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princessmadafu · 3 years

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The Glamour of the BRF

First of all, let's define glamour. Because it's probably not what you think.

The modern word glamour, implying someone who has charm, allure, sex-appeal or a fascinatingly attractive quality, actually comes from the Greek root gramma meaning a letter (of the alphabet); the same root that gave us grammar, the science of language and how to fit letters together to make words, and words together to make sentences. The word grammar has come down to us via the Old French gramaire and the Middle English gramary, both of which implied magic, enchantment and the casting of spells.

Which is also where spelling comes into it. Spelling wasn't the difference between bare/bear or which/witch or bow/bough or ruff/rough or "i before e" and all that stuff; it was the secret art of arranging weird lines into letters of the alphabet and organising them into patterns that only other people versed in this secret art could understand - processes we now call reading and writing.

Words have always had power.

Because of the vagaries of language and pronunciation, words change over time. Let's take as an example, the name William: Wilhelm and variations in the Germanic languages, but Guillaume in French, because Anglo-Norman and Old French speakers struggled with an initial Germanic W-sound. Other examples: wile/guile; ward/guard; war in English, guerre in French.

Now let's go back to glamour, and most of my sources suggest that the shift from gramaire to glamaire to glamour is of 18th Century Scottish dialect in origin; see the wonderful https://wordhistories.net/2018/01/07/doublet-glamour-grammar/ and https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-glamour if you have a minute. A New York Times article further states:

[Glamour]... is an escape, an illusion, an ideal, a dream. Glamour is not quite real. For centuries the word denoted a magic spell, an illusion cast by Gypsies and witches. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1721 glossary of poetry: "When devils, wizards or jugglers deceive the sight, they are said to cast glamour o'er the eyes of the spectator."

Well, here's a bit of personal input as some of my ancestors were these same "Gypsies and witches" in Scotland in the 18th Century, and they certainly didn't use words like glamour; they called it dukkering or dukkeripen, which meant taking someone for a sucker and telling his fortune by telling him what he wanted to believe. No glamour involved here, just the ability to assess someone's vulnerability and lie convincingly.

Now the British monarchy used to depend on a certain amount of glamour - princes and princessess were born into a privileged family and they maintained their status by cultivating a mystique that kept them special. Nowadays, having learned the lessons from various ancestors who were beheaded or ousted or deposed and told they were unsuitable for the job, the BRF understands how the love of the people is vital to their continuation. HMTQ is the world's greatest head of state and she doesn't need any glamour to validate herself. She does her job, and she does it bl**dy well, pardon my Fr*nch!

It's the Montecito Madame who needs the glamour. She depends on lies and falsehoods and dukkeripen for her existence. She's pulled the proverbial wool over H's eyes but her dukkeripen won't stand up for much longer.

I'll leave you with a quote from Romano Lavo-Lil:

The gorgios pen I be a bori chovahaunie,

And tatchipen they pens, the dinneleskie gorgies

For mande chovahans the luvvu from their putsies.

The non-gypsies think I am a powerful witch,

And truth they speak, the foolish non-gypsies

For any bewitching person will steal the money from their pockets.

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garudabluffs · 3 years

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The American author Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) quoted William James in The Goose-Step: A Study of American Education (Pasadena, California – 1923):

Yet another professor compared his students to the crackers which are packed in tin boxes by the wholesale bakeries; all cut from certain patterns, and stamped with certain standard designs. We have sheltered them from realities, and kept them ignorant of the problems they are to confront. We have taught them a few formulas of morality, utterly unpractical and impossible to apply—as we prove by not applying them ourselves. From their social life the students learn what the real world is—a place of class distinctions based upon property; they learn the American religion—what William James calls “the worship of the bitch-goddess Success.” They throw themselves into the social struggle with ferocious determination to get ahead; and when they go out into the world, they carry that spirit into the commercial struggle.

