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August 30, 2026
Aug 30, 2026
Word
flibbertigibbet
noun
Definition
a silly flighty person
Example
She plays a flibbertigibbet on the sitcom, but off the set, she is a no-nonsense woman in full control of her career and family.
Origin
"Flibbertigibbet" is one of many incarnations of the Middle English word "flepergebet," meaning "gossip" or "chatterer." (Others include "flybbergybe," "flibber de' Jibb," and "flipperty-gibbet.") It is a word of onomatopoeic origin, created from sounds that were intended to represent meaningless chatter. Shakespeare apparently saw a devilish aspect to a gossipy chatterer; he used "flibbertigibbet" in King Lear as the name of a devil. This use never caught on, but the devilish connotation of the word reappeared over 200 years later when Sir Walter Scott used "Flibbertigibbet" as the nickname of an impish urchin in the novel Kenilworth. The impish meaning derived from Scott's character was short-lived and was laid to rest by the 19th-century's end, leaving us with only the "silly flighty person" meaning.
Webster's Dictionary
Idiom
discretion is the better part of valor
It is better to be prudent than merely courageous, as in I'm signing up for the easy course first; discretion is the better part of valor. This proverb, a synonym of look before you leap, was first recorded in 1477. Charles Churchill put it in poetic form: "Even in a hero's heart, Discretion is the better part" (The Ghost, 1762). Shakespeare also used a form of it: "The better part of valor is discretion" (1 Henry IV, 5:4).
The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
Fun facts
  1. Strawberries are grown in every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada.
  2. Colors like red, yellow and orange make you hungry.
Snapple's under-the-cap 'Real Facts'
Artist
Daniel Garber
Apr 11, 1880 - Jul 5, 1958

Daniel Garber was an American Impressionist landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his large impressionist scenes of the New Hope area, in which he often depicted the Delaware River. He also painted figurative interior works and excelled at etching. In addition to his painting career, Garber taught art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for over forty years.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Historical figure
Maria Anna of Neuburg
Oct 28, 1667 - Jul 16, 1740

Maria Anna of Neuburg, was Queen of Spain from 1689 to 1700 as the second wife of Charles II, last Habsburg King of Spain.

Her marriage was dominated by the political struggle between French and Austrian factions over the Spanish throne, which resulted in the 1701 to 1714 War of the Spanish Succession. When Charles died in 1700, he was succeeded by the French candidate, Philip V and Maria Anna was exiled. She lived largely forgotten until her death in 1740.

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Historic event
The Netherlands War of Independence (second part)
1568 - 1648

The Eighty Years' War or Dutch War of Independence was a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces of what are today the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. After the initial stages, Philip II deployed his armies and regained control over most of the rebelling provinces. Under the leadership of the exiled William the Silent, the northern provinces continued their resistance. They eventually were able to oust the Habsburg armies, and in 1581 they established the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The war continued in other areas, although the heartland of the republic was no longer threatened. This included the origins of the Dutch colonial empire, which began with Dutch attacks on Portugal's overseas territories, which at the time was conceived as carrying overseas the war with Spain due to Portugal being in a dynastic union with Spain.

The Dutch Republic was recognized by Spain and the major European powers in 1609 at the start of the Twelve Years' Truce. Hostilities broke out again around 1619, as part of the broader Thirty Years' War.

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