A.Word.A.Day--Annie Oakley
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Annie Oakley (AN-ee OK-lee) noun
A complimentary ticket; pass.
[After Annie Oakley (1860-1926), U.S. markswoman, renowned for her skill at
shooting, from the association of the punched ticket with one of her
bullet-riddled targets.]
This is going to be an eponym week, where we'll see words derived from
people's names. In our quest for eponyms, we are going to visit, among
other places, 18th century England, World War II era, and the American
Wild West.
Phoebe Ann Moses, better known as Annie Oakley, showed sharpshooting
skills at an early age and earned the moniker "Little Sure Shot." Later
this shooting star and her husband appeared in the touring Wild West
Show, delighting audiences the world over. Annie was known for amazing
feats such as shooting a coin tossed in the air, and knocking the ashes
off a cigarette held between her husband's lips. I think it would have
been more spectacular if she had knocked off the whole cigarette, not
just the ashes, but I digress. In another stunt, she would shoot at a
playing card thrown into the air, and before it touched the ground,
riddle it with holes. I wonder if chad came out. Someone figured this
matched the punched free ticket to an event, and soon all passes became
known as Annie Oakleys. -Anu
X-Bonus
You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep. -Navajo Proverb