READ MORE https://wordhistories.net/2019/01/17/bitch-goddess/

#William James 'bitch-goddess success" America's religion

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unforth · 4 years

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A Non-Exhaustive and (In)Frequently Updated List of Resources I’ve Used while Writing MDZS/CQL/Untamed Fic

I did so much research for The Vermillion Ribbon that I decided to make a doc out of it. If I’m bored sometime (ha) I might go farther back through my google search history but for now this is MDZS specific and just what I used for TVR. I’ll try to update it periodically as I write other things, though, so it’ll get more complete.

In most cases, I go to Google and type in what I’m trying to find out. This might be a question - “were there barrels in ancient china” - or it might be an idiom - “origin ‘barrels of fun’” - or it might definition - “define pusillanimity” or it might be that I’m trying to find out if a reference is appropriate - “china mosquitoes” was a search to make sure there were, in fact, mosquitoes in China. Each of these searches only take a few minutes at most but doing them can really enhance a narrative.

Here are some other examples of searches I used to get utterly random pieces of information I needed - all of these produced the results I was looking for:

domesticated geese in china

traditional shanghai food

history of sandpaper

traditional peaked hat china

how to help someone who is having a flashback

parts of a day bed

wang yibo height

shades of green

is dumbfoundment a word

bland chinese food

flowers native to eastern china

how were ancient chinese homes heated

does chinese hair tangle

when do gentians bloom

popular alcohol in hebei

how does baijiu taste

history of use sinkers for fishing

does rain damage silk

what are the dots in go called in chinese

perception of snakes in china

do people kneel or sit cross legged at chinese tables

history of our understanding of cancer

common bushes near tianjin

necrotization vs gangrene

chinese formal letter opener

I’m including these so you see...basically if an issue comes up while you’re writing, and you’re not sure...just check. The information is out there. Looking at it gives the FBI agent spying on all your internet usage something interesting to read!

General Writing Resources:

Behind the Name and Behind the Surname (https://www.behindthename.com/, https://surnames.behindthename.com/) - definitely more a resource for Western names but if you care about name origin and meaning, extremely handy.

Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/) - I use it much less often than Wiki but it’s still helpful sometimes.

Google Image Search (https://www.google.com/imghp) - not sure what something looks like? GIS is your best friend. There’s no better way to make sure you write a compel a description than to actually look at the thing you’re trying to describe.

Google Maps (https://maps.google.com/) - if you’re writing about a real place, it’s always helpful to be able to look at it, especially on satellite or street view.

Google Translate (https://translate.google.com/) - should you rely on it? God, no. But if you just need something basic and you remember you might get garbage back, it can still be helpful.

Online Etymology Dictionary (https://www.etymonline.com/) - an excellent source for word origins, especially slang (like if you’re trying to figure out if a word or phrase is time period appropriate).

Onomatopoeias (http://onomatopoeialist.com/) - need just the right sound? Here you go.

Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) - this is the only writing software I’ve ever used and while I honestly don’t use it for writing fanfiction (I just write in gdocs and wing it), I still support it and I use it to organize my research for original projects.

Thesaurus.com (https://www.thesaurus.com/) - my preferred thesaurus. I use a thesaurus constantly - both for synonyms and antonyms - while writing and find it infinitely more useful than, say, the lists of words I sometimes see circulating as rebloggable Tumblr posts. If you find a word you’re not sure of listed, always check the definition before using it.

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) - maybe I should be embarrassed by how often I rely on Wiki but fuck that, because Wiki is an invaluable source for random obscure information. On major topics it’s sometimes unreliable but on most historical matters aside from those that are most fraught (ie, the causes of the US Civil War) you can generally trust that the information is reliable, and if you need more information the included references can help a lot.

