Good morning all, and happy Friday to all my digital neighbors! I hope you’ve had a wonderful week. The weather here has been beautiful — other than the warmer afternoons, the mornings and evenings have been delightful. Friday is our word-of-the-day theme, and we’re taking another look at Susie Dent’s fun book on words. Today’s topic du jour is phrases pertaining to music. Happy Friday, digital neighbors!
As fit as a fiddle - In a very healthy condition; in excellent physical form. The allusion is probably to a street fiddler, who sways and swings about as he saws away energetically with his bow. The alliteration helps too.
Bells and whistles - Additional features or trimmings. The inspiration is old fairground organs with their assortment of bells and whistles. From here we also have the expression ‘pull out all the stops’.
Gamut - In medieval music, ‘gamma ut’ was the name of the lowest note in the scale, but the term also came to be applied to the full potential range of notes from a human voice or an instrument. Metaphorically, ‘to run the gamut’ is to perform the complete range of something.
Violin - Stefany Andrade - Unsplash
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
https://teams.live.com/meet/93792382189049?p=DiBHsYfuECPgDrG7vO
2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
Occurs every day starting 1/1 until 12/31/2027
Coffee Talk - Daily beginning at 6:00 AM Central Time Zone - USA
White Pilled Wednesday - A break from the heaviness of news and current events to focus upon things more personal & positive for the first hour of Coffee Talk.
Afternoon Chats - Most Tuesday, Friday & Sundays 2:00 PM Central
Other chats as posted in the community.
