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Dec 15, 2003
This week's themeWords from aviation This week's words canard contrail mach empennage aileron 
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with Anu GargThis week's Guest Wordsmiths Austin Winkleman (a_winklemanATprodigy.net) and Randy Cox write: Aviation and wordsmithing have a lot in common. Whether it's the sky or the dictionary, both pursuits involve a lot of "looking up". This set of words is in honor of Orville and Wilbur Wright. The era of sustained controlled powered flight began 100 years ago, on Dec 17, 1903. This list is a tribute to their studiousness, ingenuity, and bravery. Words related to aviation, like the process of invention and discovery, have a variety of origins. Eponyms signify that the Wright brothers built upon the trials and discoveries of others. Blended words signify that they skillfully combined many components and ideas into a single system. Other words recall the age-old observations of birds' wings and feathers. This week we'll feature five words related to aviation. (Randy Cox is a licensed pilot and flight instructor. Austin Winkleman likes airplanes but has only his poetic license.) canard
PRONUNCIATION:
(kuh-NAHRD)
MEANING:
noun:1. A deliberately misleading story; hoax. 2. An airplane with small forward wings mounted in front of the main wings; also such a wing. ETYMOLOGY:
From French, literally a duck. The term is said to have come from the French
expression vendre un canard à moitié (to sell half a duck, or to take in or
swindle).
USAGE:
"Lyndon Johnson's half-truths about the Gulf of Tonkin, supported by
subservient media, embroiled the United States in a nasty war that
took the lives of millions of souls. Ultimately, the Vietnam War's
distortions and canards prevented him from running for a second
term."Mansour El-Kikhia; Realists Conquer Politics With Lies; San Antonio Express-News; Nov 28, 2003. See more usage examples of canard in Vocabulary.com's dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. -Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
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