Sources for Information on English Idioms (asterisk denotes ones I like best/use most):

The Free Dictionary: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

*The Grammarist: https://grammarist.com/

Know Your Phrase: https://knowyourphrase.com/

Merriam-Webster “Words at Play” Blog: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play

*The Phrase Finder: https://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html

Word Histories: https://wordhistories.net/

MDZS/CQL-Specific Resources:

LIST OF OTHER REFERENCE SOURCES: https://wangxianfics.tumblr.com/post/617467597810778112/mdzs-resources-references

Characters Ages:

Novel-specific: https://mihanada.tumblr.com/post/176537120295/are-there-any-actual-or-speculated-ages-for-the

Character Ages When Specific Events Happen: https://wang-xians.tumblr.com/post/190805604377/ages-of-wei-wuxian-and-peers-during-key-events

Character Birthdays: https://klashta-neali.tumblr.com/post/183922824954/tdp-and-mdzs-character-birthdays-masterlist-im

Character Heights: https://bigbadredpanda.tumblr.com/post/181326045966/mdzs-character-height-chart

Character List and Ship List (the only one of these resources I made…): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/3/d/1qtE4KXAcLfdEEBv-JHznf81Uoo8gZzrI_ID-kn9B6BU/edit?usp=sharing

Character Names and Titles:

A list of names and titles: https://bonibaru.tumblr.com/post/187163138846/mdzs-character-names-and-titles

Some info on who calls others what, and why: https://bigbadredpanda.tumblr.com/post/182713668731/hello-can-you-pls-explain-it-to-me-why-mdzs

Some breakdown on relationships relating to what people call each other: https://bigbadredpanda.tumblr.com/post/182811566041/hi-theres-something-i-was-a-bit-curious-about

Event Timeline:

https://somanyjacks-writes.tumblr.com/post/190555900555/mdzs-rough-timeline

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15GsYRs4V5ZpfTTQ3fHaPOd-6f_cnFMB6upoH6A6Gwsw/edit#gid=0

Honorifics Guide: https://nomadicism.tumblr.com/post/185554769582/cleyra-i-made-a-mdzs-honorifics-guide-for-one-of?is_related_post=1

Lan Clan Rules:

https://twitter.com/BigBadRedPanda/status/1170675728750469125?s=19

https://my-otp-list.tumblr.com/post/178014806440/so-i-heard-youve-been-wondering-what-are-the

Locations/Map: https://childe-wei.tumblr.com/post/190288325910/mercyandmagic-mdzs-locations-sects-are

Modao Zushi Fandom Wiki (https://modao-zushi.fandom.com/wiki/Grandmaster_of_Demonic_Cultivation_Wiki) - MDZS has one of the most exhaustive and well-done fandom wikis I’ve used to date.

Swords (these are images, with the name, of each weapon in Untamed):

https://linglynz.tumblr.com/post/187228990951/the-untamed-weapons-part-13

https://thirteenyearsofslumber.tumblr.com/post/187243506239/linglynz-the-untamed-weapons-part-2

https://linglynz.tumblr.com/post/187245850321/the-untamed-weapons-part-33

What Each Character Calls Each Other Character: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NEL1WU6NU3rzuLgTjJYDDGNu2XW0DZLQYlJGJhcz9IU/edit?usp=drivesdk

What the Heck does Er-Gege Actually Mean: https://boat-full-of-lotus-pods.tumblr.com/post/182490910183/this-is-a-really-stupid-question-but-what-is-the

General History:

The Tiffany Problem: https://medium.com/swlh/the-tiffany-problem-when-history-makes-no-sense-703b86522627

Chinese Culture, History and Language:

Alcoholic Drinks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_drinks_in_China

Architecture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_architecture

Breakfast Foods: https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-chinese-breakfast-694158

Common Cooking Ingredients:

Pantry Essentials: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-pantry-essential-ingredients/

Spices: https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/12-common-chinese-spices

Confucius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius

Creation Myths: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_creation_myths

Clothing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Chinese_clothing

Desserts: https://www.echinacities.com/expat-life/6-Traditional-Chinese-Desserts-You-Have-to-Try

Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms: http://mahajana.net/texts/soothill-hodous.html

Diyu (Hell): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diyu

Etiquette Guides:

http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat4/sub19/item114.html

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/guidebook/etiquette.htm

The Five Punishments: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Punishments

The Five Virtues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Virtues

The Five Virtues: http://www.goolevalve.com/news/news-detail-195.html

Furniture: https://www.chinese-furniture.com/c_furniture/history.html

Go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)

