A.Word.A.Day -- AWADmail Issue 1167

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AWADmail Issue 1167

A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language

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Newspaper clipping about the use of a beacon in the 1924 presidential election

Email of the Week -- Brought to you buy OLD’S COOL -- The perfect stocking stuffer.

From: Kenneth Kirste (kkkirste sbcglobal.net)
Subject: Beacon

There was a nice coincidence when you featured the word “beacon” on Nov 4 because the 1924 presidential election was held on that very date 100 years earlier and the results of that election were transmitted to the populace of Fresno, California, using a beacon.
The city’s tallest building (the Pacific-Southwest Bank) had a flagpole on top of it with a huge revolving light 315 feet above the sidewalk. It existed to notify farmers within a thirty-mile radius of frost and storm warnings and to guide airplanes to the airport. For the national election, the beacon was fitted with three different colored lights -- one for each of the three major candidates (Calvin Coolidge, John Davis, and Robert La Follette). On election night, these different colors were employed to signal who was leading and who ultimately won.

Ken Kirste, Sunnyvale, California

From: Greg Chapin (greg.chapin gmail.com)
Subject: Beacon

We live in Beacon, New York, which has a famous mountain, and was named for the signal fires that were lit atop Mount Beacon in the Revolutionary War. (Ref)

Also, the mountain was once home to the world’s steepest passenger incline, the Mt. Beacon Incline Railway.

Greg Chapin, Beacon, New York

From: H. Kleisny (helgakleisny gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--beacon

Again aviation related :-) . Nice.

The official term would still be Rotating Beacon. But among pilots we usually just call it beacon.

Pretty good explanation here: Quote from Pilot Institute:

Beacon lights, also known as anti-collision lights, indicate when an aircraft is in operation. They are sometimes referred to as rotating beacon lights, harking back to the days when these lights did rotate. Beacon lights are flashing red lights located on the top and (on larger aircraft) the bottom of the airplane. They are turned on as soon as the pilots begin the process of starting the engines and are only switched off after the engines have been shut down.

Helga Kleisny, Frankfurt, Germany

From: Henry M. Willis (hmw ssdslaw.com)
Subject: Beacons

We don’t always appreciate one difference between the modern world and the centuries that preceded it: the retreat of darkness once we began illuminating cities and towns. Coping with the dark is now more the exception than the norm for many of us urbanites in the developed world. By contrast, 250 years ago the night was, if you were out of doors, often profoundly dark and dangerous.

That’s what makes the opening lines of The Divine Comedy so memorable: “Midway in my life’s journey I found myself lost in a dark wood.” Having found myself literally in that position 20 years ago while trying to find the trail back to my campsite, I understood Dante’s terror in a way I never had before. (I also learned why we derive the word “panic” from Pan, the Greek god of woods and pastures.)

But returning to Dante, who was constantly traveling from town to town during his years in exile, a beacon represented both hope and safety. Dante uses the simile of someone carrying a lamp on a dark night when addressing Virgil, whom medieval writers liked to imagine as a forerunner of Christianity even though he was thoroughly pagan:

Facesti come quei che va di notte,
che porta il lume dietro e sé non giova,
ma dopo sé fa le persone dotte. ...

(You were like one who goes abroad at night carrying a lamp behind him -- which does you no good, but enlightens those who follow.)

Purgatory XXII: 67-69. In this simile, at least, a beacon represented salvation. I’m sure his readers understood that from their own experience.

Henry Willis, Los Angeles, California

From: Marshall Wilensky (wilenskym gmail.com)
Subject: security blanket

Immediately, I thought of this scene (1 min.) from Mel Brooks’ The Producers. RIP Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel.

Marshall Wilensky

From: Jon Vegard Lunde (jon.vegard.lunde gmail.com)
Subject: security blanket

The Norwegian word for security blanket is sutteklut, which could translated back as sucking rag. I doubt if sutteklut has entered the IT vocabulary.

Jon Vegard Lunde, Lillehammer, Norway

From: Bob Richmond (rsrichmond gmail.com)
Subject: security blanket

I can remember having a security blanket back in 1942, when I was three years old. My mother called it the white shawl -- I think I appropriated it from her. She darned it patiently for me until one day she gave up and damned it. I don’t remember me getting much upset about her throwing it out.

