debunkers are us

[calimac]

Here's a crisp debunking of the notion that "Black Friday" originally had anything to do with "going into the black" financially. Instead, it's an old Philadelphia term referring to the hellish day, dreaded by retail workers and cops alike, when crowds swarmed the stores in between Thanksgiving and the Saturday Army-Navy football game.

Excellent. Now that we're done with that one, can we disabuse ourselves of the equally ridiculous notions that "Blue Moon" means "second full moon in a calendar month" or that centuries can only begin in years ending in "01"?

Comments

[sturgeonslawyer.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, according to Wikipedia (i know, what a fine authority...) "blue moon" refers to "the third full moon in a season with four full moons." This is apparently the definition used by the Farmer's Almanac. The "second in a month" interpretation apparently comes from an article in Sky & Telescope, in March of 1946.