History of Chinese Gardens: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/architecture/features-garden.htm

How Names Work:

https://avenuex.ca/blog/2019/8/24/how-ancient-chinese-names-work-learn-from-the-untamed

https://twitter.com/chiharuzushi/status/1125436481638629382

Jade: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_jade

Literary Conventions: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20426162/chapters/48456785

Music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_China

Musical Instruments: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_musical_instruments

Musical Instruments: https://www.cchatty.com/Traditional-Chinese-Musical-Instruments-g-100163

Mythology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology

Numbers: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Chinese_(Mandarin)/Numbers

Pet Names:

6 Terms of Endearment: http://blog.tutorming.com/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/chinese-terms-of-endearment

200+ Chinese Nicknames for Guys and Girls (With Meanings): https://www.findnicknames.com/chinese-nicknames/

Random Chinese Name Generator: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/chinese_names.php

Symbolism in Chinese Embroidery:

https://augustphoenixhats.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Stitchery4-Chinese-Symbolism.pdf

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/stories/blog/2015/the-language-of-chinese-embroidery

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/arts/embroidery.htm

Symbolism in Chinese Porcelain: https://china360online.org/?property=228-park-ave-s

Swear Words: https://ltl-school.com/chinese-swear-words/

Taoist Alchemy: https://www.goldenelixir.com/files/The_Way_of_the_Golden_Elixir.pdf

Time (and how to tell time): https://www.reddit.com/r/noveltranslations/comments/4az3tg/ancient_chinese_measurements_of_time/

Titles for Family Members: https://www.italki.com/article/183/complete-list-of-titles-for-family-members-in-chinese

Titles and Honorifics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_titles

https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/wuxia-xianxia-terms-of-address

Underwear:

https://www.thoughtco.com/chinese-clothing-dudou-687371

http://chinesehanclothing.blogspot.com/2016/01/underwear.html

https://wedriveeast.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/history-of-chinese-undergarments-part-1/

Units of Measurement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_units_of_measurement (includes multiple historical systems, sorted by era and with their metric equivalent)

Weapons:

Siege Weapons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_siege_weapons

Weddings:

Basics: https://pearlriver.com/blogs/blog/your-guide-to-chinese-weddings

Overview: https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/chinese-wedding-customs.htm

Overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage

Order of Events: https://www.char4u.com/content/chinese-wedding-day-order-events/

Tea Ceremony: https://www.teasenz.com/chinese-tea/chinese-wedding-tea-ceremony.html

Wuxia World: https://www.wuxiaworld.com/

Wuxia World: “Cores” in Chinese Cultivation Novels: https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/cores-in-chinese-cultivation-novels

Wuxia World: What is Dao? https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/what-dao-heck

Wuxia World Glossary: https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/general-glossary-of-terms

Sex Stuff:

The History of Lube: https://getmaude.com/blogs/themaudern/the-history-of-lube

It’s Literally a Picture of a Dick: https://slideplayer.com/slide/3858701/13/images/15/Reproductive+System+Visual+1%3A+External+male+views.jpg

Prevalence of Circumcision: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_circumcision

Sex with Uncircumcised Assigned Male at Birth People: https://www.asstr.org/~Kristen/learning/uncut.htm

What Does Semen Taste Like: https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health/what-does-sperm-taste-like

Pain and Trauma:

Helping Someone with PTSD: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/helping-someone-with-ptsd.htm

List of Methods of Torture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_methods_of_torture

#unforth writes #writing resources #the untamed #untamed #mdzs #modaozushi #modao zushi #mo dao zu shi #chengqingling #cheng qing ling #chengqing ling

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rhianna · 4 years

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The phrase Barmecide feast denotes any pretended or illusory generosity or hospitality.

