Saturday, December 24, 2011

canticle \KAN-ti-kuhl\, noun:

1. A song, poem, or hymn especially of praise.

2. One of the nonmetrical hymns or chants, chiefly from the Bible, used in church services.

Canticle comes from the Latin word canticum meaning “song.” (That is also the root of “canto.”) The suffix -ule implies a diminutive version, like the word capsule.

Icehole

• It is a mis-pronounced version of "asshole", from the movie Johnny Dangerously where Roman Moronie used to butcher the English language.

You fargin icehole, I'm going to put your bells in a sling.

Trivia

What early-19th-century American writer created the image of Santa soaring over rooftops in a sleigh, using chimneys to deliver gifts to children?

• Washington Irving, in 1809, in A History of New York, which he wrote under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker.

Today's Holiday

• Christmas Eve

History

• Kiritimati: Pacific atoll also called Christmas Island was discovered by Captain Cook (1777)
• Treaty of Ghent: ended the War of 1812 between the US and Great Britain (1814)
• Library of Congress: majority of collection was destroyed by fire (1851)
• Ku Klux Klan: violent racist organization was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, by a group of Confederate veterans (1865)
• Aida: Giuseppe Verdi's opera had its world premiere in Cairo to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal (1871)

Birthdays

• Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556): founder of the Jesuits
• Kit Carson (1809-1868): frontiersman and folk hero
• Howard Hughes (1905-1976): reclusive aviator, movie producer and billionaire
• Kate Spade (49): luxury designer
• Ricky Martin (40): pop singer
• Stephenie Meyer (38): author of the Twilight vampire series of novels; plus, writers Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958), Johnny Gruelle (1880-1938), I.F. Stone (1907-1989) and Mary Higgins Clark (83)
• Ryan Seacrest (37): host of American Idol and E! News

Read more: http://www.answers.com/