Scissors and Spelling

 Factlet 13 - There are Over 480 Ways to Spell 'Scissors'

   I have not posted in a while, nor have I presented another Factlet. I thought of this one because I just saw an ad for scissors as illustrated below:

The ad reminded me of the page provided below which is the 59th one in Schott's Quintessential Miscellany (of which, by the way, I became aware only after choosing the title: Mulcahy's Miscellany.)

This photo is not a very good one, but I assure you Schott does present all 480 spellings on the page which is found in a very small book. The book by Barrow he refers to is this one: To the Curious; The Word Scissars Appears Capable of More Variations in the Spelling than any Other, T.T. Barrow. 

Sources, etc.

  The ad was spotted in a recent issue of The New Yorker. 
The site found at the scissor maker Ciselier is worth a look and they even have their own blog.
The source for the page provided above was given, but you should know that there are other Schott's: Schott's Original Miscellany; Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany and Schott's Sporting Gaming and Idling Miscellany. They are small books containing large amounts of information. For example in Schott's Quintessential... you will find the names of all of Churchill's pets and all of the addresses at which he (and they) lived. 

For the last three fascinating factlets before this one see: A Few More Factlets.

The Bonus: 

  The Canadian Spelling Bee Championship ended yesterday, but you are not too late for the U.S. "Bee Week" which is going on now. It is interesting that, although spelling English words correctly can be difficult, most of the recent champions in spelling bees have names which don't appear to be English.

The End of "Whiggish" Charts ?

 Signs of the Times

   Although we are all aware of charts relating to the stock market which are 'bearish', many depicting other things seem typically to be 'bullish'. Whatever is being measured is usually moving upward and to the right. Perhaps that is why I noticed the one above, as well as the more severe one below, both of which are pointing in the other direction.

I suppose we are likely to see more 'negative' charts such as these, as things change and we try to figure out where we are headed. In any case, the charts are interesting and more of them are provided in: "Coastal Cities Priced Out Low-Wage Workers. Now College Graduates Are Leaving Too," Emily Badger, Robert Gebeloff and Josh Katz, "The Upshot", New York Times, May 13, 2023.

Bruce McCall RIP - 1935 - 2023

 

Safe Travels

There may not be as many Canadian obituaries as there should be for McCall who was born in Simcoe, so I will provide some from other places. I have written about him before, so will not add anything here other than some obits. (In MM, see: "Bruce McCall;" "Canadian Cartoonists" and "Year Ends & Odds" where he appears near the end.) 

The Bruce McCall Website. 

Here are brief snippets from four obituaries from the many that can be found

1. "Remembering Bruce McCall, Satirist and Compleat Canadian:

For McCall, the business of getting it down right was a form of self-salvation."

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, May 6, 2023

"But in life Bruce was, despite a sometimes gruff exterior, the most sympathetic and least abrasive of men: a perfect Canadian, raised in Simcoe and then Toronto, in a vast, intense, and varyingly unhappy family, whose fate he documented in his masterpiece, the memoir “Thin Ice.” A tale of gray-good Scots-Presbyterian Canada and its dowager-queen city, Toronto, at a period when it was at its grayest and goodest, the book describes the indignities of being a young Canadian yearning for the south. Yet Bruce remained, even in New York, the most compleat Canadian, with all the key Canadian traits: self-deprecating to an often hilarious degree, polite to an almost ferocious fault, and in equal parts appalled and attracted by the crazy circus energies of his adopted country. (With one fellow-Canadian he maintained a clandestine traffic in Coffee Crisp, a strange-tasting but weirdly addictive Canadian snack, once unfindable in America.)"

