Today's Daily Dispatch

‘FAMILY’ HISTORY?

Posted December 19, 2008

In the round of familial phrases there was a discussion of the “Grandfather Clause.” The possible origin of the idea and the phrase, though I could not swear to that—comes from the post-Reconstruction South.  States seeking to disfranchise black citizens created all sorts of new voting requirements.  There were literacy tests and poll taxes and, sometimes, a grandfather clause stating that to be eligible to vote you had to be able to show evidence that your grandfather had voted in an election prior to a given date carefully chosen to predate the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment.  Those setting these new rules knew quite well that they were unconstitutional but the federal government declined to intervene at the time.

Zoe Sherman of Brighton, MA

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SO WHAT’S NOOP?

Posted January 26, 2010

On the definition of “noop"… Every computer programmer who hears your show will be screaming at their stereos (or computers) that a “noop” is a useless piece of code that pretty much does nothing (derivative of Linux “no-op” for “no operation").

Over time, the word has expanded to include co-workers who are beyond clueless. The idea is that a clueless person can be taught, but a noop is useless and beyond help.

With a bit of searching I did find references for the “point of the elbow” definition.  Sir Water Scott used it 200 years ago in “Heart of the Mid-Lothian.”

Brian Wagner of Ashland City, TN

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WITCHY WORDS

Posted November 04, 2009

In the show that aired on Halloween, in the segment where panelists fill in the next line in the lyrics, you gave the clue:
“Raven hair and ruby lips, sparks fly from her finger tips”

The panelist’s answer was: “Wooo hooo witchy woman...”

This is incorrect. The song goes:
“Raven hair and ruby lips
sparks fly from her finger tips
Echoed voices in the night
she’s a restless spirit on an endless flight
wooo hooo witchy woman, see how
high she flies
woo hoo witchy woman she got
the moon in her eye”

Jon Levitt of Houston, TX

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