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January 24, 2026
Jan 24, 2026
Word
trumpery
noun
Definition
  1. worthless nonsense
  2. trivial or useless articles : junk
Example
Moving to a new house has given me an excuse to toss out years of accumulated knickknacks and trumpery.
Origin
"Trumpery" derives from the Middle English "trumpery" and ultimately from the Middle French "tromper," meaning "to deceive." (You can see the meaning of this root reflected in the French phrase "trompe-l'oeil"-literally, "deceives the eye"-which in English refers to a style of painting with photographically realistic detail.) "Trumpery" first appeared in English in the mid-15th century with the meanings "deceit or fraud" (a sense that is now obsolete) and "worthless nonsense." Less than 100 years later, it was being applied to material objects of little or no value. The verb phrase "trump up" means "to concoct with the intent to deceive," but there is most likely no etymological connection between this phrase and "trumpery."
Webster's Dictionary
Idiom
can't see beyond the end of one's nose
Also, can't see farther than the end of one's nose. Lack foresight, envisioning only immediate events or problems, as in Thomas hasn't hired an orchestra for the Christmas concert; he just can't see beyond the end of his nose. This expression originated as a French proverb that was frequently cited in English from about 1700 on. Alexander Pope used a similar expression in his Essay on Man (1734): "Onward still he goes, Yet ne'er looks forward further than his nose."
The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
Fun facts
  1. Today's "modern" wrestling moves have been seen in tomb drawings from ancient Egypt.
  2. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
Snapple's under-the-cap 'Real Facts'
Artist
Pietro Perugino
1446 - 1523

Pietro Perugino, born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Historical figure
Whittaker Chambers
Apr 1, 1901 - Jul 9, 1961

Whittaker Chambers, born Jay Vivian Chambers, was an American writer-editor and former Communist spy who, in 1948, testified about Communist espionage, thereafter earning respect from the American Conservative movement. After early years as a Communist Party member and Soviet spy, he defected from the Soviet underground and joined Time magazine. Under subpoena in 1948, he testified about the Ware group in what became the Hiss case for perjury, all described in his 1952 memoir Witness. Afterwards, he worked as a senior editor at National Review. President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1984.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Historic event
Korean War
Jun 25, 1950 - Jul 27, 1953

The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea.

At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States liberated Korea from imperial Japanese colonial control on 15 August 1945. After the war had ended, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into two zones of occupation, the Soviets administered the northern half and the Americans administered the southern half. With the border set at the 38th parallel in 1948, two sovereign states were established as a result of geopolitical tensions of the Cold War. A socialist state was established in the north under the communist leadership of Kim Il-sung and a capitalist state in the south under the anti-communist leadership of Syngman Rhee. Both governments of the two new Korean states claimed to be the sole legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither accepted the border as permanent.

The conflict escalated into warfare when North Korean military forces—supported by the Soviet Union and China—crossed the border and advanced into South Korea on 25 June 1950.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Quote
Speak less than you know; have more than you show.
William Shakespeare