Thursday, December 28, 2023

fusty \FUHS-tee\, adjective:

1. Having a stale smell; moldy; musty.

2. Old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like.

3. Stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.

Fusty comes from the Old French word fust, meaning a “wine cask.” As wine casks are stuffy and smelly, the adjective is a logical association.

 

Guaranteed Left

When you creep your way into an intersection with the intention to turn left, yet there is no end to oncoming traffic in sight. This way, when the light eventually turns red, you are guaranteed the quick left turn in the short delay between oncoming traffic stopping and the crossing traffic going.

"Traffic was really heavy and the green arrow had already disappeared, so rather than wait through a whole new light cycle, I made the guaranteed left."

History

• Westminster Abbey: London church where kings have been crowned since 1066 was consecrated (1065)
• Iowa: the Hawkeye State became America's 29th state (1846)
• chewing gum: patent was issued to William Finley Semple of Ohio (1869)
• Cyrano de Bergerac: Edmond Rostand's heroic comedy premiered in Paris (1897)
• The Pledge of Allegiance: US oath of loyalty was officially recognized by Congress (1945)
• Elizabeth Jordan Carr: the first American in-vitro fertilization baby was born in Norfolk, Virginia (1981)

Birthdays

• Woodrow Wilson 1856 - 28th U.S. President, (D), evil racist
  
• Arthur Stanley Eddington 1882
• John Molson 1763 - Beer brewer, founder of Molson Beer
• Cliff Arquette (Charley Weaver) 1905 - Actor (The RCA Victor Show, Hollywood Squares), grandfather of actress Roseanna Arquette
• Earl "Fatha" Hines 1905 - Musician, songwriter, bandleader
• Lew Ayres 1908 - Actor (Of Mice and Men, Advice and Consent)
• Billy Williams 1910
• Sam Levinson 1911 - Humorist
• Lou Jacobi 1913 - Actor (Arthur, The Diary of Anne Frank)
• Roebuck "Pop" Staples (Staples Singers) 1915
• Stan Lee 1922 - Artist, writer, creator of Marvel Comics (Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk)
  

  
• Johnny Otis 1924
• Hildegarde Kneff 1925 - Actress (The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Svengali)
• Martin Milner 1927 - Actor (Route 66, Adam 12, Columbo)
• Dorsey Burnette 1932 - Singer
• Maggie Smith 1934 - Actress (Lettice & Lovage)
• Bruce Yarnell 1935 - Actor (The Outlaws)
• Charles Neville 1938 - Musician (The Neville Brothers)
• Bobby Comstock 1943 - Singer
• Hubert "Hubie" Green 1946 - Golfer
• Edgar Winter 1946 - Musician (Edgar Winter’s White Trash)
• Dick Diamonde (Dingeman Van Der Sluys) 1947 - Musician (The Easybeats)
• Aurelio (Ituarte) Rodriguez 1947 - Baseball player
• Alex Chilton 1950 - Musician (Big Star, Box Tops)
  

  
• Denzel Washington 1954 - Actor (Glory, Malcolm X, The Hurricane)
• Nigel Kennedy 1956
• Joe Diffie 1958 - Musician
• Mike McGuire 1958 - Musician (Shenandoah)
• Chad McQueen 1960
• Marty Roe 1960 - Musician (Diamond Rio)
• Anita Doth 1971 - Singer (2 unlimited)
• Sienna Miller 1981
• Mackenzie Rosman 1989