Thursday 22 July 2010

WoD - Deracinate

de·rac·in·ate   [dih-ras-uh-neyt]
–verb (used with object), -nat·ed, -nat·ing.
1. to pull up by the roots; uproot; extirpate; eradicate.
2. to isolate or alienate (a person) from a native or customary culture or environment.

Origin:
1590–1600; < F déracin ( er ) (equiv. to dé- dis-1 + -raciner, v. deriv. of racine root < LL rādīcīna for L rādīc-, s. of rādīx ) + -ate1

Tuesday 20 July 2010

On This Day...


The 20th or 21st of July 356BC is usually taken as the birthdate of Alexander III of Macedon, commonly known as Alexander the Great.
After succeeding his father Philip II to the throne, he earned the name 'The Great' by creating one of the largest ancient empires, and leading an 'undefeated' army.

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Monday 5 July 2010

WoD - quiddity

quid·di·ty [kwid-i-tee]

–noun, plural -ties.
1. the quality that makes a thing what it is; the essential nature of a thing.
2. a trifling nicety of subtle distinction, as in argument.


Origin:
1530–40; < ML quidditās, equiv. to L quid what + -itās

Wednesday 30 June 2010

Spartacus: Blood and Sand - the goriest, most red-blooded series the law and human decency will allow...


Bravo has started showing a series based on an unnamed Thracian soldier, and follows his ludicrously gory battles, not to mention numerous scenes of a somewhat sexual theme.
Being a fairly squeamish viewer with an aversion to anything where "roughly every 30 seconds someone gets an axe or sword in the face", I'm going to give it a miss.
Nonetheless, Phelim O'Neill's review and Charlie Brooker's Screen Burn in the Guardian are very entertaining.

WoD - desultory

des·ul·to·ry   /ˈdɛsəlˌtɔri, -ˌtoʊri/ Show Spelled[des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

–adjective
1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.

Origin:
1575–85; < L dēsultōrius pertaining to a dēsultor (a circus rider who jumps from one horse to another), equiv. to dēsul-, var. s. of dēsilīre to jump down ( dē- de- + -silīre, comb. form of salīre to leap) + -tōrius -tory1

Tuesday 29 June 2010

Quarter of A-level students will scoop A* grade in advanced maths and Latin

An interesting piece of research based on last year's Alevel results which predict that the proportion of people achieving A*s this year will vary considerably from subject to subject. It is estimated that a quarter of further maths and Latin results will be A*s, compared to only 2% for English language and media studies.

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WoD - atavism

at·a·vism   /ˈætəˌvɪzəm/ Show Spelled[at-uh-viz-uhm]

–noun
1. Biology .
a. the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations.
b. an individual embodying such a reversion.
2. reversion to an earlier type; throwback.

Origin:
1825–35; < L atav ( us ) remote ancestor ( at-, akin to atta familiar name for a grandfather + avus grandfather, forefather) + -ism