It refers to a story in The Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, in which a prince named Barmecide invites a poor, starving man to a sumptuous feast, at which all the dishes are imaginary. The poor man plays his host’s game, pretends to get drunk on the imaginary wine, and strikes the prince.

a promise unperformed; a blank in the Lottery; a nihilipilification3;

3 This appears to be the only occurrence of the noun nihilipilification, meaning the reduction of something to nothing.

Source: https://wordhistories.net/2019/06/28/barmecide-feast/

#colman smith tarot #7 of cups #barmecide feast #tarot card #minor arcana

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filled-with-tomorrows · 5 years

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Star Trek: TOS - title references

A list of all references (I think, I might have missed some) in the episode titles of Star Trek: The Original Series. In addition to the references to various literary works, I’ve also included the titles with references to proverbs or obscure words that non-native English speakers or even some English speakers might not catch. So, basically, a bunch of useless trivia for nerds like me.

(I’m using the chronological order for the episodes. Also, I’m not putting links on the sources because Tumblr is a b*tch)

S1EP1 Where No Man Has Gone Before - the title is obviously a reference to the final line in the series-opening poem "To boldly go where no man has gone before". Appropriate for the pilot episode

S1EP4 The Enemy Within - the origin of this phrase is unknown, it has been used for a long time in various contexts like within religion and military. Example from A Course of Family Prayer by Augustus Montague Toplady (1794) "Lord thou knowest our weaknesses... our danger from the enemy of souls... and above all, from the enemy within, our vile flesh and deceitful hearts, so apt to betray us into sin." (source: wordhistories.net)

S1EP5 The Man Trap - a slang word for a woman who is purported to be dangerously seductive or who schemes in her amours; a femme fatale. An obvious reference to how the creature lures its victims in by changing its appearance according to the victim’s preferences. (source: Dictionary.com)

S1EP6 The Naked Time - Nakedness can refer to literal physical nakedness or a figurative baring of the soul which we saw happen to the crewmembers, but especially to Kirk and Spock.

S1EP7 Charlie X - X is often used to represent the name of a person or thing that is not known or stated, can also be used to indicate a mistake or to remove something from lists (source: Cambridge English Dictionary)

S1EP8 Balance of Terror - the distribution of nuclear arms among nations such that no nation will initiate an attack for fear of retaliation (source: Dictionary.com)

S1EP9 What Are Little Girls Made Of? - "What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice, that's what little girls are made of." Old nursery rhyme from the early 19th century.

S1EP10 Dagger of the Mind - Machbet, Act 2, Scene 1, Line 38, "Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?" (37-39) Machbet is experiencing a moral crisis about killing Duncan and is imagining the act he is about to commit. This manifest itself as a hallucination; “a dagger of the mind”. “ "Dagger of the mind" can read in two ways. First, there's the literal contrast of tangible reality and Macbeth's imagination. Second, you have the metaphor of Macbeth's guilt—and doubt—manifesting itself as a vision as he waits upon the signal from his wife. False in this context plays upon a number of meanings. While the primary reading is "unreal," shades of "deceitful, inconstant; not to be trusted" are equally applicable.” What Machbet is seeing is not reality, just like the feelings the neural neutraliser causes in Kirk. (source: Bardweb > SRC Features > Speech Analysis > Machbet > Go to line analysis)

S1EP11 Miri - Name with a Hebrew origin that’s most common meaning seems to be “bitter”. Other possible meanings are “sea of sorrow, beloved, wished for child”. (source: various baby name sites, lol)

S1EP12 The Conscience of the King - Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Line 565 "the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king" (564-65) Hamlet stages a play of his father's murder to get Claudius to confess his involvement. This is also the play that the Karidians perform on the Enterprise. Since this episode is also about catching a murderer the title choice should be obvious.

S1EP15&16 The Menagerie - menagerie: a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition; A strange or diverse collection of people or things (source: Oxford Eglish Dictionary)

S1EP22 The Return of the Archons - from the Greek word archon: ruler, to rule

S1EP25 This Side of Paradise - possibly taking its name from F. Scott Fitzgerald's book This Side of Paradise or the poem that gave its name to the book Tiare Tahiti by Rubert Brooke. The book explores love warped by greed and status-seeking. The poem explores afterlife and how it might not be all that it's made out to be, hence the phrase "this (worse) side of paradise", possibly alluding to how Spock and the other crew members have to give up their personalities and real feelings to reach euphoria. In short, paradise is a lie they have to wake up from.

