› added 1 year ago

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TIL litotes is the term for using a negative to state a positive while implying mediocrity, whether out of politeness, modesty, or as something funny. Some examples that are "not bad" are: "your book wasn't awful", "he's not a terrible learner" and "Maradona wasn't a half-decent footballer"

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my5p TIL that New Hampshire has 400 state representatives and each are paid $200 per two-year term. In contrast, California has just 80 with each making $100k+ per year.
8eL6K TIL The Birds (Spring/Summer 1995) is the fifth collection by British designer Alexander McQueen for his eponymous fashion house. The Birds was inspired by ornithology, the study of birds, and the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds, for which it was named
jvvM TIL Leonardo da Vinci had extensive knowledge in painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He is considered one of the most diversely talented individuals to have ever lived.
M771K TIL: The first book featuring a ship going into outer space and meeting aliens was written in the 2nd century AD
mxBNR TIL buffets are called "vikings" in Japan. This is because a Japanese restaurant manager went to Sweden and liked smörgåsbords so much he copied the idea at his restaurant. This Swedish word was too hard to pronounce in Japanese, so the word "vikings" was used instead after a employee suggested it.