AWADmail Issue 296
Mar 2, 2008
A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day
and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
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From: John Buckley (jbuckley csqtc.qld.edu.au)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Buckley's chance
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/buckleys_chance.html
As a "Buckley" I have lived with this one all my life. Thanks for including it.
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From: Steve Garland (stevegarland bellsouth.net)
Subject: William F's own Buckley's Chance
When I saw the phrase "Buckley's chance" meaning no or slim chance, I was
surprised that it was a common phrase since it would have cropped up so
recently. Then when I read more carefully I found that the William Buckley
was not William F. Buckley, the famous conservative writer who died this
week, but another William Buckley. I had thought the phrase might be
referencing Mr. Buckley's famous line when he ran a quixotic campaign for
New York City mayor in 1965 (in which he stood at best a Buckley's chance).
When asked what he would do if he won, he responded, "Demand a recount!"
Thanks for the memory of a man with whom I may not have often agreed, but
always respected.
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From: Sherry Spence (slspence spiritone.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Pandora's box
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/pandoras_box.html
What wonderful fun today's word occasioned. Remembering something about Hope
being the last thing in the jar, and thinking incorrectly that Hope got out
also, I looked the myth up in Wikipedia. Seems that Pandora closed the lid
before Hope got out (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora ), but that's
not all. Seems the Greek word for hope could also mean expectation of
something negative as well as positive, and there's a whole debate over what
the myth really means.
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From: Bryce Babcock (bandz commspeed.com)
Subject: Pandora's Box
Another Pandora's Box deriving its name from the same tale of Greek mythology,
was a crude "cage" built on the quarter deck of the frigate Pandora, sent out
to find and return to England the Bounty mutineers. On Tahiti, the Pandora
found and took on board 14 former Bounty crewmen, including five mutineers
and nine others, innocent of the mutiny. All were treated as guilty, shackled,
and confined in the makeshift prison on the Pandora which the prisoners
quickly dubbed "Pandora's Box". On its voyage back to England the Pandora
struck a reef and sank costing the lives of four of the Bounty men and 33 of
the Pandora's crew. The other Bounty prisoners eventually were returned to
England and tried by court-martial. Three were hanged for mutiny and the
others were eventually freed.
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From: Jill Arend (jarend chartermi.net)
Subject: Feedback: Pandora's box
On the television show Bewitched the character of Serena (Samantha's clever
cousin) was credited as "Pandora Spocks", even though the two characters were
played by the same person (Elizabeth Montgomery). When said aloud, it was
Pandora's Box -- interesting, none the less, since whenever Serena was there,
a Pandora's Box was definitely opened.
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From: Geoff Bonney (gbonney jonathanball.co.za)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Buggin's turn
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/buggins_turn.html
In 1951, when I started in the first form of an English public school,
a chap had been kept back after his first year, so automatically was
called 'Buggins', which nickname stayed with him throughout his next
seven years at the school. I've since learnt that this is common in
those circumstances in a lot of other public schools in Britain.
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From: Michael Bedward (michael.bedward gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Buggin's turn
I'm familiar with another use of Buggins. In card games there it is
sometimes the convention for the loser of the last game to go first in
the next game, announced as "Buggins to go" or "Buggins to deal".
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From: Dan Stalker (alba100 quik.net.au)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Buggin's turn
When I grew up in Scotland in the 50s, if I said it was Muggins turn,
it meant it was my turn, This was a self deprecating term.
If I was referring to another individual and said "Look at what Muggins
is doing", it generally meant that individual was inept in some way.
Muggins related to being a bit of a fool, inept, inexperienced etc.
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From: Sonya Lenzi (fastdiscgirl hotmail.com)
Subject: Buggins's turn
While listening to NPR Weekend Edition, Scott Simon was speaking with
British diplomat Lord Paddy Ashdown. The discussion was about the
international reconstruction mission in Afghanistan. Lord Ashdown stated
that the Afghan leadership was assigned by Buggins's turn. How wonderful
it was to hear a word of the day in current discussion.
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From: Emily Bott (palaka hawaii.rr.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Pele's Hair
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/peles_hair.html
Sometimes you find Pele's tears at the end of a strand of Pele's hair.
These are tear-shaped globules of the same lava.
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From: Terry Stone (cgs7952 bellsouth.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Pele's Hair
Pele's hair (scientific name: Tillandsia usneoides) is also an epiphytic,
or air-growing, plant in the bromeliad family. It was brought to Hawai'i'
over 50 years ago as a plant for domestic gardens and, in a dried form, as air
conditioner filters. Pele's hair has now spread so widely it is considered
an invasive species on the islands, whose inhabitants ironically gave it
this revered name.
We in the Southern continental US know it as the endemic plant "Spanish moss",
though it is neither Spanish in origin nor a moss, but a close relative of
the pineapple.
............................................................................
Words are loaded pistols. -Jean-Paul Sartre, writer and philosopher
(1905-1980)
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