Monday, June 11, 2012

cognoscente \kahn-yuh-SHEN-tee\ noun, plural cognoscenti

• a person who has expert knowledge in a subject : connoisseur

"Cognoscente" and "connoisseur" are more than synonyms; they're also linguistic cousins. Both terms descend from the Latin verb "cognoscere," meaning "to know," and they're not alone. You might guess that "cognizance" and "cognition" are members of the "cognoscere" clan. Do you also recognize a family resemblance in "recognize"? Can you see through the disguise of "incognito"? Did you have a premonition that we would mention "precognition"? "Cognoscente" itself came to English by way of Italian and has been a part of our language since the late 1700s.

are

• For people who don't know the word "our"

My friend and I heard Sugar Ray on the way to a party. It made are night.
Trivia

What is a ghillie suit?

• Camouflage clothing that incorporates real or artificial twigs, leaves, and other vegetation to help hunters, snipers, and the military blend in with nature. It was originally devised by Scottish hunting guides, who were known as ghillies.

History

• Great Barrier Reef: Capt. James Cook discovered the world's largest coral reef (1770)
• Triple Crown: horse racing's top honor was won by Sir Barton (1919) and Seattle Slew (1977)
• sugar: US rationing ended after five bitter years (1947)
• Stand in the Schoolhouse Door: in a bid to resist racial integration, Alabama Governor George Wallace tried to block African-Americans Vivian Malone and James Hood from attending the University of Alabama; later that day he gave in (1963)
• immolation: Buddhist monk Quang Duc set himself afire on a Saigon street to protest the South Vietnamese government led by president Ngo Dinh Diem (1963)
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: heartwarming sci-fi blockbuster film opened (1982)
• American Idol: the British spinoff debuted with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson (2002)

Birthdays

• Ben Johnson 1572 - English Renaissance Dramatist
• John Constable 1776 - English Romantic painter
• Jeannette Rankin 1880 - First woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives
• Bartolomeo Vanzetti 1888 - Known for his conviction of robbery and executed along with Nicola Sacco after a controversial trial in Massachusetts.
• Lawrence Spivak 1900 - Publisher, journalist
• Jacques Cousteau (Jacques-Yves Cousteau) 1910 - Naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker
• Risë Stevens 1913 - Opera singer
• Vince Lombardi 1913 - Football coach
• Richard Todd 1919 - Actor, soldier
• Shelly Manne (Sheldon Manne) 1920 - Drummer
• William Styron 1925 - Novelist and essayist
• Gene Wilder 1935 - Actor
• Chad Everett 1936 - Actor
• Johnny Brown 1937 - Actor
• Wilma Burgess 1939 - Country music singer
• Jackie Stewart (Sir John Young Stewart OBE) 1939 - Racing driver, team owner, nicknamed The Flying Scot
• Luciana Paluzzi 1939 - Actress
• Joey Dee (Joseph DiNicola) 1940 - Musician (Joey Dee and The Starliters)
• Adrienne Barbeau (Adrienne Jo Barbeau) 1945 - Actress, author
• John Lawton 1946 - Singer (Uriah Heep, Les Humphries Singers)
• Henry Cisneros (Henry Gabriel Cisneros) 1947 - Politician, businessman
• George Willig 1949 - Known as "the human fly" or "the spiderman," known for climbing the South Tower of the World Trade Center
• Ingrid Newkirk 1949 - Founder of PETA
• Frank Beard 1949 - Musician (ZZ Top)
• Pancho Carter 1950 - Race car driver
• Bonnie Pointer 1951 - Musician (Pointer Sisters)
• Connie Van Zandt 1952 - Musician (.38 Special), .38 Special Merchandise
• Peter Bergman 1953 - Actor ("All My Children," "Young and the Restless")
• Joe Montana 1956 - Football player
• Hugh Laurie 1959 - Actor ("House M.D.")
• Dan Lavery 1969 - Musician (Tonic)
• Smilin' Jay McDowell 1969 - Musician (BR5-49)
• Joshua Jackson 1978 - Actor