Saturday, May 8, 2010

chevron \SHEV--ruh-n\, noun:

1. A badge consisting of stripes meeting at an angle, worn on the sleeve by noncommissioned officers, police officers, etc., as an indication of rank, service, or the like.

2. A V-shaped pattern, especially a kind of fret used in architecture.

3. Also called chevron weave, a herringbone pattern in textiles.

4. In skiing, a method of going up a slope in which a skier sets the skis in a form resembling a V, and, placing weight on the inside edges, advances the skis by turns using the poles from behind for push and support.

Chevron derives from Old French chevron, "rafter", which relates to the Latin caper, "goat". The connection between the two meanings is assumed to be the resemblance in shape between rafters and a goat's hind legs.

whatever lifts your luggage

• Synonymous with "whatever floats your boat."

"That gay hooker that renowned homophobe Dr. Rekers hired when he went overseas is not cute at all, but, whatever lifts your luggage."

Trivia

What South American country has a navy even though it’s been landlocked since 1883?

• Bolivia, which lost 250 miles of Pacific coastline to neighboring Chile as a result of the War of the Pacific, which was fought for control of the nitrate-rich Atacama Desert.

History

• Mississippi River: was reached by Spanish conquistador Hernando do Soto (1541)
• Reign of Terror: Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was guillotined (1794)
• pyroclastic flow: Martinique's Mt. Pelée erupted a cloud of hot gas, ash and rock, killing 40,000 people (1902)
• eye bank: a collection of corneas donated after death was established for the first time, in New York City (1944)
• V-E Day: the UK and US celebrated their victory over Nazi Germany, a day after Germany signed an unconditional surrender (1945)

Birthdays

• Jean-Henri Dunant (1828-1910): founder of the International Red Cross
• Harry S. Truman (1884-1972): haberdasher who became the 33rd POTUS
• David Attenborough (84): environmentalist who pioneered the nature documentary
• Don Rickles (84): caustic comedian
• Thomas Pynchon (73): author of V. and Gravity's Rainbow; other writers born on this date include Edward Gibbon (1737-1794), Thomas Costain (1885-1965), Edmund Wilson (1895-1972) and Romain Gary (1914-1980)
• Keith Jarrett (65): jazz and classical pianist/composer; musicians Toni Tennille (70?), Rick Nelson (1940-1985), Philip Bailey (59), Chris Frantz (59), Alex Van Halen (57) and Enrique Iglesias (35) share this birth date