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A sincere programming note

 


I have put off work on the third and fourth installments of my discussion of the recently concluded session of the US Supreme Court until next week.  I owe you one on very-Trumpy jurisprudential subjects and another, concluding piece on SCOTUS that will have a not-so-Trumpy focus.

But the work on them has taken longer than I thought it would, and there have been troubles at the homestead that have taken my mind off of it for stretches, so I will give you lighter fare today and tomorrow and finish up on SCOTUS next week.   

This post is about nothing other than itself.  Tomorrow's post will concern a recent story involving physicist Andre Geim. 

The only other thing I want to say to you today is this: I'm curious about the whole "without wax" thing.  There is a story about the etymology of the word "sincere". Something of an urban legend. I've discussed this in this blog before, though years back so I don't mind repeating myself. 

Medieval merchants, the story tells us, used to sell apples, and many of them would slather red wax on the apples, to make it seem uniformly red all around, rather than blotchy. A sincere apple, and by extension a sincere apple merchant, is without wax, "sine cere" in Latin. What the apple looks like is what it is. 

That story, according to no less of an authority than Lionel Trilling, is false. As an etymology. 

Something that has long bugged me is that I have a recurring memory of an episode of the 1970s sitcom, The Jeffersons, in which this alleged etymology is a plot point.  The high-rise apartment where the action takes place includes a resident (Harry Bentley) who is a translator, and naturally who is fascinated by languages.  He loves to expound about etymologies in slightly pedantic style.

According to my memory fragments, George here the "without wax" story (connected with praise for a woman) and replies, to end the conversation, "Yes, I'm glad your girlfriend does without the wax." 

I am happy to report that in recent days I have sort-of confirmed that vague memory, though not the specific quote.

The episode is actually called "A dinner for Harry," the Jeffersons have thrown Bentley a birthday dinner, though Bentley ends up NOT being very central to the plot.  The dinner is but a catalyst and the exchange about sincerity something of a throw-away. The main conflict in the story is between George and his neighbors the Willis'. 

Season 2, episode 1.  I'm fleshing out my own memories with other peoples', and should try watching it sometime soon.

Okay: trivial stuff. Tomorrow's discussion of Geim will be at least a little weightier. 

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