Monday, December 3, 2007

Random Non-events, and the Words that Inspire Them

Strange things happen in my brain sometimes, especially when I have been without food for going-on 9 hours. For instance, tonight the following occurred somewhere in the region of my left frontal cortex:
Nonchalantly.
Nonchalantly.

What does chalantly mean?
Don't ask me why that word popped into my head; I couldn't even begin to explain. In any case, it became my mission to find out when I got home, which is right now. It's not as exciting as I was hoping; apparently it comes from the French word chaloir, meaning "to be concerned." Stay tuned for future uses of the word "chalant" right here on this very blog.

And for those who know who they are, Answers.com says the phrase "pass muster," "originally meant 'to undergo a military review without censure,' muster referring to an assembling of troops for inspection or a similar purpose." That agrees with what I thought, so obviously no further research is necessary.

For those who are still in denial, the correct use of that phrase with the word "mustard" is as follows: "That mustard won't pass muster. I think I'll pass on the mustard."

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