Some Wednesday Afternoon Reading

- An insightful review of a new Charles de Gaulle biography.

- When the state and the press are bona fide bedfellows.

- Fun with charts.

- Gaffe of the week.

Comments

[Warty]

Does that truly count as a gaffe, or just as hilariously learning some slang?

[John Thacker]

Yeah, I'm with Warty here. It's not a gaffe, just amusing.

[Bee Tagger]

Admittedly, he was being transported to pleasure town.

[Jesse Walker]

I think both definitions here fit. Certainly #2.

[Scotticus Finch]

Oh snap. Walker took it to Stephanopoulos town.

[Warty]

Main Entry: gaffe
Pronunciation: \?gaf\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, gaff, gaffe
Date: 1909
1 : a social or diplomatic blunder
2 : a noticeable mistake

Main Entry: blun?der
Pronunciation: \?bl?n-d?r\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): blun?dered; blun?der?ing \-d(?-)ri?\
Etymology: Middle English blundren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse blunda to shut one's eyes, doze, Norwegian dial. blundra
Date: 14th century
intransitive verb
1 : to move unsteadily or confusedly
2 : to make a mistake through stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
transitive verb
1 : to utter stupidly, confusedly, or thoughtlessly
2 : to make a stupid, careless, or thoughtless mistake in

The second definition of gaffe obviously fits, and so does 1 with the assist of the second definition of blunder.

[Almanian]

Last week we defined "lynching" - this week "gaffe".

New, Improved Reason: it's a blog AND English class!

Love it.

[Abdul]

It doesn't meet the Kinsley definition A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth."

[John]

The Von Misses post about the wife of the FTC chairman is great. Depressing but great. It really makes you hate those people.

[Virginia]

That he sent it to the wife and she replied about her husband being a faithful public servant was classic. I really hate that expression now.

[Minchi]

your feeling is normal.my wife felt expression when we got married.canada goose jackets oulet shop discount shop

[Virginia]

Only read the fun-with-charts link if it's okay to bust out laughing wherever you are.

[Mad Max]

From the review of the Charles De Gaulle book:

'De Gaulle's "certain idea of France" revolved around grandeur and a desire to embrace the whole sweep of French history, taking in the achievements of monarchy, empire and republic. These were abstract ideas and, for that reason, powerful. They allowed de Gaulle a freedom of manoeuvre when it came to day-to-day politics, and they allowed his supporters to project many of their own notions on to him.'

Thank God Americans, with the common sense, would never fall for a politician simply because of his mystique!

[Tim Cavanaugh]

I don't know if "often obscure and archaic" is a fair description of DeGaulle's vocabulary. His memoirs are clear and straightforward, full of cool words like "pimpant." They're available in English. The first part, The Call is worth reading if you have any interest in the fall of France -- from the perspective of a repeat winner in small and medium-level battles who believes France could have stopped the invasion with better leadership.