Monday, January 11, 2010

flagitious \fluh-JISH-uhs\, adjective:

1. Disgracefully or shamefully criminal; grossly wicked; scandalous; -- said of acts, crimes, etc.
2. Guilty of enormous crimes; corrupt; profligate; -- said of persons.
3. Characterized by enormous crimes or scandalous vices; as, "flagitious times."

Flagitious comes from Latin flagitiosus, from flagitium, "a shameful or disgraceful act," originally, "a burning desire, heat of passion," from flagitare, "to demand earnestly or hotly," connected with flagrare, "to blaze, to burn."

mid-day crisis

• when one is in a desperate need for a siesta because they become extremely tired in the afternoon and coffee isn't cutting it any longer.

"working at panera sucked today after that wild night of drinking. i had the worst mid-day crisis ever."

Trivia

What child-model-turned-actress donned a blond wig and posed nude to recreate Marilyn Monroe’s famous 1962 Vogue magazine photo spread?

• Lindsay Lohan, in 2008. The bombshell photos, which appeared in New York magazine, were taken by the same photographer, Bert Stern, and in the same setting, the Hotel Bel-Air in Beverly Hills, California, as those of Monroe.

Today in history:

• Amelia Earhart: became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific from Hawaii to California(1935)
• cigarette smoking: US Surgeon General Luther Terry first reported the health hazards involved (1964)
• designated hitter: the American League's team owners voted to allow the use of a different player to bat instead of the pitcher; the National League still bans the practice (1973)
• Rosenkowitz sextuplets: the world's first surviving sextuplets were born in Cape Town (1974)

Today's birthdays:

• Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804): the first US Secretary of the Treasury; he was mortally wounded in a duel with Aaron Burr
• Alan Paton (1903-1988): South African author of Cry, The Beloved Country
• Jean Chrétien (76): former PM of Canada; prime ministers John Macdonald (1815-1891) and Pierre Mendes-France (1907-1982) shared this birth date
• Ben Crenshaw (58): championship golfer
• Mary J. Blige (39): hip-hop and soul singer; musiciansClarence Clemons (68) and Naomi Judd (64) also celebrate birthdays today
• Amanda Peet (38): stage and screen actor, Jack and Jill,A Lot Like Love, Barefoot in the Park; other actors born on this date include Rod Taylor (80), Felix Silla (73) and Rockmond Dunbar (37)