STRAY neuron

Argued about it at work today…here’s my list…in no particular order…

These are the men at the top of their game (therefore Pacino, Nicholson and DeNiro are not present)

• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Christian Bale
• Sean Penn
• Russell Crowe
• Philip Seymour Hoffman
• Brad Pitt
• Forest Whitaker
• Paul Giamatti
• Johnny Depp
• Jude Law
 

My boss is a huge “Big Lebowski” fan, so I had him check out one of all-time favorite YouTube clips - F*cking Short Version of the Movie.

The Stranger: There’s just one thing, Dude.
The Dude: And what’s that?
The Stranger: Do you have to use so many cuss words?
The Dude: What the fuck you talking about?

I’m watching “V for Vendetta” and ended up following that movie’s reference of Guy Fawkes to Wikipedia. Eventually I ended up on the “Semantic progression” page - interesting stuff.
Semantic progression describes the evolution of word usage — usually to the point that the modern meaning is radically different from the original usage.

• demagogue - Originally meant “a popular leader”. It is from the Greek demagogos (leader of the people), from demos (people) + agogos (leader). Now the word has strong connotations of a politician who panders to emotions and prejudice.
• democrat - At the time of the American Revolution, the term “democrat” had all the negative connotations of the modern usage of the word “demagogue”. A century later, the term had shifted in meaning enough that it was viewed favorably as the name of a national political party.
• egregious - Originally described something that was remarkably good. The word is from the Latin egregius (outstanding) which is from e-, ex- (out of) + greg- or grex (flock). Now it means something that is remarkably bad or flagrant.
• guy - Guido (Guy) Fawkes was the alleged leader of a plot to blow up the English Houses of Parliament on 5 November 1605. The burning on 5 November of a grotesque effigy of Fawkes, known as a “guy,” led to the use of the word “guy” as a term for any “person of grotesque appearance” and then to a general reference for a man, as in “some guy called for you.” In the 20th century, under the influence of American popular culture, “guy” gradually replaced “fellow,” “bloke,” “chap” and other such words throughout the English-speaking world, and is also referred to both genders (ie., “Come on you guys!” could refer to a group of men and women).