Sunday, July 12, 2009

ineffable \in-EF-uh-buhl\, adjective:

1. Incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable.
2. Not to be uttered; taboo.

Ineffable is from Latin ineffabilis, from in-, "not" + effabilis, "utterable," from effari, "to utter," from ex-, "out" + fari, "to speak."

air jerk

• Making a 'jerking off' motion with one's hand to express disgust, disinterest or disbelief, while simulatenously rolling one's eyes. Similar to concept of playing air guitar.

I think she's pissed. She just gave me an air jerk and walked away.
Trivia
How did Hg end up as the chemical symbol for mercury?

• Hg is an abbreviation of mercury’s Latin name, hydrargyrum, which means “liquid silver.”

Today in History:

• Henry VIII: married his sixth (and final) wife, Catherine Parr; she outlived him by a year (1543)
• Medal of Honor: the top US military decoration was authorized by Congress (1862)
• the Rolling Stones: performed their first concert, at London's Marquee Club (1962)
• Geraldine Ferraro: became the first woman nominated for US vice president on a major-party ticket; she was chosen by Democratic candidate Walter Mondale (1984)

Today's Birthdays:

• Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920): painter and sculptor; artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) shared this birth date
• Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960): award-winning lyricist, Show Boat, The Sound of Music
• Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983): engineer and inventor of the geodesic dome; plus, innovator in photography George Eastman (1854-1932)
• Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862): transcendentalist who lived for two years in a hut on Walden Pond and wrote of his experiences
• Bill Cosby (72): actor and comedian who broke ground with his roles on I Spy and The Cosby Show; other actors born on this date include Denise Nicholas (63), Anna Friel (33), Michelle Rodriguez and Topher Grace (both 31)
• Richard Simmons (61): fitness guru
• Kristi Yamaguchi (38): champion figure skater