Monthly Archives: November 2002

Hortensii present and past

A few months ago in alt.fan.miss-manners someone confessed ignorance that Hortense is feminine. That sent me to the books to learn its etymology. From E.G.Withycombe, The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, I learn that the Hortensii were a Roman … Continue reading

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rhinosauric

As I listen to Rhino’s Super Hits of the Seventies: Have a Nice Day vol.9, divers questions come to mind. When Gary Glitter recorded “Rock and Roll Part 2” did it cross the mind of anyone concerned that I might … Continue reading

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time for fun

Partly as a protest against the dirigisme presupposed in the institution of “Daylight Saving Time”, I’ve been tempted to set my computer’s clock to mean local solar time; I’m at 122 degrees West longitude, so my mail would be marked … Continue reading

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tantalizing

Jean-François Colonna makes elaborate and striking mathematical images. I only wish they had more annotation.

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the danger of analogies

Catching up (as usual) – PvP has an interesting take on the furry issue.

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did the wabbit ever learn what updock is?

I am advised by World Wide Words that Oxford University Press have just published a Dictionary of Catchphrases. Joy at the availability of a reference that could soothe many a mental itch is diluted by a touch of “Is nothing … Continue reading

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don’t let this golden opportunity . .

I see that Pobox’s spam filter has learned to spot at least some Nigerian scam letters. That must have been tricky, as they vary more and look a lot more like normal mail than most junkmail does.

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