Thursday, May 14, 2009

unctuous \UNGK-choo-us\, adjective:

1. Of the nature or quality of an unguent or ointment; fatty; oily; greasy.
2. Having a smooth, greasy feel, as certain minerals.
3. Insincerely or excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech; marked by a false or smug earnestness or agreeableness.

Unctuous is from Medieval Latin unctuosus, from Latin unctus, "anointed, besmeared, greasy," past participle of unguere, "to anoint, to besmear."

cobra yawn

• The involuntary spraying of saliva while yawning. Much like the venom spray from a cobra. In most cases the yawner doesn't realized it has happened only finding the aftermath once the yawn is over.

I just cobra yawned all over my keyboard five minutes prior to writing this definition.
Trivia
In days of yore, what was the job of a skinker?

• Bartending. A skinker drew ale and poured liquor.

Today in History:

• Louis XIV: became king of France at age 4 (1643)
• Lewis and Clark expedition: began its exploratory journey to the Pacific Ocean (1804)
• Israel: the Jewish state was proclaimed independent; Egypt, Transjordan (later Jordan), Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq declared war on it almost immediately (1948)
• Seinfeld: the final episode aired, with 76 million viewers watching (1998)

Today's Birthdays:

• David Byrne (57): singer with the Talking Heads; musicians Otto Klemperer (1885-1973), Sidney Bechet (1897-1959), Patrice Munsel (84), C.C. DeVille (47), Danny Wood (40) and Shanice (36) were also born on this date
• Ian Astbury (47): singer, The Cult, The New Doors
• Robert Zemeckis (57): director/producer, Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Beowulf; filmmakers George Lucas (65), Tim Roth (48) and Sofia Coppola (38) all share this birth date
• Cate Blanchett (40): Oscar-winner for The Aviator; actor Amber Tamblyn (26) was also born today