-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER -------- Number 86 - November 2003 - ISSN 1470-1863 Dictionaries + Language + Writing + Reference 0----- 'Oxford Dictionary of Euphemisms' - new book This is *not* just a collection of polite expressions. It's also a marvellous collection of slang, idioms, secret argot, rhyming slang, and coded terms. They are the words commonly used when discussing topics which are considered embarrassing or taboo - such as illness, death, s*e*x, lav*ato*ries, and even money. Each term is defined, then illustrated - and then comes the really good part. The editor - R.W. Holder - then discusses the origin of the term, plus how and why it is used. And he does this in a dryly amusing manner. It's amazing how some extremely simple words - such as 'go' - can be turned into euphemisms for s*e*x, death, bankr*upt*cy, and the lav*at*ory. I'm enjoying every single entry [Ooops!] and so far have only reached the letter M. Full review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-euph.htm And if you are wondering what those fun*ny spell*ings are above - they are words which spam filters block. 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1 What's another name for the Big Dipper constellation? 0----- Vocabulary Watching - new words Do you know what 'free-running', 'flash mobs', and 'dogging' are? You need to move fast to keep up with the coining of new terms. 'Free runners recast the city as a playground and challenge other urbanites to look at their home afresh. They race along the skyline - every railing and roof, stairwell and windowsill, bridge, building and even battleship is a stepping stone to higher ground. They never go backwards, they always find a path.' Flash mobs are absurdist crowds assembled through instructions passed from person to person using e-mail, text messaging and other instant media. They even have their own web sites. Scary! Dogging is a new craze of exhibitionism which goes on in your local beauty spot or car park. Folks get their kit off and indulge in a bit of al fresco how's your father - sometimes inviting passers-by to join in. And I'm *not* kidding? 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2 Who was beaten at the Battle of Gettysburg? 0----- 'Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases' - new book Do these catchphrases mean anything to you? Can I do you now, sir?; Shut that door!; Who loves ya, baby?; Bono Estente!; Eat my shorts! You can probably determine someone's age from the number of these they recognise. They come from radio, music hall, and television - and they illustrate the sort of snappy expressions which often pass into the public realm. But we often don't know who coined them or where they come from. This book offers a lively explanation of what they mean, why they came about, and most interestingly of all background notes on the characters, programmes, and films involved. This is not only an entertaining reference book: it will appeal enormously to fans of popular culture, and especially comedy in the USA and UK during the last seventy years or so. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-fark.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3 What are the three methods by which heat travels? 0----- 'the language report' - new book Susie Dent, glamorous contributor to TV word game show 'Countdown', has put together a book which discusses the latest additions to the English language. The new words come from all forms of modern life - politics, pop, television, comics, music, computers, commerce, sport, newspapers, and the street. 'Bada bing' - the catchphrase made famous by hit television show 'The Sopranos' - has earned a place alongside 'Reality TV', 'SARS' and 'Muggle', someone lacking magic powers from the 'Harry Potter' series. British television produced 'lovely jubbly', an expression of delight from wisecracking comedy 'Only Fools and Horses'. From pop culture comes 'bootylicious' and 'turntablist', a DJ proficient at spinning records. Another trove of new words is the Internet, which added 'cyberslacker', 'egosurf' and 'hacktivist'. It's a quick survey, but compensates by being very wide-ranging in the activities covered. Full review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/dent.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4 From which French region does Muscadet originate? 0----- Famous Authors - What do they have in common? Margaret Atwood, William Blake, Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Willa Cather, Stephen Crane, e.e. cummings, Alexander Dumas, T.S. Eliot, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Hardy, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, Rudyard Kipling, D.H. Lawrence, Anais Nin, Edgar Allen Poe, Alexander Pope, Beatrix Potter, Ezra Pound, Marcel Proust, George Bernard Shaw, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Gertrude Stein, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Leo Tolstoi, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Virginia Woolf. Answer - they all at some point published their own work. 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5 Who composed 'Rhapsody in Blue'? 0----- Check your Gender online Ever been concerned about which s*e*x you are? You can now check online - simply be typing some text into a box. It measures feminine and masculine 'keywords' - where for instance 'with' is feminine and 'below' is masculine. [Don't ask me.] I tried it with last month's newsletter, and it recorded as follows: Female score = 1127 Masculine score = 2668 Phew! That's a relief. But then I tried a control test by submitting an extract from Virginia Woolf's 'Orlando'. Here's *her* score: Female score = 790 Male score = 1136 Tirez vos conclusions :-) http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.html 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6 In which ocean are the Seychelles? 