2. "Bruce McCall, Noted Humorist and Former Car and Driver Columnist, Has Died: His acerbic view of cars and the world entertained readers of the New Yorker, Car and Driver, and other magazines. Jamie Kitman, Car and Driver, May 6, 2023. "Bruce McCall, one of the funniest men ever to write about cars—and also sketch, draw, and paint them with inimitable style—died yesterday at 87, owing to complications arising from Parkinson's disease. Though known to the non-enthusiast reading population for the more than 80 covers he created for the New Yorker and the many illustrations and humorous essays he contributed to that tony East Coast periodical, as well as to the madcap 1970s comedic juggernaut the National Lampoon, McCall distinguished himself to the car-loving world with his acerbic and always hilarious work for Car and Driver and Automobile Magazine. His illustrations, which showcased the automotive and aeronautical themes that first captured his interest during what he would describe as a resolutely grim Canadian boyhood, defined a genre he'd come to call "retro-futurism," a self-created style that at once mocked and celebrated the over-the-top enthusiasm and huckster's bluster that characterized mid-20th-century American marketing, nowhere more shamelessly than in the sale of new automobiles. Overlaid with an Anglo-Canadian's love and loathing of all things British, the genre he helped carve out would become an enduring pillar of American satire, leading even to a short-lived stint in the 1970s as a writer for Saturday Night Live."

3. "Bruce McCall, Satirical Artist Who Conjured a ‘Retrofuture,’ Dies at 87:

On New Yorker covers and elsewhere, he lampooned the rich by forecasting a plutocratic fantasyland — or, as he put it, “looking back to see how yesterday viewed tomorrow.” William Grimes, New York Times, May 5, 2023.

"Bruce McCall, whose satirical illustrations for National Lampoon and The New Yorker conjured up a plutocratic dream world of luxury zeppelin travel, indoor golf courses and cars like the Bulgemobile Airdreme, died on Friday in the Bronx. He was 87.

His wife, Polly McCall, said his death, at Calvary Hospital, was caused by Parkinson’s disease.

Borrowing from the advertising style seen in magazines like Life, Look and Collier’s in the 1930s and ’40s, Mr. McCall depicted a luminous fantasyland filled with airplanes, cars and luxury liners of his own creation. It was a world populated by carefree millionaires who expected caviar to be served in the stations of the fictional Fifth Avenue Subway and carwashes to spray their limousines with champagne."

[Use This One To See Some Good Illustrations]

4. “Bruce McCall – RIP”

D.D. Degg, May 6, 2023, The Daily Cartoonist

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2023/05/06/bruce-mccall-rip/

Here is the cover of the October 2014 issue of The Walrus, done by McCall

The caption: Can They Come Back?

Beard Poll

I am not sure if it is true in other sports, but those playing golf are increasingly looking rather Rastafarian, or more correctly, like Sikhs. Very heavy and thick beards conceal the faces of many players. Often when they win, they are accompanied by women who are very attractive, although I realize it is risky to use such an adjective. The question under consideration is: "Are attractive women attracted because of the beards or the prize money?" 

At this point I was going to paste bearded images of various golfers next to their clean shaven ones and let you vote, but that is too time consuming. So do your own image searches of golfers such as the Canadians Graham DeLaet (pictured above) and Adam Hadwin, and some non-Canadian ones like John Rahm and Max Homa and see which you prefer. Some samples are offered below.

At some other point I was also going to speculate about the popularity of beards, but there is no need to do so. The Wikipedia entry about Beards covers just about everything. There is even one for Playoff Beards, which suggests that superstition is involved and you will learn from the bigger beard Wikipedia essay that religion is as well, which makes sense.

What I can offer is some older material which you will not be aware of and, from which, perhaps some new conclusions about facial hair can be drawn. Maybe it is more than a hipster fad. In any case it will be easier to get rid of beards than tattoos.

Pogonologia; or, A Philosophical and Historical Essay on Beards, Jacques Antoine Dulaure, (1786) 

“A man without a beard would be much less surprising now-a-days, than a bearded woman, which proves how unnatural our tastes and customs are.” 

Of fashion -- Of bearded chins -- Of some shaved chins -- Of bearded women -- That long beards are salutary -- Of false beards -- Of golden beards -- Of whiskers -- Of the beards of priests -- Of the people that wear beards -- Conclusion.

Beard Shaving, and the Common Use of the Razor, an Unnatural, Irrational, Unmanly, Ungodly and Fatal Fashion Among Christians, William Henry Henslowe (1847) 

From this book one even learns about the "Drag Issue."

