21 January 2015

copse

[kops]

noun
1. a thicket of small trees or bushes; a small wood.

Also, coppice.

Origin
1570-1580; alteration of coppice

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for copse
– There is a wide lawn and a copse of acacia, oak and eucalyptus trees.
– Next to the tile-roofed house there stands a copse of trees in which a pack of wolves is sleeping.
– It’s hidden in a copse approached by a dirt road marked only by two discreet gateposts.

Anagram

scope
copes

Today’s aphorism

Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

– George Orwell

On this day

21 January – Squirrel Appreciation Day.

21 January – National Hug Day.

21 January 1863 – State funeral held in Melbourne for Australian explorers, Burke and Wills, who had died in June or July of 1861. 40,000 spectators lined the streets for the funeral procession as it travelled to the Melbourne General Cemetery.

21 January 1924 – death of Vladimir Lenin, Russian communist revolutionary and political leader. He served as Russian leader from 1917 to 1924 and concurrently as Premier of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1924.

21 January 1950 – death of George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair), English author of works such as ‘Nineteen-Eighty Four‘, ‘Animal Farm‘, and ‘Homage to Catalonia‘.

21 January 1992 – death of Eddie Mabo. Campaigner for indigenous land rights in the Torres Strait. Successfully challenged the concept of ‘terra nullius‘, resulting in indigenous ownership of land in Australia to be recognised. Born 29 June 2014.

20 January 2015

phrontistery

[fron-tis-tuh-ree]

noun

– a place for thinking or study.
e.g. Away from the maddening crowd, his beach hut became his phrontistery.

Origin: Greek

Greek phrontistērion, from phrontistēs philosopher, deep thinker, person with intellectual pretensions, from phrontizein to reflect, take thought, from phrontid-, phrontis reflection, thought; akin to Greek phren-, phrēn diaphragm, mind

Source: The Free Dictionary

Anagram

sprint theory
thorny stripe
thirsty prone

Today’s aphorism

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

– Henry Ford

On this day

20 January – Penguin Awareness Day.

20 January 1952 – birth of Stanley Harvey Esien, better known as Paul Stanley, singer and guitarist in glam rock band, Kiss.

20 January 1982 – It was the chomp heard around the world, when Ozzy Osbourne, The Prince of Darkness, bit the head off a bat while performing on stage in Des Moines, Iowa. A fan had thrown a bat on stage. Ozzy claims he thought it was rubber, but found out the hard way, that it was, in fact, a real bat. He was taken to hospital and given rabies shots. This follows on from an incident in 1981, when Ozzy bit the head off a dove after signing his first solo record deal … as you do … Word has it that Ozzy had planned to release a number of doves as a symbol of peace, but was drunk and felt one of the doves could do with a trim … which didn’t work out too well for the dove. There is no truth in the rumour that the Prince song, ‘When Doves Cry’ is about the incident. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/ENT/502270318&nclick_check=1

19 January 2015

ancillary

[an-suh-ler-ee or, esp. British, an-sil-uh-ree]

adjective
1. subordinate; subsidiary.
2. auxiliary; assisting.
noun, plural ancillaries.
3. something that serves in an ancillary capacity:
Slides, records, and other ancillaries can be used with the basic textbook.

Origin

Latin

1660-1670; < Latin ancill (a) (see ancilla ) + -ary; compare Latin ancillāris having the status of a female slave, with -āris -ar1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for ancillary
– The boric acid has another ancillary function.
– Bookstores have called this their fastest growing ancillary market.
– That was an ancillary point: Winning again was all that mattered.

Anagram

ill canary
lilac yarn

Today’s aphorism

Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.

Gary Ryan Blair

On this day

19 January 1809 – birth of Edgar Allan Poe, American poet and novelist, The Raven. Died 7 October 1849.

19 January 1920 – Night of the Palmer Raids, in which more than 4,000 suspected radical leftists were arrested. Most were members of the Industrial Workers of the World union. Alexander Palmer was the United States Attorney-General. Most of those arrested were either deported or charged under the Espionage Act 1917 and the Sedition Act 1918.

19 January 1935 – birth of Johnny O’Keefe, Australian rock and roll legend. Known as J.O.K. or ‘The Wild One’. Died 6 October 1978.

19 January 1943 – birthday of Janis Joplin. American singer song-writer. She died on 4 October 1970.

19 January 1966 – A UFO saucer nest is discovered near Tully, North Queensland, Australia when a banana farmer, George Pedley, claims that he saw a large, saucer-shaped object fly out of a swamp at Horseshoe Lagoon. He said the saucer was 25 feet wide and 9 feet high. Further investigation of the lagoon revealed that in a particularly reedy part, there was a large circle that was clear of reeds. The circle was 30 feet in diameter and the reeds had been flattened in a clockwise manner. Five other similar, but smaller, circles were discovered. Apart from the UFO claim, no other explanation could account for the circles. These are the first crop-circles discovered in the modern world.

