On this date in the 1930s, Jay Hormel hosted a New Year's Eve party where he challenged his guests to create a name for his latest invention, a canned pork product.
On that night not only was a new year born, but also one of the most successful and most recognizable brand names in history came into being: Spam. The winning name was formed from the contraction of
sp(iced h)am; the winner of the contest was awarded $100.
Thanks to a sketch and song from Monty Python's Flying Circus, the word Spam lost its capital letter and became a lower case common noun referring to unsolicited e-mail. In the sketch, which first appeared in 1970, a waitress recites a list of menu items, all including Spam. As the menu is being recited, a song begins where male voices chant the word Spam more than 100 times. It's this seemingly endless, repetitive chant that inspired computer users to select spam as the appropriate appellation for unwanted, disruptive email (1).
Today's Challenge: New Year, New Words
At your New Year's Eve party challenge your guests to create a new word for the coming year. You might even offer cans of Spam as the award. To get your guests warmed up, give them the following challenge:
Each year the American Dialect Society selects a new word or phrase that best typifies the year just passed. The following list contains the Words of the Year for the past ten years, 1996 to 2005. See if you can match up each word with its correct year:
9/11
red state
metrosexual
truthiness
millennium bug
chad
soccer mom
Y2K
e- (prefix as in e-mail)
weapons of mass destruction (1)
Quote of the Day: If variety is the spice of life, marriage is the big can of leftover Spam. --Johnny Carson
Sources:
Steinmetz, Sol and Barbara Ann Kipfer. The Life of Language. New York: Random House, 2006.
Answers:
9/11 - 2001
red state - 2004
metrosexual - 2003
truthiness -2005
millennium bug -1997
chad 2000
soccer mom 1996
Y2K 1999
e- (prefix as in e-mail) 1998
weapons of mass destruction 2002
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
Saturday, December 02, 2006
December 2: Two-word Allusions from American History
Two speeches given by American presidents on this date in the 1800s launched key ideas that would influence the growth and influence of the United States in history.
The first speech, given on December 2, 1823 by President James Monroe, launched the Monroe Doctrine. In his State of the Union Address, Monroe announced that the United States would frown upon any further interference or colonization of the Americas by foreign powers (1).
The second speech, given on December 2, 1845 by President James Polk, launched the term Manifest Destiny. In his State of the Union Address, Polk made it clear that he was committed to the expansion of the United States through the annexation of Texas, the acquisition of the Oregon territory, and the purchase of California from Mexico. Although he did not use the term Manifest Destiny in his speech, the term, originally coined by journalist John L. O'Sullivan, became the operative term to describe the expansion of the young nation, which happened to be the primary subject of Polk's speech (2).
Today's Challenge: Two Words - American History
Manifest Destiny and Monroe Doctrine are just two examples of several two-word appellations for key events/ideas in American history. Given groups of three, two-word terms below, see if you can put them in correct chronological order.
1.
Teapot Dome
Wounded Knee
Mayflower Compact
2.
Great Society
Scopes Trial
XYZ Affair
3.
Shay's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion
Whiskey Rebellion
4.
New Deal
free soil
free silver
Quote of the Day: The whole enterprise of this nation, which is not an upward, but a westward one, toward Oregon, California, Japan, etc., is totally devoid of interest to me, whether performed on foot, or by a Pacific railroad.... It is perfectly heathenish,—a filibustering toward heaven by the great western route. No; they may go their way to their manifest destiny, which I trust is not mine.... I would rather be a captive knight, and let them all pass by, than be free only to go whither they are bound. What end do they propose to themselves beyond Japan? What aims more lofty have they than the prairie dogs? --Henry David Thoreau
Sources:
1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_doctrine
2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_Destiny
Answers:
1.
Mayflower Compact
Wounded Knee
Teapot Dome
2.
XYZ Affair
Scopes Trial
Great Society
3.
Bacon's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion
Whiskey Rebellion
4.
free soil
free silver
New Deal
The first speech, given on December 2, 1823 by President James Monroe, launched the Monroe Doctrine. In his State of the Union Address, Monroe announced that the United States would frown upon any further interference or colonization of the Americas by foreign powers (1).
The second speech, given on December 2, 1845 by President James Polk, launched the term Manifest Destiny. In his State of the Union Address, Polk made it clear that he was committed to the expansion of the United States through the annexation of Texas, the acquisition of the Oregon territory, and the purchase of California from Mexico. Although he did not use the term Manifest Destiny in his speech, the term, originally coined by journalist John L. O'Sullivan, became the operative term to describe the expansion of the young nation, which happened to be the primary subject of Polk's speech (2).
Today's Challenge: Two Words - American History
Manifest Destiny and Monroe Doctrine are just two examples of several two-word appellations for key events/ideas in American history. Given groups of three, two-word terms below, see if you can put them in correct chronological order.
1.
Teapot Dome
Wounded Knee
Mayflower Compact
2.
Great Society
Scopes Trial
XYZ Affair
3.
Shay's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion
Whiskey Rebellion
4.
New Deal
free soil
free silver
Quote of the Day: The whole enterprise of this nation, which is not an upward, but a westward one, toward Oregon, California, Japan, etc., is totally devoid of interest to me, whether performed on foot, or by a Pacific railroad.... It is perfectly heathenish,—a filibustering toward heaven by the great western route. No; they may go their way to their manifest destiny, which I trust is not mine.... I would rather be a captive knight, and let them all pass by, than be free only to go whither they are bound. What end do they propose to themselves beyond Japan? What aims more lofty have they than the prairie dogs? --Henry David Thoreau
Sources:
1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_doctrine
2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_Destiny
Answers:
1.