“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man; neither shall a Man put on a woman’s garment; for all they that do so are abomination to the Lord” Divine Law

And for those of you who prefer poetry:

Rhythmical Essays on the Beard Question, W. Carter, (1868)

PREFACE .

In taking upon myself the responsibility of writing this small book on the BEARD QUESTION , I beg to say it is not done ignorantly . For nearly sixty years I have laboured to remove the grim vestiges of barbarity from the human face divine . I cannot be accused of selfishness , for at an early age I wrote a direction for personal or self - shaving , so that no man , however poor , could have an excuse for wearing his beard , except in idleness , or groveling animal conceit . As a question of health , I maintain that men had better health fifty years ago than at the present beard - growing period . They were noble - looking , fine specimens of humanity . At that time all had clean , well - shaven faces . It is only within the last twenty years that the cry has been raised about a clean shave destroying health , which , from nearly sixty years ' practice , I know to be a mistake . When the mental grandeur of the face is enveloped in the rude untutored animalism of savage life , health is destroyed . Instances have come under my notice of persons dying , young and old , So covered up with animal filth that you could scarce see that they had a mouth . I never knew a man suffer in health through shaving ; the practice is conducive to health ; it leaves him free to enjoy the blessings of heaven unencumbered ; and he has an exquisite pleasure when he can take the fresh air without the annoyance of a mass of grim hair interfering with his breathing organs . It may be inferred that health is promoted by a clean shave from the fact that , when disease came into the faces of the Jews , Moses ordered them to cut the beard and shave the face , that they might be cured . It is admitted that prevention is better than cure ; and in order to keep the face free from disease , shave , wash , and be clean . It is a lamentable fact that some medical men , to accommodate the whims of their patients , recommended some to wear beards ; and others , reckless of consequences ….

The Poems follow:

Note: All of the above books are in the public domain so don't buy the ones offered on Amazon, etc.

For the bonus, see William Empson's "neck beard"

and read my earlier post about him.

FLAGS: Don't Fly Them!

    

   I thought I might begin with a softer title rather than the one above and considered, “Let’s Fly the White Flag of Surrender,” but even the colour ‘white’ is controversial these days. There has been both a lot of flaunting and flouting about flags and enough red flags have been raised to let us know that flags now symbolise mainly disunity. They are currently used as a way for signalling values, the way semaphore was developed  for sending messages, but the values being transmitted often differ and are not well received by some who see them. The flag poles have become performative poles and, like statues, flags should be removed. 

   As an admirer of “free speech” (another divisive subject) I will add that I am only calling for their elimination in displays by government entities. As a private citizen you should be able to  fly whatever flag you wish, at your own risk, or if your condo manager permits it,  and you should  even be able to desecrate the flags of others as the Canadian Charter allows. Too much time and effort is devoted to the issue of flag flying and most of the efforts expended by even the most well-meaning and righteous are counterproductive. 

Vexillography is Vexatious

   While there are arguments over flags here in Ontario, proof about the energy spent on flags (not to mention false ones) is found in this article: “This is Utah’s New Flag - and Here’s Why More States are Mulling Designs,” (Washington Post, March 25, 2023), which is where I learned the word, “vexillography” and its variants. There are a lot of vexillologists who care deeply about flags for aesthetic reasons and there are many citizens who do so for political ones. The Utah flag was selected by a committee from 7000 choices and not everyone was happy with the final one. A compromise was made to allow the old flag to be flown over the new one in the Capital and on holidays and still there is a referendum to overturn the new flag law. 

   The legislators in many other states are spending hours debating the designs for new flags for both artistic and ideological  reasons. People, images, colours, etc. now are being removed or changed to make room for ones more acceptable. This is a global phenomena as this headline indicates: “New Zealand Spent $17 Million on a Failed Flag Referendum. Now It Wants Australia to Change Its Flag Instead.” Note the word - “FAILED.”

