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

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

WoD - attenuate

at·ten·u·ate   /v. əˈtɛnyuˌeɪt; adj. əˈtɛnyuɪt, -ˌeɪt/ Show Spelled [v. uh-ten-yoo-eyt; adj. uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt]

–verb (used with object)
1. to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value: to attenuate desire.
2. to make thin; make slender or fine.
3. Bacteriology, Immunology . to render less virulent, as a strain of pathogenic virus or bacterium.
4. Electronics . to decrease the amplitude of (an electronic signal).
–verb (used without object)
5. to become thin or fine; lessen.
–adjective
6. weakened; diminishing.
7. Botany . tapering gradually to a narrow extremity.

Origin:
1520–30; < L attenuātus (ptp. of attenuāre to thin, reduce).

WoD - acrimony

ac·ri·mo·ny   /ˈækrəˌmoʊni/ Show Spelled[ak-ruh-moh-nee]

–noun
sharpness, harshness, or bitterness of nature, speech, disposition, etc.: The speaker attacked him with great acrimony.

Origin:
1535–45; < L ācrimōnia, equiv. to ācri- (s. of ācer ) sharp, sour + -mōnia -mony

In Our Time

Melvin Bragg and guests discuss the history of ideas...

In Our Time is a long running Radio 4 programme, in which a myriad ideas are discussed. There are numerous classical themed episodes available in the archive; at the moment I'm listening to one about Virgil's Aeneid, with classics professors from UCL, Durham and Oxford.

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