“To reform the system Roosevelt introduced new examinations for policemen. As a result, sixteen hundred qualified men were given jobs as officers. Within two years, about two-fifths of all patrolmen were placed under the revamped civil service, or about four times the previous number of protected jobholders. The qualifying examinations were not onerous. An applicant had to know how to spell, to write a good letter, to do basic arithmetic, and to have some acquaintance with history and geography. To those complaining about the unfairness of the test, Roosevelt made public several examples of failing replies that would-be patrolmen had offered. In answer to the question “What are the five New England states?” a man wrote, “Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Cork.” Another applicant who failed wrote the word paper in answer to “Upon what instrument is the government of the United States founded?” One applicant hoped to flatter Roosevelt by replying “President Roosevelt” when asked who would perform the duties of the mayor if he were absent or disabled.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Author: Cadie (Page 19 of 46)
Acclimatize – to accustom to a new climate or different environment; acclimate
“[Roosevelt] turned to his uncle, James Alfred Roosevelt, the Hudson River aristocrat and influential Democrat (not the father of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was to marry Theodore’s niece Eleanor), for advice about the sordid legislative arrangement, but James only tried to acclimatize his nephew to the prevailing practices of the day: go along to get along.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Excoriate – to denounce strongly
“It was this kind of [corrupt] political system, controlled mostly by Tammany Hall, as the Democratic Party’s office was known, that men like Roosevelt and other reformers had excoriated over the years.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Dude – a man too much concerned with his manners and appearance; a fop; a dandy; a city fellow or tourist, especially an Easterner (Western Slang)
Locutions – a word, phrase, or expression; a particular style of speech
“Roosevelt immersed himself in western surroundings and folkways. Despite his dudelike, fringed buckskin clothing, eyeglasses, and fancy locutions like “hasten forward there” spoken in a squeaky voice, he was a cowboy.
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Happy Saturday, my friends! It was a lovely day here, sunny and warm. My mother and I went to see a play called Outside Mullingar. It was an Irish romance story and involved two sets of neighbors, aging parents, and a dispute over a piece of land. The ending was especially sweet. If you have the opportunity to see Outside Mullingar, I highly recommend it.
Today’s tea is English Breakfast with a bit of milk and sugar. I’m planning to write a few more New Words posts and then try to finish an extra chapter of Lion in the White House, if I don’t get too distracted by Rumi. Have a great rest of your Saturday!
Idiosyncratic – of, characterized by, or resulting from idiosyncrasy
Idiosyncrasy – the temperament or mental constitution peculiar to a person or group; any personal peculiarity, mannerism, etc
“But politics suited [Theodore Roosevelt’s] temperament and ambition. It would fuel his abundant vitality and need to be on the go and make things happen. For a gentleman, his career choice was not idiosyncratic.”
Lion in the White House, Aida d. Donald
“Roosevelt loved new inventions, becoming the first president to travel in a submarine and on an airplane.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Acerbic – sour, harsh, severe
“The acerbic Henry Adams described [Roosevelt] as pure act, something like a medieval and indescribable force.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Nascent – coming into being; being born; beginning to form, start, grow, or develop
“Though a historian in the making and a still-nascent politician, Roosevelt intuited that a politician must lead the people with an original set of principles, not just mirror those cobbled to the lowest common denominator.”
lion in the White house, Aida D. Donald
Simpatico – congenital or like-minded; likeable
“When he was only twenty-eight years old, Roosevelt published his life of Benton, who served fifty years in Washington… Roosevelt thought the book evolved mainly from his “inner consciousness,” so simpatico was he with so many of Benton’s political trials.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Hi! I'm Cadie. Welcome to my Collection of Bookish Thoughts where I will share with you everything I love about books.