Wednesday, October 5, 2011

bandersnatch \BAN-der-snach\, noun:

1. An imaginary wild animal of fierce disposition.

2. A person of uncouth or unconventional habits, attitudes, etc., especially one considered a menace, nuisance, or the like.

Bandersnatch was invented by Lewis Carroll in 1871 in his book Through the Looking Glass.

thisclose

• Very, very close. It is the written equivalent to the oral statement "this close," where the speaker uses certain vocal intonations and hand gestures to indicate a high level of closeness.

My football team was thisclose to winning the game, but the opposing team scored as time expired.

He was sitting thisclose to me on the subway.

Trivia

What caused boxing legend Muhammad Ali to declare, “I said I was the greatest, not the smartest”?

• His having failed the U.S. Army aptitude test in 1964 with a score of 78.

History

• "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever": Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé tribe makes his famous statement of surrender to US Cavalry troops (1877)
• Jarrow March: 200 protesters set out on a walk from Jarrow in northeastern England to Parliament in London in a bid to draw attention to their unemployment and poverty (1936)
• Monty Python's Flying Circus: debuted on BBC-TV (1969)
• PBS: nonprofit TV network began broadcasting (1970)

Birthdays

• Denis Diderot (1713-1784): Enlightenment philosopher, Encyclopédie editor
• Louis Lumiére (1864-1948): pioneer filmmaker
• Raymond A. Kroc (1902-1984): fast-food pioneer, who set up first franchise of McDonald's
• Bil Keane (89): cartoonist, The Family Circus
• Václav Havel (75): political dissenter, first president of the Czech Republic; plus, POTUS Chester A. Arthur (1830-1886)
• Bob Geldof (60): singer and political activist, Live Aid; plus, musicians Richard Street (69), Steve Miller (68) and Brian Johnson (64)
• Kate Winslet (36): Oscar-winner for The Reader; also, actors Glynis Johns (88), Diane Cilento (78), Karen Allen (60), Bernie Mac (1958-2008), Daniel Baldwin (51), Guy Pearce (44) and Parminder Nagra (36)
• Mario Lemieux (46): hockey player; and, NHL colleague Patrick Roy (46)

Read more: http://www.answers.com/