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It was said by his chauffeur that on his way home that night from the House of Commons Churchill broke into song. The tune that he sang was Old Man River.

This small extract seemed very appropriate today. I hope there are some others who might agree.

I'm told that the famous quote:

"We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"

Contains all Anglo-Saxon words. Good, earthy, simple old Anglo-Saxon words. Churchill spoke directly to the people in language that they understood effortlessly. Much like George W. Bush.

Oh, the only exception in that Churchill quote is the last word: "surrender" is a word that comes from the French language (really!)

I had to look up benignant

3 entries found for benignant.
be·nig·nant ( P ) Pronunciation Key (b-ngnnt)
adj.
Favorable; beneficial.
Kind and gracious.

be·nignant·ly adv.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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benignant

\Be*nig"nant\, a. [LL. benignans, p. pr. of benignare, from L. benignus. See Benign.] Kind; gracious; favorable. -- Be*nig\"nant*ly, adv.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

benignant

adj 1: pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence; "a benign smile"; "the benign sky"; "the benign influence of pure air [syn: benign] [ant: malign] 2: characterized by kindness and warm courtesy especially of a king to his subjects; "our benignant king" [syn: gracious]

Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

I hope there are some others who might agree.

100%. There is much from the speeches and writings of Churchill that illuminates the situation in the world today.