This photo of the crop circle was taken by Emil Duran:

18 January 2015

bane

[beyn]

noun
1. a person or thing that ruins or spoils:
Gambling was the bane of his existence.
2. a deadly poison (often used in combination, as in the names of poisonous plants):
wolfsbane; henbane.
3. death; destruction; ruin.
4. Obsolete. that which causes death or destroys life:
entrapped and drowned beneath the watery bane.

Origin
Middle English, Old English
1000, before 1000; Middle English; Old English bana slayer; cognate with Old Norse bani death, murderer, Old Frisian bona murder, Old Saxon bano murderer, Old High German bano slayer, bana death; akin to Old English benn, Gothic banja wound

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for bane
– Blisters are the bane of house painters, both pros and amateurs.
– Spam is the bane of computer users everywhere, accounting for more than 90% of e-mail.
– Endless replays can be the bane of any telecast.

Anagram

bean

Today’s aphorism

The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.

– W. E. B. Du Bois

On this day

18 January 1977 – The Granville Rail Disaster, in which a crowded commuter train derailed and collided with an overpass that collapsed onto it, killing 83 people and injuring more than 210.

18 January 1779 – birth of Peter Roget, British lexographer and creator of Roget’s Thesaurus. (died 12 September 1869).

18 January 1904 – birthday of Cary Grant, born Archibald Alexander Leach, actor (‘North by Northwest‘, ‘To Catch a Thief‘, ‘An Affair to Remember‘, ‘Gunga Din‘).

17 January 2015

muse

[myooz]

verb (used without object), mused, musing.
1. to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject.
2. Archaic. to gaze meditatively or wonderingly.
verb (used with object), mused, musing.
3. to meditate on.
4. to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.

Origin
Middle English, Middle French, Medieval Latin
1300-1350; Middle English musen to mutter, gaze meditatively on, be astonished < Middle French muser, perhaps ultimately derivative of Medieval Latin mūsum muzzle

Related forms
muser, noun

Can be confused
mews, muse.

Synonyms
1. cogitate, ruminate, think; dream. 1, 3. ponder, contemplate, deliberate.

Muse

[myooz]

noun
1. Classical Mythology.
any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given as Aoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme (memory), but latterly and more commonly as the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over various arts: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (religious music), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy); identified by the Romans with the Camenae.
any goddess presiding over a particular art.
2. (sometimes lowercase) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.
3. (lowercase) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.

Origin
1350-1400; Middle English Muse < Middle French < Latin Mūsa < Greek Moûsa

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for muse

– The muse is always halfdressed in new orleans and other essays, st.
– She was his muse, the secret behind his contemplative poetry.

Anagram

emus
me us

Today’s aphorism

Dreams are like stars … you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.

– Lawrence Block.

On this day

17 January 1899 – birth of Al Capone, who grew up to be one of America’s most famous gangsters. He died on 25 January 1947.

17 January 1942 – birthday of Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr), American professional boxer (former world heavy-weight champion), philanthropist, social activist.

17 January 1966 – the United States loses 4 H-bombs after the B-52 that was carrying them, collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refuelling. The tanker exploded, killing all 4 crew, the B-52 broke apart, killing 3 of the 7 crew. Three of the hydrogen bombs were located on land near the Spanish town of Palomares. Two of the non-nuclear explosives in the weapons detonated, contaminating 2 km2 with plutonium. The fourth bomb was located 2.5 months later in the Mediterranean Sea.

17 January 1991 – Operation Desert Storm commences after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein refuses to comply with a US directive that he remove his forces from Kuwait. Hussein claimed that Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil. 32 nations were involved in the Operation to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

17 January 1927 – birth of Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress. She played Catwoman in the 1960’s Batman TV series. Two of her more famous songs were ‘C’est Si Bon’ and ‘Santa Baby’. She died on 25 December 2008.

16 January 2015

cerulean

[suh-roo-lee-uh

adjective, noun
1. deep blue; sky blue; azure.
2. Heraldry. a sky-blue tincture, used especially on the Continent.

Origin
Latin
1660-1670; < Latin caerule (us) dark blue, azure (akin to caelum sky) + -an

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for cerulean
– Darkening cerulean blue above, a redness along the tree line.
– Her eyes are cerulean, her bone structure is extraordinary and she’s effortlessly stylish.
– Cerulean warblers molt into an adult plumage prior to the breeding season following their hatching year.

Anagram

lace rune

Today’s aphorism

People wear masks to see who cares enough to see through it. I built a wall around me to see who would be brave enough to climb it.

– Unknown

On this day

16 January 1920 – Prohibition commences in the U.S. with the passing of the 18th Amendment which prohibited the importation, exportation, transporting, selling and manufacturing of alcohol.

16 January 1945 – Adolf Hitler flees to his bunker with his long-time companion, Eva Braun. They remain there for 105 days until he takes his own life.

16 January 1979 – The Shah of Iran is forced to flee Iran following the mutiny of his Army and a revolution led by students, which resulted in the Ayatollah Khomeini taking over the leadership of the country.

15 January 2015

donnybrook

[don-ee-broo k]

noun, ( often initial capital letter)
1. an inordinately wild fight or contentious dispute; brawl; free-for-all.

