Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

mountebank  \MOUN-tih-bank\  ~ noun

DEFINITION(s): 1: a person who sells quack medicines from a platform

2: a boastful unscrupulous pretender : charlatan

EXAMPLES: In his newspaper column, Gavin criticized the talk-radio host as "a mountebank whose 'expert' opinions and advice are complete hooey."

"Bring your five-minute tales related to all things fraudulent and pseudo. Flimflammers, mountebanks, poseurs and snake oil salesmen especially welcome." -- From a literary events listing by Gina Webb in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 25, 2011

DID YOU KNOW? "Mountebank" derives from the Italian "montimbanco," which was formed by combining the verb "montare" ("to mount"), the preposition "in" (converted to "im," meaning "in" or "on"), and the noun "banco" ("bench"). Put these components together and you can deduce the literal origins of "mountebank" as someone mounted on a bench -- the "bench" being the platform on which charlatans from the 16th and 17th centuries would stand to sell their phony medicines. Mountebanks often included various forms of light entertainment on stage in order to attract customers. Later, extended uses of "mountebank" referred to someone who falsely claims to have knowledge about a particular subject or a person who simply pretends to be something he or she is not in order to gain attention.

~THE REBATE~

Have a child hooked on the Hasbro Littlest Pet Shop?  Now you can get the special edition Littlest Pet Shop Rooster when you collect 8 stickers from specially-marked packages (look for the green paw print) of The Littlest Pet Shop Pretty Pairs, Shimmer ‘n Shine Pets, Walkables, or Walkable Theme packs. The offer ends 6/30/12 and requests need to be post marked by 7/31/12.  To get yours fill out the rebate form and mail it together with the 8 stickers pasted on the collectors page.  It doesn't say where you can get the books but I am guessing they are in the boxes the toys come with.

I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

biophilia \bye-oh-FILL-ee-uh\ ~ noun

DEFINITION: one who under oath vouches for the character or conduct of an accused person

EXAMPLES: As a compurgator, you do not have to believe in the innocence of the defendant, but you do have to feel confident speaking positively about that person's character.

"To clear himself, the defendant required corroboration from a prescribed number of compurgators or 'oath-helpers,' which varied according to the nature and severity of the accusation. Neither the defendant nor his compurgators were required to present any evidence to the court." -- From Bruce L. Benson and Paul R. Zimmerman's 2010 book Handbook on the Economics of Crime

DID YOU KNOW? "Compurgator" is a descendant of the Latin verb "compurgare," meaning "to purify wholly." The root of that word, "purgare," also gave English "purge" ("to clear of guilt," "to cause evacuation from," or "to get rid of") and "expurgate" ("to cleanse of something morally harmful, offensive, or erroneous"). "Compurgator" has occasionally been used in a more general sense of "one who supports or defends another," but its primary application is to the specific legal situation in which someone appears in court as a character witness for the defendant. "Compurgator" has been used in English with this specific legal meaning since the 16th century.


~THE REBATE~

Have a little one at home that's into Dinosaurs?  Now when you buy 3 Langer’s juices from Langers you can get a collectible Dinosaur Train pack that includes Buddy, Mr. Argentinosaurus and the train car for just $1.99 for the shipping.  Just fill in the mail in rebate certificate and send it in together with the three proof of purchase OR original store receipt(s) and a check or money order for the $1.99.  Allow up to 12 weeks to recieve the toy.  Offer good while supplies last.  Remember, if you don't have kids this is a great way to donate to the toy drive around the holidays without blowing your budget.

Have a great day everyone!

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

plinth \PLINTH\ ~ noun

DEFINITIONS:
1: the lowest part of the base of an architectural column
2: a block used as a base (as for a statue)

EXAMPLES: The museum workers reverently set the newly restored statue back onto an imposing plinth.
"Anthony put on his glasses and bent down, searching for a minute label taped to the marble plinth on which the Atlas figures stood." -- From Rose Tremain's 2010 novel Trespass

DID YOU KNOW? "These ivy-clad arcades -- / These mouldering plinths ... are they all -- / All of the famed, and the colossal left…?" In these lines from "The Coliseum," Edgar Allan Poe alludes to a practical feature of classical architecture. The plinth serves the important purpose of raising the base of the column it supports above the ground, thus protecting it from dampness and mold. The humble plinth is usually a mere thick block. It’s humbly named, too, for the Greek word "plinthos" means simply "tile" or "brick." English writers have used "plinth," a shortened version of the Latin form "plinthus," since the beginning of the 17th century. The meaning was extended to bases for statues, vases, or busts in the 18th century.


~THE REBATE~

Have kids on your Valentines list or looking to start putting together a Easter basket?  Now through March 22, 2011 when you buy any Hasbro 4 Furry Frenzies or Snuggimals you can get an exclusive pink Furry Frenzies ladybug free.  Just mail in the four original UPCs from the packaging together with the mail in rebate form.  Requests need to be postmarked by March 22, 2011 and received by Hasbro no later than March 31, 2011.  This one is going to require some patients, the lady bug will be mailed in 10 to 12 weeks from receipt of your request. 

I hope you are all having a great week!

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

raconteur  \ra-kahn-TER\ ~ noun

DEFINITION: a person who excels in telling anecdotes

EXAMPLES: A bona fide raconteur, Turner can turn even mundane experiences into hilariously entertaining stories.

"The story is constructed as a light mentor piece in which Henry, a sometime college literature professor, Christmas ball collector and raconteur, takes a boarder into his crummy New York apartment." -- From an article by Dennis King in The Oklahoman, September 10, 2010

DID YOU KNOW? The story of "raconteur" is a tale of telling and counting. English speakers borrowed the word from French, where it traces back to the Old French verb "raconter," meaning "to tell." "Raconter" in turn was formed from another Old French verb, "aconter" or "acompter," meaning "to tell" or "to count," which is ultimately from Latin "computare," meaning "to count." "Computare" is also the source of our words "count" and "account." "Raconteur" has been part of the English vocabulary since at least 1828.

~THE REBATE~

You can receive a $10 Toy Cash Voucher from Kellogg's, when you purchase 5 specially marked Kellogg's products.  To recieve the $10.00 credit you need to send in 5 tokens from specially marked packages of Kellogg's snacks, all the varities are listed on the rebate form which you will need to fill in and send with the tokens.  The rebate ends 12/31/10 so is great to use for your holiday shopping.  The form says one entry per envelope and one entry per household.
 
 
I hope you are all haveing a fantastic day!
 
C.Q.

Friday's freebie...

Amazon has a great deal going ~ Until April 30, you can get a free Fisher-Price TRIO building set with any purchase of the select toys. Please note though that the offer applies only to products sold by Amazon.com and not to products sold by third-party merchants and other sellers through the Amazon.com site. As with all items sold through Amazon, you get free shipping on any order over $25.00.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

C.Q.