Word of the Day for Thursday, December 6, 2007

deracinate \dee-RAS-uh-nayt\, transitive verb:

1. To pluck up by the roots; to uproot.
2. To displace from one's native or accustomed environment.

Urban Word of the Day
www.urbandictionary.com

December 06, 2007: pre-sequitur
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pre-sequitur&defid=2674550

• Like a non-sequitur, a pre-sequitur doesn't follow what immediately preceded it, but instead relates to something that came much earlier. It is a sudden or jarring break in the chronology, but it does follow... when you remember what it refers to.

Jen: Why did you leave Los Angeles?
Keith: Well... have you ever lived there?
Jen: I visited once, for a week. I liked the street performers on the boardwalk...
Keith: Oh, the boardwalk is where I got this red scarf!
Jen: I was trying to knit a scarf just like that last year but I never finished.
Keith: Where do you get yarn around here?
Jen: There's a good store just a few blocks from here, wanna come see?

... ten minutes later ...

Jen: Huh, do you smell Indian food?
Keith: Hmm, not really... but now I'm in the mood to get some Indian Food.
Jen: Sure, let's!
Keith: It was the pollution, that's why.
Jen: pollution?
Keith: Yeah, I wanted somewhere with real air, and LA wasn't it!
Jen: Oh, why you left Los Angeles

Trivia

When it comes to your body, where are your zygomatic bones?

• On your face—they’re your cheekbones, the arch of bone under each eye that forms the prominent part of your cheeks.

Today in History

• The Washington Post: leading US newspaper known for its accurate reporting was first published (1877)
• Halifax explosion: fires and a tsunami destroyed one quarter of Halifax after WWI supply ships collided in port (1917)
• Irish Free State: precursor to today's Republic of Ireland was formed under the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1922)
• Manhattan Project: the US began secret work on nuclear weapons, following the discovery of nuclear fission in Nazi Germany (1941)

Today's Holiday

• Independence Day (Finland)

Today's Birthdays

• Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918): American poet who wrote "Trees"; he was later killed in WWI
• Ira Gershwin (1896-1983): lyricist whose 1932 Pulitzer Prize was the first ever for a musical comedy
• Dave Brubeck (87): jazz pianist/composer, "Take Five"
• Steven Wright (52): Oscar-winning comedian/actor
• Janine Turner (45): actress, Northern Exposure, Cliffhanger