch of 60 satellites, there are now 422 Starlink satellites in orbit.
This week, SpaceX’s director of satellite policy, David Goldman, said in a document filed with the FCC that limited service will be offered by the end of this year, with rapid expansion to “near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.”
In early 2019, SpaceX received approval to launch 12,000 satellites into space to build a low earth orbit network of satellites, enabling the company to sell home internet. After another successful launch of 60 satellites, there are now 422 Starlink satellites in orbit.
This week, SpaceX’s director of satellite policy, David Goldman, said in a document filed with the FCC that limited service will be offered by the end of this year, with rapid expansion to “near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.”
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