Mayflower Compact
Wounded Knee
Teapot Dome
2.
XYZ Affair
Scopes Trial
Great Society
3.
Bacon's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion
Whiskey Rebellion
4.
free soil
free silver
New Deal
Friday, December 01, 2006
December 1: Basketball Metaphors
Today is the anniversary of the first basketball game played in 1891. At the time there was very little hoopla (no pun intended) about this first game. Instead it was just another in a long string of invented games by James Naismith, a physical education instructor at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.
Looking for a rigorous indoor game for his students, Naismith first tried to adapt lacrosse and football, but he didn't have much success until he tried nailing two peach baskets to balconies on either side of the gymnasium court. The success of this game that Naismith called Basket Ball was not assured, however. In fact as recorded in Naismith's own diary the first review for the game was less than enthusiastic: "Huh. Another new game," was the response of one of Naismith's students.
The rules and apparatus of the game evolved over time. Naismith added a backboard so that people in the balcony couldn't swat away the shots of the opposing team. Also, the bottom of the peach basket was eventually removed, significantly increasing the speed and flow of the game. Many of Naismith's students went on to become instructors in newly opened YMCA centers around the country, and although their initial reaction was rather ho-hum, they seemed to like the game enough to teach it to their own pupils (1).
One indication of the popularity of any game is when the game's jargon becomes a metaphor used outside of the game for everyday situations in real life. From basketball there are two significant examples of this phenomenon: slam dunk and my bad.
Slam dunk, which was later shortened to dunk, became the operative basketball term for stuffing the ball into the basket with either one or two hands. The term leapt from the gym to the world of business and government to mean figuratively any sure thing. The most famous example of its use as a metaphor comes from former CIA Director George Tenet. When asked by the Bush administration in 2001 whether or not the public could be convinced to go to war in Iraq, Tenet famously responded: "It's a slam dunk case!"
My bad is a colloquial phrase that originated on the asphalt courts of the inner-city where it is used as pick-up basketball shorthand meaning: Sorry, I make a mistake! This apologetic exclamation entered the off-court vernacular in the 1990s, but further word study will show that a similar expression has been used for centuries, an expression that came not from the sports world, but from the Catholic Church confessional: the Latin expression mea culpa, meaning my fault (2).
Today's Challenge: From Backboard to Boardroom
Below are examples of other basketball terms. What does each term mean? Can you think of a situation in which each term might be used as a metaphor beyond basketball. If you don't know all the terms, check out the Wikipedia entry on Basketball Terms.
flagrant foul
sixth man
Jordan Rules
garbage time
Hack-a-Shaq
pick and roll
flop brick
buzzer beater (3).
Quote of the Day: Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up. --Red Auerback
Sources:
1 - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2660882
2 - http://www.bartleby.com/59/4/meaculpa.html
3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Basketball_terminology
Looking for a rigorous indoor game for his students, Naismith first tried to adapt lacrosse and football, but he didn't have much success until he tried nailing two peach baskets to balconies on either side of the gymnasium court. The success of this game that Naismith called Basket Ball was not assured, however. In fact as recorded in Naismith's own diary the first review for the game was less than enthusiastic: "Huh. Another new game," was the response of one of Naismith's students.
The rules and apparatus of the game evolved over time. Naismith added a backboard so that people in the balcony couldn't swat away the shots of the opposing team. Also, the bottom of the peach basket was eventually removed, significantly increasing the speed and flow of the game. Many of Naismith's students went on to become instructors in newly opened YMCA centers around the country, and although their initial reaction was rather ho-hum, they seemed to like the game enough to teach it to their own pupils (1).
One indication of the popularity of any game is when the game's jargon becomes a metaphor used outside of the game for everyday situations in real life. From basketball there are two significant examples of this phenomenon: slam dunk and my bad.
Slam dunk, which was later shortened to dunk, became the operative basketball term for stuffing the ball into the basket with either one or two hands. The term leapt from the gym to the world of business and government to mean figuratively any sure thing. The most famous example of its use as a metaphor comes from former CIA Director George Tenet. When asked by the Bush administration in 2001 whether or not the public could be convinced to go to war in Iraq, Tenet famously responded: "It's a slam dunk case!"
My bad is a colloquial phrase that originated on the asphalt courts of the inner-city where it is used as pick-up basketball shorthand meaning: Sorry, I make a mistake! This apologetic exclamation entered the off-court vernacular in the 1990s, but further word study will show that a similar expression has been used for centuries, an expression that came not from the sports world, but from the Catholic Church confessional: the Latin expression mea culpa, meaning my fault (2).
Today's Challenge: From Backboard to Boardroom
Below are examples of other basketball terms. What does each term mean? Can you think of a situation in which each term might be used as a metaphor beyond basketball. If you don't know all the terms, check out the Wikipedia entry on Basketball Terms.
flagrant foul
sixth man
Jordan Rules
garbage time
Hack-a-Shaq
pick and roll
flop brick
buzzer beater (3).
Quote of the Day: Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up. --Red Auerback
Sources:
1 - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2660882
2 - http://www.bartleby.com/59/4/meaculpa.html
3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Basketball_terminology
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