Monday, February 1, 2010

mondegreen \MON-di-green\, noun:

• A word or phrase resulting from a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard.

Mondegreen was coined by Sylvia Wright, US writer, from the line laid him on the green, interpreted as Lady Mondegreen, in a Scottish ballad.

Street Creep

1. A new perjorative term for Wall Street executives who raked in huge bonuses while plunging the world into economic chaos.
2. A financial advisor who sells Wall Street products on commission.

Did you see the news? Those Street Creeps are taking a private jet to Aruba using our bailout money.

Trivia
What notorious criminal offered a $10,000 reward—from jail—for information leading to the safe recovery of aviator Charles Lindbergh’s kidnapped son?

• Gangster Al Capone. Lindbergh’s son, Charles Jr., was 20 months old when he was kidnapped in March 1932. His body was found 10 weeks later.

History

• US Supreme Court: held its first session, in NY; John Jay, a Federalist Papersauthor, presided (1790)
• Oxford English Dictionary: first fascicle, A—Ant, was published (1884)
• Ayatollah Khomeini: returned to Tehran after some 15 years of exile; the Iranian Revolution turned the country into an Islamic republic soon after (1979)
• Columbia: space shuttle disintegrated on reentry, killing all seven astronauts aboard (2003)
• wardrobe malfunction: Janet Jackson, in a duet with Justin Timberlake, caused a stir at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show (2004)

Berfdays, yo!

• Langston Hughes (1902-1967): poet, author and playwright of the Harlem Renaissance; authors S.J. Perelman (1904-1979) and Dame Muriel Spark (1918-2006) shared this birth date
• Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007): former president of Russia
• Joe Sample (71): jazz pianist and composer; also, musicians Rick James (1948-2004), Don Everly (73), Mike Campbell (60), Lisa Marie Presley (42), Joshua Redman (41), Big Boi (35) and Julie Roberts (31)
• Princess Stephanie of Monaco (45): youngest child of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace
• Lauren Conrad (24): reality TV personality, The Hills; also, actors Clark Gable (1901-1960), Stuart Whitman(82), Garrett Morris (73), Sherman Hemsley (72), Sherilyn Fenn (45), Terry Jones (68), Pauly Shore (42) and Brian Krause (41)