Wednesday, January 19, 2011

fain \FEYN\, adverb:

1. Gladly; willingly.

adjective:

1. Content; willing.

2. Archaic: Constrained; obliged.

3. Archaic: Desirous; eager.

Fain has ancient roots in the Old English fæg, "happy."

Premature exasperation

• Becoming upset about something before knowing all (or any) of the details.

When my parents found out I had been in an accident, my father's premature exasperation kicked in. He freaked out before hearing that some drunkard had rear-ended me at a red light.

Trivia

What three ingredients are considered the “holy trinity” of Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole cuisines?

• Chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery.

History

• neon sign: was patented by French engineer/chemist Georges Claude; early neon signs were called "liquid fire" (1915)
• I Love Lucy: Lucy Ricardo gave birth to baby Ricky on the hit comedy show; more people tuned in to watch the show than President Eisenhower's inauguration (1953)
• Indira Gandhi: daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first and so far only female prime minister (1966)
• Apple Lisa: the first Apple with a GUI and a mouse was announced; speedy (5 MHz) and robust (512 KiB RAM), it cost nearly $10,000 (1983)

Birthdays

• James Watt (1736-1819): scientist and inventor of an improved steam engine; inventor Henry Bessemer (1813-1898) shared this birth date
• Robert E. Lee (1807-1870): Confederate commander in the Civil War
• Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849): writer of macabre short stories; plus, authors Alexander Woollcott (1887-1943) and Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995)
• Paul Cézanne (1839-1906): painter
• Ólafur Thors (1892-1964): PM of Iceland
• Jean Stapleton (88): Edith Bunker on All in the Family; also, actors Fritz Weaver (85), Tippi Hedren (81?), Michael Crawford (69), Shelley Fabares (67), Katey Sagal (57), Shawn Wayans (41), Drea de Matteo (39) and Frank Caliendo (37)
• Dolly Parton (65): country music writer/ singer; also, musicians Phil Everly (72), Janis Joplin (1943-1970), Robert Palmer (1949-2003), Dewey Bunnell (59), and Desi Arnaz, Jr. (58)
• Paula Deen (64): TV chef