Also called Donnybrook Fair.

Origin
1850-1855; after Donnybrook (Fair)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for donnybrook
– It would seem to me that you’re all coming here and saying, you know, this was a donnybrook down there

Anagram

no bony dork

Today’s aphorism

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

– Marcus Aurelius

On this day

15 January – Martin Luther King Day, a public holiday in the United States of America, held on the third Monday in January, to celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, a clergyman who promoted non-violent activism to achieve civil rights, particularly for African Americans.

15 January 1929 – birthday of Martin Luther King. American civil rights activist and clergyman. Died 4 April 1968.

14 January 2015

brannigan

[bran-i-guh n]

noun
1. a carouse.
2. a squabble; brawl.

Origin

1925-1930; probably from proper name

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for brannigan

– The futurama episode brannigan begin again a montage scene based on midnight cowboy.

Slang definitions & phrases for brannigan
brannigan
noun
A spree : a prolonged crossword puzzle brannigan
A brawl or fracas; donnybrook: Republicans and Democrats alike are guilty of this brannigan (1940+)
[1903+; fr the Irish surname, for unclear reasons]

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.

anagram

grab an inn

Today’s aphorism

Start shaping your own day. Start walking your own walk. This journey is yours, take charge of it. Stop giving other people the power to shape your life.

– Steve Maraboli

On this day

14 January 1892 – birth of Martin Niemoller, German pastor. Niemoller originally supported Adolf Hitler, however, he soon realised he’d made a mistake. He blamed Hitler’s rise to power and the ensuing war and genocide, on the support and acceptance of his policies from churches and ordinary citizens, as well as the lack of speaking up against injustice. Niemoller is most well known for his statement, ‘First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me’. Died 6 March 1984.

14 January 1977 – death of Anais Nin, French-Cuban author. Born 21 February 1903.

14 January 1984 – death of Ray Kroc, founder of MacDonalds … and the Big Mac … Born 5 October 1902. Kroc had bought out Dick and Mac MacDonald before establishing the franchise network of fast-food restaurants.

13 January 2015

terse

[turs]

adjective, terser, tersest.

1. neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy, as language.
2. abruptly concise; curt; brusque.

Origin

Latin
1595-1605; < Latin tersus, past participle of tergēre to rub off, wipe off, clean, polish

Related forms

tersely, adverb
terseness, noun
unterse, adjective
untersely, adverb
unterseness, noun

Synonyms

1. succinct, compact, neat, concentrated. 1, 2. See concise.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for terse

– My comments on the first manuscript were fairly terse and probably about a page long.
– In the past security officers were usually terse ex-military types who wore holsters and brush cuts.
– The film’s style is so economical it seems almost terse.

Anagram

steer
trees
reset

Today’s aphorism

If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.

– Albert Einstein

On this day

13 January 1893 – birth of Roy Cazaly, Australian Rules football legend, known for his high marks and ruck-work. Immortalised in the song, ‘Up there Cazaly‘, by The Two Man Band (Mike Brady & Peter Sullivan). Died 10 October 1963.

13 January 1929 – death of Wyatt Earp in Los Angeles, American gunfighter, famous for the gunfight at the OK Corral. He was 80 years old.

13 January 1939 – Black Friday fires in Victoria, Australia, covering more than 4,900,000 acres, destroying 1,000 homes and killing 71 people. It was one of the world’s worst bush-fire disasters.

13 January 2001 – a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits El Salvador, killing 1,000 people

12 January 2015

bicker (1)

[bik-er]

Synonyms

verb (used without object)
1. to engage in petulant or peevish argument; wrangle:
The two were always bickering.
2. to run rapidly; move quickly; rush; hurry:
a stream bickering down the valley.
3. to flicker; glitter:
The sun bickered through the trees.

noun
4. an angry, petty dispute or quarrel; contention.

Origin
Middle English
1250-1300; Middle English bikeren < ?

Related forms
bickerer, noun
unbickered, adjective
unbickering, adjective

Synonyms

1. disagree, squabble, argue, quarrel, haggle, dispute, spar, spat.

bicker (2)
[bik-er]

noun, Scot.
1. any wooden dish or bowl, especially a wooden porridge bowl.
2. Obsolete. a wooden drinking cup.

Origin
1300-50; Middle English biker beaker

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for bicker
– It allows them to bicker about abstracts without actually doing anything.
– He warns that they’ll bicker and possibly even brawl.
– Nor did they bicker or fall silent at moments of disagreement.

Anagram

be rick

Today’s aphorism

Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education.

– Bertrand Russell

On this day

12 January 1948 – The United States Supreme Court that the all-white law school at University of Oklahoma must provide education to black students that is equal to the education provided to white students.

12 January 2012 – magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes Haiti, killing between 100,000 and 250,000. Humanitarian aid was slow in coming to Haiti because of the damage to the country’s infrastructure, which resulted in the high death toll. The earthquake is the fourth deadliest on record.

12 January 2003 – death of Maurice Gibb on the Isle of Man. Founded the Bee Gees with his brothers, Robin and Barry. Born 22 December 1949.