S1EP27 Errand of Mercy - The title comes from The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens "It is an errand of mercy which brings me here. Pray, let me discharge it". Errand of mercy is “a trip undertaken to help someone who is in trouble” (sources: Memory Alpha - Errand of Mercy: Story and script, Collins English Dictionary)

S1EP29 The City on the Edge of Forever - “The title is a reference to both the dead city on the planet and New York, in the original script when Kirk first sees the city sparkling on a hilltop like a jewel he says it looks like "a city on the edge of forever"“ (whatever that means) (btw the original script was so bad guys, like so bad (Kirk orders his crew to execute a guy for murder, like wtf) (source: Memory Alpha - The City on the Edge of Forever: Story)

S2EP1 Catspaw - “The title of this episode, "Catspaw", is a term that describes a person used by another as a dupe; as McCoy points out, Scott and Sulu are used as catspaws to lure more crewmen down” (source: Memory Alpha - Catspaw: Story and production)

S2EP2 Metamorphosis - Definition of Metamorphosis 1a: change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means, b: a striking alteration in appearance, character, or circumstances 2: a typically marked and more or less abrupt developmental change in the form or structure of an animal (such as a butterfly or a frog) occurring subsequent to birth or hatching (source: Merriam Webster)

S2EP3 Friday's Child - The episode's title is derived from a traditional English poem, known as "Monday's Child". The reference is to a line in the poem: "Friday's child is full of woe" or alternatively "Friday's child is loving and giving". Given the unfortunate circumstances of the child’s birth, it would seem that the former version of the poem was intended. (source: Memory Alpha - Friday’s Child: Background information)

S2EP4 Who Mourns for Adonais - “The title is taken from Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Line 415 reads "Who mourns for Adonais?". Shelley's Adonais is derived from Adonis, a male figure of Greek mythology associated with fertility. Also, "Adonais" would be the English plural of the Hebrew spoken name of God, so it would mean "Who Mourns for Gods?"” (source: Memory Alpha - Who Mourns for Adonais: Story and production)

S2EP5 Amok Time - Definition of Amok: an episode of sudden mass assault against people or objects usually by a single individual following a period of brooding that has traditionally been regarded as occurring especially in Malaysian culture but is now increasingly viewed as psychopathological behaviour occurring worldwide in numerous countries and cultures, 1: in a violently raging, wild, or uncontrolled manner, 2: in a murderously frenzied state (source: Merriam-Webster)

S2EP7 Wolf in the Fold - An ancient expression that means that there is someone in a group who presents a danger to the rest of the people in it. The first known usage in written form is from Virgil's Eclogues:

“The wolf is fatal in the fold, and so Are hailstones to ripe corn, wind blasts to trees�� Or — Amaryllis' anger to us all."

S2EP8 The Changeling - Definition of Changeling: 1) archaic: turncoat, 2) a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy, 3) archaic: imbecile (source: Merriam-Webster)

S2EP9 The Apple - The title is most likely a reference to the Apple in the creation story. The citizens of the planet Gamma Trinaguli VI (which was referred to as the Garden of Eden) were being controlled by a computer called Vaal. When Vaal was destroyed, they bit the metaphorical Apple from the Tree of Knowledge and were banished from the Garden.

S2EP12 I, Mudd - “Possible inspirations for the title include: I, Robot, Isaac Asimov's 1950 android-themed short story collection, the title of which was itself inspired by "I, Robot", Eando Binder's 1939 short story with an android hero, which had been adapted for TV in 1964 with Leonard Nimoy in a supporting role; I, Claudius, a 1934 novel by Robert Graves about the life of the Roman Emperor Claudius (the 1976 BBC production of which featured Patrick Stewart). Like Mudd "The First" in this episode, the subject of I, Claudius is also a despotic ruler who views himself in a more flattering light; Lines from Kurt Vonnegut's 1963 novel Cat's Cradle, which detail the creation myth of Bokononism: "I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done."” (source: Memory Alpha - I, Mudd: Story and Production)