0----- 'Dictionary of Rhyming Slang' - new book Most people know that in cockney rhyming slang, you go to bed 'up the apples and pears'. That is, it rhymes with 'stairs'. But where would you find your 'mince pies'? Answer - in the middle of your 'boat race'. This is a wonderful collection of all the known rhyming slang terms still in use today. And the number is growing - largely due to the inclusion of celebrity names. A well-endowed woman might have a nice pair of 'Ertha Kitts' or even 'Bradleys'. Where does 'Bradleys' come from? Brad Pitt of course, because rhyming slang abbreviates the term to the non-rhyming word of a pair. All this is explained in John Ayto's entertaining dictionary, which manages to be scholarly, street-wise, and bang up-to-date at the same time. Full review - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-rhym.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #7 Who followed as Soviet leader after Stalin's death? 0----- Good Study Guides - resources for learning We've got not one, not two, but *three* Good Study Guides to recommend for you this issue. These are best-selling books from the Open University which offer study skills and techniques for people who want to prepare for further and higher education. They are written in a clear and user-friendly style, and they approach study skills in practical manner, focusing on real life examples. The guides are aimed at students in social studies, arts, and sciences, and it has to be said that they are equally useful for tutors, who might want to pick up ideas for teaching. Full reviews at - Social Sciences http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/north.htm Arts http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/north-a.htm Sciences http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/north-s.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #8 What is the capital of Cambodia? 0----- 'Canterbury Tales'- On line! The British Library has just started to put the whole of Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' onto its web site. The pages are facsimiles of Chaucer's originals texts, and the site allows you to compare first and second editions on screen. Full tutorial notes - and beautiful pictures of a very elegant text. http://www.bl.uk/treasures/caxton/index.html Another Chaucer site has a transcript of the original, with a translation into modern English - and it allows you to control the layout of the page on screen, adding decorated capitals and line numbers. The site is currently closed for updates, but the URL is worth noting. http://www.canterburytales.org/canterbury_tales.html 0----- Pub Quiz Question #9 What is the purpose of an Archimedes Screw? 0----- 'Giving Presentations' - new book Oxford University Press have just brought out a series of short beginners' guides on communication skills. The emphasis is on compact, no-nonsense advice directly related to issues of everyday life. This one deals with all the practical issues involved in giving illustrated lectures, or delivering the now-classic PowerPoint presentation. Its main emphasis is on careful preparation, planning, and practising what you are going to do. And it also has some useful tips on what to avoid - such as the common error of reading out the content of OHPs whilst it's on screen. It also covers the design of good visual materials, practical equipment, and team presentations. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/billing2.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #10 By what name was Marion Morrison better known? 0----- Quotable quotes "Reading about s*e*x in yesterday's novels is like watching people smoke in old films." FAY WELDON 0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS What's another name for the Big Dipper constellation? ANSWER: The Plough Who was beaten at the Battle of Gettysburg? ANSWER: The Confederate US Army. What are the three methods by which heat travels? ANSWER: Convection, conduction, and radiation. From which French region does Muscadet originate? ANSWER: The Loire Valley Who composed 'Rhapsody in Blue'? ANSWER: George Gershwin In which ocean are the Seychelles? ANSWER: The Indian Ocean Who followed as Soviet leader after Stalin's death? ANSWER: Georgi Malenkov What is the capital of Cambodia? ANSWER: Phnom Penh What is the purpose of an Archimedes Screw? ANSWER: To raise water By what name was Marion Morrison better known? ANSWER: John Wayne 0----- COMING SOON 'Companion to English Literature' 'Dictionary of Place Names' 'Presenting Numbers, Tables, and Charts' 'Los Logos' 'Design Through Digital Interaction' 'Creative Content for the Web' 'Designing Web Graphics' (c) Copyright 2003, MANTEX All Rights Reserved PO Box 100 Tel +44 0161 432 5811 Manchester Fax +44 0161 443 2766 M20 6GZ UK www.mantex.co.uk If you like this newsletter, PLEASE FORWARD IT to friends and colleagues. New subscribers should register at the following address -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm FREE BACK ISSUES featuring news items, reviews, and product details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/news/archive.htm Please retain the copyright and list-joining information. It may be posted, in its entirety or partially, to newsgroups or mailing lists, so long as the copyright and list-joining information remains. If you have any requests, observations, or items you would like to be included in our next issues, just mail us at -- news@mantex.co.uk You receive the MANTEX newsletter because you subscribed to it. If you wish to leave the list, go to -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm News-86-November-2003 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library