Bob Richmond, Maryville, Tennessee

From: Pierre-Alexandre Sicart (PA_Sicart hotmail.com)
Subject: tyrants

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been murderers and tyrants, and for a time they can seem invincible. But in the end they always fall. Think of it, always. -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 Oct 1869-1948)

They may fall in the end, but how much damage can they do until then? I can’t believe America wanted Trump again.

Pierre-Alexandre Sicart, Midi-Pyrenees, France

From: Sarah Hansen (shicks27 hotmail.com)
Subject: Enjoying A Thought for Today

I always look at “A Thought for Today” at the end of the email. I love these! Today’s especially hit hard as we try to find a way through the darkness after yesterday’s events and seeing the horrific amount of people in this country voting for...I don’t even know what to call it. But it brought me panic and sadness that so many really believe this is the right way to turn right now. I truly believed that more of us knew better and I can’t even contemplate how they got to their decision. Thank you for always bringing some light.

Sarah Hansen, Tacoma, Washington

From: Daphne Meacham (daphne.meacham gmail.com)
Subject: holding onto the things that refresh our spirits

Thought this excerpt from a post-election piece by American law professor Sherrilyn Ifill nicely complements the Gandhi quote included as your Nov 6 Thought of the Day (especially for those feeling disappointed this week who enjoy AWAD like art and food):

Our spirits will be assaulted in the coming months -- by coarse and crude language, by open displays of violence, of privilege, and of unchecked power. We may feel as if we are occupied by a hostile force. This feeling will combine with our grief to weaken and exhaust us. We must hold onto the things that refresh our spirits -- time with family, music, art, nature, hobbies, food. We must protect our core.
Sherrilyn’s Newsletter: Civil Rights & American Democracy, Nov 6, 2024

Daphne Meacham, Vancouver, Canada

From: Brenda J. Gannam (gannamconsulting earthlink.net)
Subject: lily-handed

The lily-handed woman... I knew a gal once who was a hand model -- her hands were used in ads for all sorts of products like hand cream, gloves, rings, bracelets, nail polish, etc. She had to keep her hands in top-notch condition at all times. This required all sorts of creams and special gloves to be worn all the time, except when bathing. In addition, her hands were insured for some obscene sum, because without them her livelihood would be jeopardized.

Brenda J. Gannam, Brooklyn, New York

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: lily-handed and security blanket

Our word “lily-handed” brought to mind, of-the-manor-born/silver spoon-fed Donald Trump, who it could be argued never did a day of hands-on hard labor in his entire privileged life. Here, he consults a palm reader, who reveals some of The Donald’s most disturbing and loathsome traits, much to his chagrin. Predictably, he’s in total denial.

Putin believes he can threaten the world with his nuclear missiles, while using his strategy of brinkmanship. His vast stockpile of nuclear weapons, the largest on the planet, is his security blanket, giving him a warped sense of comfort.

Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California

Anagrams


	This week’s theme: Idioms & metaphors 1. beacon 2. security blanket 3. incandescent 4. nuclear option 5. lily-handed	=	1. Beam ships seek, torch 2. Emotional dependency 3. Inherently luminous & hot 4. Drastic act 5. Be wan; delicate skin	=	1. The pharos & its one key conspicuous element 2. Binky 3. Lambent; mad 4. Drastic action wherein is hell 5. Decadent
			-Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com)		-Robert Jordan, Lampang, Thailand (alfiesdad ymail.com)

=	1. Pharos, intense beam 2. Nickname’s ‘le doudou’ 3. Lambent, red-hot intensity 4. Drastic choice 5. He went pale, sickly	=	1. Helm, inspiration 2. Seek, use enabled protection 3. Intense, lucent 4. Hm... most drastic, bleak choice 5. Why! A dandy!	=	1. Indicate a space nearby 2. Can’t hurt when I hold it 3. Candle-like 4. Much tension, enmity, & temper 5. Looks-obsessed
	-Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz)		-Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com)		-Josiah Winslow, Franklin, Wisconsin (winslowjosiah gmail.com)

Make your own anagrams and animations.

