What does Avant-garde mean?

I always hear the phrase Avant-garde on fashion or decorating shows. I always thought that it meant new technology like Ebac dehumidifiers. In a Project Runway sense Avant-garde means ugly stuff that I would never wear. It usually looks like some sort of chicken.

I'd always gotten away with this definition until someone actually asked me what the phrase meant. Can we say uh oh? The definition basically means experimental or unorthodox. The history of the phrase is really fascinating. According to wikipedia Avant-garde means advance guard or vanguard. The vanguard was a troop of soldiers who would explore what was ahead for the rest of the army to follow. Now you know. More importantly, now I know.

Spaghetti Western

There are some phrases that I never question. They are just so ingrained in everyday speech that I forget to say "Hey, that's weird why do we call it that?" So today I am saying, "Hey, that's weird why do we call it that?"

The subject of my confusion today is the phrase Spaghetti Western. I know that it is some kind of Western film in the mid 1960s, usually one that I wouldn't watch because I don't like Westerns. I also know that there usually isn't any spaghetti in the film. According to wikipedia the terms comes from the fact that the Westerns were produced by Italian studios sometimes with Spanish partner. Instead of shooting in the American Southwest, they were shot in Spain where the terrain resembles the southwest. The movies changed the entire idea of a Western.

The Savage Guns is thought of as the first Spaghetti Western. I was surprised to find out that "A Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More", & "The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly" starring Clint Eastwood were all considered Spaghetti westerns. I'm glad I know the history but I probably won't say the phrase again.