2011年2月14日 星期一

AP: The Story of News/ abracadabra/ nostalgia

1940/12/24
不知為什麼日記有兩英文字
每逢佳節被思家? nostalgia
abracadabra 呢 ?


nostalgia
(nŏ-stăl'jə, nə-) pronunciation
n.
  1. A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.
  2. The condition of being homesick; homesickness.

[Greek nostos, a return home + -ALGIA.]



abracadabra
(ăb'rə-kə-dăb') pronunciation
n.
  1. A magical charm or incantation having the power to ward off disease or disaster.
  2. Foolish or unintelligible talk.

[Late Latin, magical formula.]

WORD HISTORY "Abracadabra," says the magician, unaware that at one time the thing to do with the word was wear it, not say it. Abracadabra was a magic word, the letters of which were arranged in an inverted pyramid and worn as an amulet around the neck to protect the wearer against disease or trouble. One fewer letter appeared in each line of the pyramid, until only a remained to form the vertex of the triangle. As the letters disappeared, so supposedly did the disease or trouble. While magicians still use abracadabra in their performances, the word itself has acquired another sense, "foolish or unintelligible talk."




游建文夫婦送的 讀到午夜4點

AP: The Story of News

AP: The Story of News
by Oliver Gramling, Henry C. Barrow
Pages: 508
Place of Publication: New York
Publication Year: 1940



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