Wednesday, April 20, 2011

abaft \uh-BAFT\, adjective:

1. To the rear of; aft of.

2. In a ship, to the rear.

Abaft travels into present-day usage from the Old English bæftan, a contraction of be, an early version of "by," and æftan, "behind."

friend high

• The pleasant "high" feeling one acquires around close friends, often compared to being on some sort of drug. Accompanied by lots of laughing, stupidity, excitement, good conversation, and loud obnoxiousness, ie the act of getting "high" off another's good friendship vibes. Often considered a replacement for drugs and alcohol, though not heavily supported.

1. "Let's hotbox this room with our friendship!"

2. "Watch the dosage on THAT friendship, Carlos..."

3. "Lets get friend high tonight"

Trivia

What size were the shoes that an Iraqi journalist threw at President George W. Bush during a Baghdad press conference in December 2008?

• Size 10.

History

• Edgar Allan Poe: published "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," considered by many to be the first detective story (1841)
• Fenway Park: Boston Red Sox played their first game in the new stadium (1912)
• school busing: in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, the Supreme Court held unanimously that it was legitimate to use busing as a tool for achieving racial desegregation in schools (1971)
• Columbine High School massacre: two students at Columbine High School killed 12 classmates and a teacher in a shooting spree (1999)
• Danica Patrick: became the first female winner in IndyCar history, winning the Indy Japan 300 (2008)

Birthdays

• Daniel Chester French (1850-1931): sculptor who created the seated Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC's Lincoln Memorial; plus, artists Odilon Redon (1840-1916) and Joan Miró (1893-1983)
• John Paul Stevens (91): US Supreme Court Justice, retired last year after 35 years on the bench
• Luther Vandross (1951-2005): Grammy-winning R&B singer of Dance With My Father; also, musicians Lionel Hampton (1908-2002), Tito Puente (1923-2000), Johnny Tillotson (72) and Stephen Marley (39)
• Jessica Lange (62): Oscar winner for Tootsie and Blue Sky; also, actors Nina Foch (1924-2008), Leslie Phillips (87), George Takei (74), Ryan O'Neal (70), Veronica Cartwright (62), Clint Howard (52), Crispin Glover (47), Shemar Moore (41), Carmen Electra (39) and Joey Lawrence (35)
• Don Mattingly (50): former Yankees slugger who is currently managing the Dodgers'
• Funny Cide (11): winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes