ETYMOLOGY: GANG, GANGSTER
GIVEN THAT WE have a gangster as president (attempted extortion, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, “take her out,” …), the word and its root “gang” belong in my series of … Continue reading
FOUR AND TWENTY, FOUR TWENTIES + NINETEEN, FOUR AND TWO-AND-A-HALF TWENTIES FORTY OR FIGHT! PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE dealt with four and twenty blackbirds in one way and another. (Don’t ask.) Today in Part 2, we see how German, French, and Danish languages handle counting. You’ll … Continue reading
FOUR AND TWENTY, FOUR TWENTIES + NINETEEN, FOUR AND TWO-AND-A-HALF TWENTIES FORTY OR FIGHT! PART 1
AM I REGRESSING to nursery rhymes in my dotage? No, it’s just that the recent “See You and Raise You 40” here at SimanaitisSays reminded me of “four and twenty … Continue reading
SEE YOU AND RAISE YOU 40
WHAT WITH the Coronavirus being battled around the world, the word “quarantine” is much in the news these days. Quarantine comes from the Italian, quaranta giorni, 40 days, the enforced … Continue reading
ETYMOLOOGY: DEUTSCHESPRACH AND OTHERS
THE GERMAN LANGUAGE is great at word-building. For instance, I recall the following storefront signage. Come to think of it, my source for this photo, translated into German, is another … Continue reading
ACTION! CUT?? PART 2
YESTERDAY’S TOPIC of extended takes in cinematography focused on Orson Welles’ film noir Touch of Evil. Today, in Part 2, we confirm French director Jean-Luc Godard’s truism that cinematographic truth … Continue reading
ACTION! CUT?? PART 1
“FILM IS TRUTH 24 times a second,” French film director Jean-Luc Godard said, “and every cut is a lie.” Given this, almost all films are filled with falsity: They’re formed … Continue reading
WELCOME TO 2020!
LET’S BEGIN 2020 with laughs and hope they continue throughout the year. These particular tidbits come from Robert Benchley, a member of the famed Algonquin Round Table. During the 1920s, … Continue reading
A CHRISTMAS CAROL ANNOTATIONS
WHAT WITH CHRISTMAS only four days away, I have just completed my annual reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, in the annotated edition, of course. Culinary aspects of Dickens’ tale … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: THUG
I RECOGNIZED that the word “thug” had to do with Hindi thugees, but that was where my knowledge ended. Now that we have a thug in our country’s highest office, … Continue reading
