December 11, 2008

ablaut \ABH-lout\, noun:

• the systematic substitution of one root vowel sound for another in different inflectional forms or derivatives of a word, as in ring, rang, rung

by 1849, from German Ablaut, literally, "off-sound," from ab "off" + Laut "sound, tone," from Old High German hlut. It was popularized by Jacob Grimm.

Slow Burn

• An insult that doesnt sink in for awhile.

When Jasmine figured out that slow burn comment from the girl at the bar, she was so pissed. Hes an idiot, you can say any sort of shit to his face and itll be a slow burn. He wont figure it out for days.

Trivia

What company's New York Stock Exchange symbol is the letter C?

• Citigroup. It took over the C in 1988 when Chrysler was absorbed by Daimler-Benz and became DCX. Citigroup’s previous symbol was CCI.

Today in History:

• Edward VIII: the king of Great Britain and Ireland became the first English monarch to abdicate the throne voluntarily; he did it for love of divorcee Wallis Simpson; they became the duke and duchess of Windsor (1936)
• Chechnya: Moscow sent in troops to restore control over the region (1994)

Today's Birthdays:

• Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): composer, Symphonie fantastique
• Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006): first Arabic-language winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
• Rita Moreno (77): actress who played Anita in West Side Story; other actors born on this date include Lynda Day George and Teri Garr (both 64) and Bess Armstrong (55)
• David Gates (68): singer/songwriter, Bread
• Mos Def (35): rapper/actor, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Nikki Sixx (50): Birth Name: Franklin Carlton Serafino Feranna, bassist / Mötley Crüe