Limericks

Beacon

Donald Trump, as his mind starts to weaken
With Beelzebub as his sole beacon,
Just makes my teeth gnash.
He accepts “floating trash”
As a synonym for “Puerto Rican”.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

When I’m at the end of my rope
And wondering how I can cope,
I find an advisor,
A person who’s wiser,
Who’ll act as a beacon of hope.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

It’s pitch-black out here an’ I’m seekin’
Some sort of a light, like a beacon
That’ll show me just how
I can navigate now
And maybe then I can stop freakin’!
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

Before he became a church deacon,
The old demon rum he was seekin’.
But then, drunk one night,
He did see the light,
Which signaled to him like a beacon.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

Dear Anu, why must you keep tweakin’
My submissions which shine like a beacon?
In my AWADmail section,
Don’t mess with perfection!
My fine craftsmanship you just weaken!
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Security blanket

My security blanket, I’d say,
Keeps all bothersome thoughts far away --
Like those medical bills,
That give me the chills,
Or those taxes that I didn’t pay.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

I am feeling quite anxious indeed --
My security blanket I need!
I love its soft touch;
It helps me so much,
As political updates I read.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

My kid’s old security blanket
Got so dirty that sometimes I’d yank it.
In the washing machine
It would go until clean;
But over the years, well, I shrank it.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

They were doomed while consuming a banquet,
For they lacked a security blanket.
The Titanic was new,
But had lifeboats too few
When it hit the great iceberg that sank it.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Incandescent

I found Kamala’s smile incandescent.
Her opponent I thought was senescent.
But he’s now won the race --
What a future we face!
Could you pass me that antidepressant?
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

He hated all lighting fluorescent.
Its brightness he found incandescent.
Each day while at work,
He came off as a jεrk,
As complaints by him were so incessant.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“Me give fire to wife as a present,
Saying, ‘Look! It make cave incandescent!
Now on walls we make art!
Become cultured and smart!’
But she answer, ‘Too hot, Oog. Unpleasant.’”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Nuclear option

It’s chaos time in the US,
That’s causing a lot of distress.
There’s a nuclear option
I propose for adoption.
A monarchy’d clean up the mess.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

The nuclear option, I trust,
You only will use if you must.
It surely would seem
A move that extreme
Should rarely be something discussed.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

Now Senator Philip A. Buster
Lacked the votes that he needed to muster.
So he sought the adoption
Of the nuclear option,
Producing an outcome lackluster.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

When our language won’t do, Hobson-Jobson
Is always the nuclear option.
Take a word from, say, Yiddish,
Pronounced like your British:
Voila! A new English concoction!
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Lily-handed

As a child I was smart and well-read.
“Be a doctor. A lawyer.” they said.
I was not lily-handed,
So guess where I landed.
I became a mud-wrestler instead.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

A man lily-handed was Boyd;
All physical work he’d avoid.
In the house and the yard,
He would shun what was hard,
Which left his poor wife much annoyed.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

Said Thurston to Lovey, “We’re stranded;
We’ll adjust, dear, though both lily-handed.”
Had it been Donald’s fate
That brief cruise to abate,
He would not have survived, to be candid.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Puns

The Honey Lovers of America would gather at their annual beacon.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“I couldn’t beacon-vinced by my staff that acting sane, coherent, and civilized would be a winning strategy, and now I’ve been proven right,” gloated Donald.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“You let them rob the safe! You security blanket-y blank!” the bank manager swore at the guard.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“In order to maintain border security blanket South Texas with land mines,” Donald ordered.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“Many Peruvians today are of Incandescent,” noted the anthropologist.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“The nuclear option would enable our evolution into multi-cellular organisms,” suggested the prokaryote.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Tiger Lily-handed the tribe’s peace pipe over to Peter Pan.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

It is criminal to steal a purse, daring to steal a fortune, a mark of greatness to steal a crown. The blame diminishes as the guilt increases. -Johan Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, poet and dramatist (10 Nov 1759-1805)

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