Thursday, May 13, 2010

afterclap \AF-ter-klap\, noun:

• An unexpected, often unpleasant sequel to a matter that had been considered closed.

Although it is the combination of two common English words, afterclap mostly found use in a literary context until early American writers made the term more popular.

Coitus Hiatus

• To have a break from sex, derived from the two words coitus and hiatus.

I'm not sexually frustrated, my man-parts are simply on coitus hiatus
Trivia 

What opera great appeared on The Muppet Show in a performance of Pigaletto accompanied by members of the Muppetopolitan Opera Company?

• Beverly Sills, who had a high-note duel with Miss Piggy.

History

• Mexican War: was declared by US president James Polk; the resulting land expansion was widely justified by manifest destiny (1846)
• "blood, toil, tears and sweat": Winston Churchill famously offered these elements in his first address as prime minister; Theodore Roosevelt was the first to use the phrase 43 years earlier (1940)
• Pope John Paul II: was shot in Rome by right-wing Turkish militant Mehmet Ali Agca; the pontiff survived the assassination attempt (1981)
• $20 bill: the Andrew Jackson was revamped and colorized to thwart counterfeiters (2003)

Berfdays

• William Petty-Fitzmaurice (1737-1805): British PM, first British Home Secretary
• Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989): author of Rebecca
• Stevie Wonder (60): R&B musician who has garnered more than 20 Grammys; other musicians born on this date include Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900), Ritchie Valens (1941-1959), Darius Rucker (44) and Mickey Madden (31)
• Dennis Rodman (49): outlandish former NBA star
• Stephen Colbert (46): fake-news host, The Colbert Report
• Robert Pattinson (24): latest movie heartthrob, Edward Cullen on the Twilight series ; also, actors Bea Arthur (1922-2009), Harvey Keitel (71), Zoë Wanamaker (61), Julianne Phillips (50), Samantha Morton (33) and Hunter Parrish (23)