   Here in Ontario, one community has been shamed because their solution to fly only government flags was unacceptable to some who want to fly their own. Although that does not seem to be an unreasonable arrangement, perhaps it is better just to eliminate them all. Even the government flags are likely to be attacked at some point, just as the statues were. (As this is being written,  other symbolic artefacts are being altered: religious imagery is being removed from the Canadian Crown and replaced with fleur-de-lis for maple leafs and a snowflake; and whether the King’s likeness will be on our bills or the Fathers of Confederation on our passports is being considered.)

   While the number of ardent vexillologists may not increase, the diverse number of people wanting to display their own flags certainly will. To consider just one ‘category’, here are some of the other flags now related to the Pride one, the displaying of which, caused the dispute here in Ontario: PRIDE FLAG - GENDERQUEER FLAG -  GENDERFLUID FLAG -  PROGRESS PRIDE FLAG - LESBIAN PRIDE FLAG - TRANSGENDER PRIDE FLAG - BISEXUAL PRIDE FLAG - PANSEXUAL PRIDE FLAG - INTERSEX PRIDE FLAG. If you don’t believe me, or want to bone up on flag lore before a PRIDE MONTH, see: “”What Do the Colors of the Rainbow Flag Mean? A History of How the Flag Came to Be,” Olivia Munson, USA Today, April 28, 2023 or, “Diverse Gender Identity Flags: Learn the Genderqueer, Nonbinary, Gender Fluid Pride Flags," Clare Mulroy, USA Today, April 28, 2023.

      Patriotism is now mostly personal and civic pride has been replaced by the heraldry of DEI, which seems to have served only to increase divisiveness and exclusion. 

Sources:
   Apart from those provided, there will be one. A search about "flags" generally yields results that relate to controversies over them. I will provide a rather benign example which simply shows how long flag arguments have been raised.

A TITLING Quiz

 Rather than bore you with my writing, I will offer this quiz on another dreary day. Below are listed, authors and titles. It is your job to draw a line from the author on the left to the title they authored on the right. Readers of MM will match them correctly, quickly. If you can't figure them out, the sources listed will assist you.

Willam Battie                                   Handbook of Trees and Shrubs and Roses
Michael Golesworthy                       Illustrated History of Gymnastics
Babara Seaman                              The Encyclopedia of Association Football
R. Solow                                         Violence Against Wives
William Gilbert Ovens                     A Treatise on Madness
Norman Knight                               The Doctor's Case Against the Pill
E.I.D. Pepper                                  Anatomy of the Brain
William Henry Rideing                    Price Expectations and the Behaviour of the                                                               Price Level
                                                     
William W. Looney                         Spices From the Lord's Garden
Emerson and Russell Dobash      The Lord's Supper
John Goodbody                             A-Saddle in the Wild West                          
Walter Gordon Hazlewood            Chess Pieces

Sources:   
   The answer will be obvious when you read this post from MM. Not so obvious is the additional information about this subject that you will find in my long post about Sparrows. (Look in the Post Script.) That will help you understand what these two books and authors have in common, other than their Canadianness.

Cliché-ridden

 

   Last week I noticed an article and will call it to your attention as a public service. If you think you are about to construct what you fear might turn out to be a cliché, go to this piece which consists of a large number of them and see if you can find it.
   The article was published as a "Guest Essay" in a respectable newspaper, although, admittedly, a number of people think it is not. In any case, one has to admire the cleverness of the essayist who had accepted, an article of over 700 words consisting of nothing but clichés. And, he didn't even have to worry about punctuation since all 700+ words are in just one sentence. 
  I suppose I could simply paste here the entire article since it is only one sentence long and consists only of clichés, but we live in increasingly litigious times and I don't want to have to go to court to defend myself against charges of plagiarism. So, presented below are bundles of the clichés from the 'essay', separated by ellipses to indicate that some of have been left out. I will then conclude with the source so you will know where to find them. 

