lunes, 28 de octubre de 2013
domingo, 27 de octubre de 2013
jueves, 24 de octubre de 2013
jueves, 17 de octubre de 2013
BUNGHOLE OF THE WEEK: KANGAROO COURT
Strangely, the term kangaroo court is
not Australian in origin. The term refers to an improperly constituted and
illegitimate court, especially one constituted by people who are otherwise
outside the law, prisoners, mutineers, etc. What kangaroos have to do with it
is not known for certain. There are plenty of guesses, but no strong evidence.
What we do know is that the phrase arose on the American
frontier, attested to as early as 1841 in reference to Natchez, Mississippi.
Various suggestions have been proffered, none with any solid evidence behind
them. The best is Barry Popik’s suggestion that the term may come from the Kangaroo district
of Vicksburg, Mississippi, a rather notorious section of town known for its
gambling dens and brothels that flourished in the 1820s and early 1830s. The
name Kangaroo comes
from the name of brothel in that district. Popik’s explanation fits the time
and place, but to date no specific links between kangaroo
court and
this district have been found. Until someone finds a connection between the
Vicksburg district and some account of mock or impromptu justice, Popik’s
explanation must remain tentative.
Other suggestions include that such courts defy the law, just
as strange creatures, like the kangaroo, seem to defy the laws of nature, or
that the name comes from speed by which one jumps from the courtroom into prison.
A third hypothesis that is frequently proffered is that it comes from informal
prosecutions of claim jumpers during the California gold rush. The lexical
evidence indicates that the phrase did not originate in Australia, so any
actual connection with the land down under is incorrect.
Such courts were also known as mustang or mestang
courts, in reference to a wild and uncontrollable horse. Not as exotic as a
kangaroo, but a wild animal nonetheless.
The first known use of kangaroo court is
from the 24 August 1841 New Orleans Daily Picayune (2):
The Concordia Intelligencer says “several loafers were
lynched in Natchez last week upon various charges instituted by the Kangaroo
court. The times grow warm; we can see another storm coming, not unlike that
which prevailed in the days of the Murrel excitement. In Natchez, as in New
Orleans, they are driving away all of the free negroes.” What is a Kangaroo
court, neighbor?
miércoles, 16 de octubre de 2013
PROCRASTINATION
Procrastination from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.
Procrastination is avoiding doing something Procrastination is not being able to get started It's reading a book It's descaling a kettle It's colour-coordinating your shelves It's sharpening your pencil Procrastination is spending thirty minutes looking for the right pen It's spending ten minutes getting the right pen to work Procrastination is making a cup of tea Procrastination is finding the most difficult way of doing something It's jumping from one idea... to another... to another It's checking your e-mails... writing your e-mails Procrastination is thesaurisizing words in your e-mails Procrastination is making a cup of tea Procrastination is staring at the window, it's... watching the neighbours It's watching television It's being unable to stop watching television It's smoking a cigarette It's doing the dishes Procrastination is tidying your desk It's creating...a fire-escape plan Procrastination is rearranging your furniture It's playing computer games It's playing imaginary computer games with your furniture Procrastination is pairing up your socks It's writing thank you letters, it's not writing thank you letters Procrastination... is daydreaming Procrastination is petting something It's watering a plant It's doodling Procrastination is trying to grow a moustache It's chasing a fly It's chopping your pencil It's doing eight things at once and not getting one done Procrastination is taking a nap Procrastination is getting drunk It's scratching yourself It's making a cup of tea It's cutting your finger It's oiling the bike It is picking your nose It's waiting for the postman It's trying to avoid the inevitable Procrastination is writing lists It's not being able to decide what way to do something It's overcomplicating things for yourself It's being afraid to finish something It's not knowing when to finish something It's not knowing how to finish something
martes, 15 de octubre de 2013
domingo, 13 de octubre de 2013
jueves, 10 de octubre de 2013
BUNGHOLE OF THE WEEK: SMITHEREENS
'Smithereens' is an Irish word. It derives from, or is possibly the source of, the modern Irish 'smidirín', which means 'small fragments'. There is a town near Baltimore, close to the south-west coast of Ireland, calledSkibbereen. The name means 'little boat harbour' and it is tempting to imagine sailing ships arriving there from the wild Atlantic by being 'blown to Skibbereen'. The more recent 'Troubles' also bring up images of property/people being dynamited and 'blown to Skibbereen' from all over Ireland. There's no record of any such phrase however, and the similarity between 'Skibbereen' and 'smithereens' seems to be no more than co-incidence.
Another enticing notion as to the source of 'smithereens' is that it refers to the shards of metal formed when iron is forged and hammered in a smithy. Again, there's nothing but wishful thinking to support that idea. The actual origin is more prosaic. 'Smiodar' means fragments in Irish Gaelic. 'Een' is a commonplace diminutive ending, as in colleen (girl), that is, Caile (country woman) + een. Similarly, smiodar + een lead us to smithereen. As with many words that are inherited from other languages, it took some time for the English spelling to become stable. Both 'smiddereens' and 'shivereens' are recorded in the mid 19th century.
The notion of things being 'broken/smashed/blown to smithereens' dates from at least the turn of the 19th century. Francis Plowden, in The History of Ireland, 1801, records a threat made against a Mr. Pounden by a group of Orangemen:
"If you don't be off directly, by the ghost of William, our deliverer, and by the orange we wear, we will break your carriage in smithereens, and hough your cattle and burn your house."
['Hough' is a variant of 'hock' - to disable by cutting the tendons]
'Smithereens' is one of those unusual nouns that, like 'suds' and 'secateurs', never venture out by themselves - the word is always plural.
martes, 8 de octubre de 2013
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