Month: February 2021

nerve

action potential – A brief electrical signal transmitted along a nerve or muscle fiber following stimulation. More…

carpal tunnel syndrome – Describes a compression of a nerve over the carpal bones (eight small bones of the wrist) through a passage (tunnel) at the front of the wrist. More…

obdormition – Numbness caused by pressure on a nerve, as when a limb is “asleep.” More…

funny bone – A nerve, not a bone; the name is a pun on the humerus, the arm bone that gets strange tingles when it is bumped. More…

The Scofield Reference Bible

In the mid-1600s, Archbishop James Ussher of Ireland calculated the date of Creation as 4004 BCE. For many modern-day Christians, the first time they encountered that date was in the pages of the Scofield Reference Bible. Written in 1909 and revised in 1917, the work contained the traditional King James Version of the Bible along with detailed commentary, a thematic cross-referencing system, and a chronological framework. The work promoted dispensationalism, which is a belief in what? Discuss

odds

across the board – An allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race. More…

rubble – Comes from Anglo-Norman robel, “bits of broken stone,” from earlier French robe, “loot, odds and ends stolen.” More…

ironic – Something is ironic if the result is the opposite of what was intended; an ironic event is an incongruous event, one at odds with what might have been expected. More…

odds and ends – The first official odds and ends were found in lumberyards—odds were pieces of board split irregularly by the sawmill, ends were pieces trimmed from boards that were cut to specific lengths. More…

Jet Packs

Jet packs began to appear in science fiction long before science made them a reality. Toward the end of WWII, scientists began working seriously to develop a wearable propulsion device that would enable a single user to fly. Now a reality, jet packs are prohibitively expensive and difficult to control. Because jet pack flights are brief, most do not achieve the minimum altitude necessary to deploy a parachute in the event of a breakdown. What is currently the only practical use for jet packs? Discuss

highest

top note – The highest in a piece of music or in a singer’s vocal range. More…

paramount, tantamount – Paramount means “primary, top,” and tantamount means “equivalent to, same as”; paramount first meant “highest in jurisdiction.” More…

prime – Unusual since it can have virtually opposite meanings: “preliminary, basic” or “lowest”—as well as “finest” and “highest.” More…

supreme – Ultimately from Latin supra, “above,” which begat supremus, “highest.” More…