Monday, August 10, 2009

peradventure \puhr-uhd-VEN-chuhr; pehr-\ , adverb:

1. [Archaic] Possibly; perhaps.

noun:

1. Chance, uncertainty, or doubt.

Origin: Peradventure derives from Old French per aventure, "by chance," from per, "through" (from Latin) + aventure, "chance," ultimately from the past participle of Latin advenire, "to arrive," from ad-, "to; toward" + venire, "to come."
aggressive passive

• A word describing somebody who is uncomfortable being openly amiable and kind, so they give more subtle hints to their goodwill while maintaining a disagreeable exterior. See also.

That man spent the entire meal complaining to me about my service, and then he left me a $5 tip. He's totally aggressive passive.

Trivia
What did repeat marathon winner Rodgers Rop of Kenya name his firstborn son?

• Boston, after his first marathon victory—in 2002 in Boston.

Today in History:

• Ferdinand Magellan: set sail from Seville to circumnavigate the globe; of the five ships that set out under his command, only one — the Victoria — returned to Spain (1519)
• Smithsonian Institution: was created with $500,000 left by English scientist James Smithson (1846)
• Son of Sam: New York serial killer David Berkowitz was arrested (1977)
• Yuri Malenchenko: Ukrainian cosmonaut became the first person to be married in space, to a woman on the ground in Texas (2003)

Today's Birthdays:

• Herbert Hoover (1874-1964): 31st POTUS, believed in private enterprise
• Jorge Amado (1912-2001): novelist, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands; plus, writer Alfred Döblin (1878-1957)
• Ian Anderson (62): musician, Jethro Tull; singers Jimmy Dean and Eddie Fisher (both 81), Patti Austin (59) and Jon Farriss (48) share this birth date
• Antonio Banderas (49): actor/voice actor, The Mask of Zorro, Puss in Boots in the Shrek sequels; also, actors Kate O'Mara (70), James Reynolds (63), Daniel Hugh Kelly (57), Rosanna Arquette (50), Justin Theroux (38) and Angie Harmon (37)
• Phoolan Devi (1963-2001): gang leader who became a member of India's Parliament