S2EP14 Bread and Circuses - The title, "Bread and Circuses", comes from a line in the Satire X by the Roman satirist Juvenal, and refers to the practice in ancient Rome of providing a regular free bread (or grain) dole to the lower classes and free entertainment in the city's arenas and circuses, both of which had the effect of preventing civil unrest in the populace. (source: Memory Alpha -Bread and Circuses: Story and script). In a political context, the phrase means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace by offering a palliative: for example food (bread) or entertainment (circuses). Juvenal used it to decry the selfishness of common people and their neglect of wider concerns. The phrase implies a population's erosion or ignorance of civic duty as a priority. (Source: Wikipedia - Bread and circuses)

S2Ep20 A Piece of the Action - If someone wants to have a piece of the action or a slice of the action, they want to take part in an exciting activity or situation, usually in order to make money or become more important. (source: Collins English Dictionary)

S2Ep21 By Any Other Name - “The title is part of a quotation from Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Kirk recites it to Kelinda. It is often used to convey the idea that although you can change the name of something, its nature will remain the same. In this case, the Kelvans become Human. In doing so, they start behaving as Humans do.” (source: Memory Alpha - By Any Other Name: Story and production)

S2Ep07 Is There in Truth No Beauty? - The episode title is from a poem by the 17th century English poet and clergyman George Herbert, from his poem "Jordan (I)", line 2: "Who says that fictions only and false hair/ Become a verse? Is there in truth no beauty?" (source: Memory Alpha - Is There in Truth No Beauty?: Background information) ‘Jordan (I)’ is a poem about poetry: George Herbert takes as his theme the proper material for poetry, as well as the proper language for poetry. In the first stanza of ‘Jordan (I)’, Herbert asks, why is it that people consider only made-up or fictional stories and situations suitable for poetry? Why aren’t things that are true to life considered beautiful, and therefore fit material for the poet to use as well?... Herbert is questioning why poetry, which is itself a construction, has to express itself by referring to other false constructions, rather than directly depicting life as it is. (source: Interesting Literature - A Short Analysis of George Herbert’s Jordan (I))

S3EP11 Day of the Dove - The word dove in the title is a possible allusion to their status as symbols of peace and love. Appropriate for an episode where the Klingons and the Enterprise crew come together to defeat a common enemy.

S3Ep16 Whom the Gods Destroy - An adaption of an anonymous Greek proverb that is often wrongly attributed to Euripides. An early version of this phrase appears in the play Antigone by Sophocles, "Evil appears as good in the minds of those whom God leads to destruction ". The version in the title is spoken by Prometheus in the poem The Masque of Pandora (1875) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow "Whom the gods destroy they first make mad” (source: Memory Alpha - Whom Gods Destroy: Story and Script)

S3Ep21 Requiem for Methuselah - “This episode's title is a dual allusion: first to a ritualistic liturgy of Roman Catholicism (and other related religions), the "Requiem" being a Mass for the dead, and second to Methuselah, son of the Biblical prophet Enoch and paternal grandfather to Noah, who was the longest-lived Human being in the Bible (in Genesis 5:21-27) having lived 969 years; existing for nearly a millennium, Methuselah's lifespan has historically become a proverbial reference for longevity.” (source: Memory Alpha - Requiem for Methuselah: Story)

S3Ep23 All Our Yesterdays - Machbet, Act 5, Scene 5, Line 22. A soliloquy after Macbeth's wife dies. "She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. — To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing." To paraphrase: people see the future as bright even though eventually everyone will die. Life is a walking shadow that will end in death, not a litten path to a brighter future. In the context of this episode, the title seems to allude to the time travel that takes place. Spock and McCoy are literally trapped in “our yesterday(s)”. Spock’s love interest Zarabeth is also long dead when they return back to the future, so she’s taking on the role of Lady Machbet.

#star trek #tos #spirk #tagging this as spirk so people might actually see it #sorry lol #i put a lot of work in this

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