Word Dictionary [291114]

Word of the day: circumspect
Definition: adj. wary, cautious; taking everything into account.
Synonyms: discreet
Etymology: ME f. L circumspicere circumspect- (as CIRCUM-, specere spect- look) (more…)

pronunciation: ˈsə:kəmspekt

from Oxford: circumspect

adj. wary, cautious; taking everything into account.
Derivatives: circumspection n. circumspectly adv.
Etymology: ME f. L circumspicere circumspect- (as CIRCUM-, specere spect- look)

from Wordnet: circumspect

adj : heedful of potential consequences; “circumspect actions”; “physicians are now more circumspect about recommending its use”; “a discreet investor” [syn: discreet]

Quote of the day: A friend doesn’t go on a diet because you are fat. by Erma Bombeck

Zhengtong

Birthday of the day: Zhengtong; Zhu Qizhen ( 29 November 1427 – 23 February 1464) was an emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He ruled as the Zhengtong Emperor (正統 IPA: [tʂɤ̂ŋtʰʊ̀ŋ]) from 1435 to 1449, and as the Tianshun Emperor from 1457 to 1464. His first era name means ‘Right governance’ and the second one means ‘Obedient to Heaven’.

Joke of the day: A couple is in bed sleeping when there’s a rat-a-tat-tat on the door. The husband rolls over and looks at the clock, and it’s half past 3 in the morning. ‘I’m not getting out of bed at this time,’ he thinks, and rolls over. Then, a louder knock follows. So he drags himself out of bed, goes downstairs, opens the door, and there’s a man standing there. It didn’t take the homeowner long to realize the man was drunk. ‘Hi there,’ slurs the stranger, ‘Can you give me a push?’ ‘No, get lost. It’s half past three and I was in bed,’ says the man as he slams the door. He goes back up to bed and tell his wife what happened and she says, ‘That wasn’t very nice of you. Remember that night we broke down in the pouring rain on the way to pick the kids up from the baby-sitter and you had to knock on that man’s house to get us started again? What would have happened if he’d told us to get lost?’ ‘But the guy was drunk,’ says the husband. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ says the wife.’ He needs our help and it would be the Christian thing to help him.’ So the husband gets out of bed again, gets dressed, and goes downstairs. He opens the door, and not being able to see the stranger anywhere, He shouts, ‘Hey, do you still want a push?’ And he hears a voice cry out, ‘Yeah, please.’ So, still being unable to see the stranger he shouts, ‘Where are you?’ The drunk replies, ‘Over here, on the swing.’

Thought of the day: One doesn’t discover new lands without losing sight of the shore.

Fact of the day: 561 – King Chlothar I dies at Compiègne. The Merovingian dynasty is continued by his four sons — Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I — who divide the Frankish Kingdom.

Biography of the day: E. J. Josey; E. J. Josey is an American activist, librarian and Professor Emeritus, Department of Library and Information Science, School of Library and Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh. During the early 1960’s, he participated in the Civil Rights struggle in Savannah. He served on the Executive Board of the Savannah Branch of the NAACP as well as the Executive Board of the Albany, NY Branch of the NAACP. In 1964 he carried the Civil Rights struggle into the American Library Association. In spite of the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision, which encouraged desegregation of libraries and ALA chapters, the ALA was slow in implementing integration of all of its southern chapters until Josey offered his resolution at the 1964 Conference which prevented ALA officers and staff members from attending segregated state chapter meetings. The four remaining segregated chapters that denied membership to African American librarians at that time were Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi; and they integrated immediately. He is well known for his uncompromising opposition to any form of discrimination whether it is racial, gender, age or sexual orientation.

Article of the day: George Robey; George Robey (1869–1954) was an English comedian, singer and actor in musical theatre, known as one of the greatest music hall performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Robey mixed everyday situations and observations with comic absurdity, and was a popular Christmas pantomime performer. His notable successes during the First World War included the hit revue The Bing Boys Are Here, in which he sang “If You Were the Only Girl “. Born in London to a middle-class family, he made his debut on stage at age 21 as the straight man to a comic hypnotist. He soon developed his own music hall act. In 1892, he appeared in his first pantomime, Whittington Up-to-date. He starred in the Royal Command Performance in 1912 and regularly entertained before aristocracy. In 1913 he debuted in film, but with only modest success. From 1918, he created sketches based on his character, the Prime Minister of Mirth. He played Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 in 1935, and again in Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film. During the Second World War, Robey raised money for charities and promoted recruitment into the forces. He was knighted a few months before his death.

Did you know: a) that Plymouth Sound, Shores and Cliffs has units of rock showing the lower to early Middle Devonian period, laid 417-354 million years ago? b) that rugby union footballer Robert Wilson Shaw was so influential in Scotland’s Triple Crown winning victory over England in 1938 that the match became known as ‘Wilson Shaw’s match’? c) that County Route 91 in Onondaga County, New York is signed as County Route 57 for New York State Route 57, the route it replaced? d) that a single cave in the Phou Hin Poun National Biodiversity Conservation Area in Laos is used by at least 22 species of bats?

Source: http://worddictionary.com.au/