   The article begins with these clichés:

"Ramped up, amped up, ratchet up, gin up, up the ante, double down, jump-start, be behind the curve, swim against the tide, go south, go belly up, level the playing field, open the floodgates, think outside the box, push the edge of the envelope, pull out all the stops, take the foot off the pedal, pump the brakes, grease the wheel, circle the wagons, charge full steam ahead, pass with flying colors, move the goal posts, pour gasoline on, add fuel to the fire, fly under the radar, add insult to injury, grow by leaps and bounds, only time will tell...
have your cake and eat it too, a taste of one’s own medicine, stick to one’s guns, above one’s pay grade, punch above one’s weight, lick one’s wounds, pack a punch, roll with the punches, come apart at the seams, throw a wrench into, caught in the cross hairs, cross the Rubicon, tempt fate, go ballistic, on tenterhooks, hit the nail on the head, a nail in the coffin, joined at the hip, welcome with open arms, rub shoulders with, shoot oneself in the foot...
skin in the game, game changer, change agent, strong suit, ground game, ground zero, inflection point, tipping point, playbook, page turner, singing from the same hymnal, singing a new tune, straight out of central casting, the devil’s in the details, take the bull by the horns, the canary in the coal mine, chickens coming home to roost, beat a dead horse, pony up, the straw that broke the camel’s back...
speak truth to power, break the glass ceiling, the writing’s on the wall, between a rock and a hard place, beyond the pale, take the wind out of the sails of, that ship has sailed, sinking ship, tidal wave, roller-coaster ride, gravy train, tanked, cratered, Rubik’s Cube, Rosetta Stone, Rolodex, poster child, problem child, rock star, pundit, national treasure, charter member, heavy hitter, heavy lifting, political football, throw a Hail Mary, full-court press, hit a home run, play with house money...
armed to the teeth, cut one’s teeth, rib tickler, spine tingling, pull the wool over the eyes of, pull the plug on, pull the trigger, loosen the reins, sweep under the carpet, throw under the bus, throw for a loop, read the riot act, lead the pack, the short end of the stick, at the drop of a hat, the jury is still out, hung out to dry..."

And ends with these:

fever pitch, pitch perfect, picture perfect, perfect storm, take by storm, eye of the storm, back burner, petri dish, echo chamber, hot button, hard wire, go viral, bingeable, blockbuster, on steroids, testosterone-laced, metastasize, contextualize, preternaturally, outsize, gobsmacked, turbocharged, weaponized, apocalyptic, existential …

The Source:
"The Tip of the Iceberg," Michael Massing, New York Times, April 27, 2023.
The Bonus: Is found in the illustration at the top; an entire book of clichés.

Biking About

 

   The screen shot above is from a photo on my iPhone. It is a picture of the odometer on my bike and the startlingly large number represents the number of kilometers I have ridden to date. You are looking at it because I put it in this blog and I did so, so I would know where it is. I never know where my photos are and frequently lose them and will probably soon lose my phone. 
   My plan is to take another shot of the odometer at the end of the summer and put it in this blog so I will know where it is as well. Another purpose will be served, in that, the already impressive number will have increased dramatically, I'm sure, and I will have publicly documented the private promise made to myself on this May 1 to be more active this summer in an attempt to be less fat by winter.
   I know that those statisticians among you are thinking that the number is only "startling' if you know when I started, or got the odometer. If the recording began in, say, 1957, the number would only be startling because it is such a small one. Well, it looks like I got the bike on May 26, 2020 which was almost 3 years ago, or 1070 days. Riding only 4575 kms in 3 years is not that impressive, unless one remembers that in Canada a wimp like myself will only ride on the very few days when it is not freezing or raining (these were also the Plague Years.) Unfortunately I didn't keep track of those days, but I can assure you that there are very few; few enough that the number is again rather startling.
  On the other hand, the Americans among you will say the number is not so impressive because it is in kilometers. I have really only ridden about 2840 miles which is not that startling, but it is still almost a 1000 miles a year and each of those years only had a few rideable days. 
   Finally, there are sure to be a few among you who feel the need to be critical and will have noticed the BATT in the picture and realized that the odometer sits on top of the handlebars of an E-bike and argue that 2840 miles, or even 4575 kms, is not that startling after all. Perhaps I will still startle you, if by summer's end the number has increased significantly, but I may not since it is too cold and rainy today to go riding which is why I am blogging.

The Bonus:
   Is really a question. What is the kilometer/metric word that would be the synonym for the meaning expressed by the word "mileage?"