Sunday, December 12, 2010

gallivant \GAL-uh-vant\, verb:

1. To wander about, seeking pleasure or diversion; gad.

2. To go about with members of the opposite sex.

Gallivant has an uncertain origin, but likely stems from a playful take on gallant, "brave, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous."

PHOBAR, adjective

• Acronym for "PHOtoshopped Beyond All Recognition." A play on the the more popular acronym FUBAR: "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition," PHOBAR refers to an image, usually a photo of a person, that has been retouched and airbrushed with digital image manipulation software on a computer so significantly, that the person in the photo is barely recognizable.

Of course she looks perfect in that photo, she was PHOBAR.

Trivia

What eccentric American writer created an imaginary creature called a bananafish?

• J. D. Salinger, in his short story A Perfect Day for Bananafish. According to Salinger, the bizarre fish was named for a fatal food fetish—it would dive into holes in reefs in search of bananas and would eat so many of them it became too fat to swim out.

History

• Joseph Rainey: became the first African American to sit in the US House of Representatives (1870)
• The Katzenjammer Kids: oldest comic strip still in syndication debuted (1897)
• Guglielmo Marconi: transmitted the first transatlantic radio signal, from Cornwall to Newfoundland; the feat was unsubstantiated (1901)
• Boys Town: youth center was founded by Father Flanagan (1917)
• Arthur Ashe: became the first African American to be ranked #1 in tennis (1968)
• Keiko: Willy of Free Willy, a killer whale, died of pneumonia in his mid-20s in a Norwegian fjord (2003)

Birthdays

• John Jay (1745-1829): America's first Chief Justice
• Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880): author of Madame Bovary; plus, writers Patrick O'Brian (1914-2000) and John Osborne (1929-1994)
• Dionne Warwick (70): singer who specialized in Burt Bacharach songs; also, singers Connie Francis (72), Dickey Betts (67) and Hank Williams III (38)
• Bill Nighy (61): actor, Love, Actually, Underworld; also, actors Wings Hauser (62), Sheree J. Wilson (52), Madchen Amick (40) and Mayim Bialik (35)
• Tracy Austin (48): tennis pro; and, athletes Alvin Kraenzlein (1876-1928) and Cathy Rigby (58)
• Maggie Rodriguez (41): host of The Early Show; plus, TV game-show host Bob Barker (87)
• Frank Sinatra (1915-1998): singer/actor, Oscar winner for From Here to Eternity; plus, Oscar winners Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973) and Jennifer Connelly (40)