31 July 2015

echelon

[esh-uh-lon]

noun
1. a level of command, authority, or rank:
After years of service, she is now in the upper echelon of city officials.
Synonyms: place, rank, hierarchy, authority, grade, office; row, tier, rung; social standing, position, class, standing.
2. a level of worthiness, achievement, or reputation:
studying hard to get into one of the top echelon colleges.
Synonyms: degree, position, tier.
3. Military. a formation of troops, ships, airplanes, etc., in which groups of soldiers or individual vehicles or craft are arranged in parallel lines, either with each line extending to the right of the one in front (right echelon) or with each line extending to the left of the one in front (left echelon) so that the whole presents the appearance of steps.
4. Military. one of the groups of a formation so arranged.
5. Archaic. any structure or group of structures arranged in a steplike form.
6. Also called echelon grating. Spectroscopy. a diffraction grating that is used in the resolution of fine structure lines and consists of a series of plates of equal thickness stacked in staircase fashion.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
7. to form in an echelon.

Origin of echelon
French, Old French
1790-1800; < French échelon, orig. rung of a ladder, Old French eschelon, equivalent to esch (i) ele ladder (< Latin scāla; see scale3) + -on noun suffix

Related forms
echelonment, noun

Word story

Echelon comes from the French échelon, a word whose literal meaning is “rung of a ladder.” Initially it was confined to military use, to refer to a step-like formation of troops.
Ironically, while echelon entered English in a military context, it was the first and second World Wars that extended the meaning to other, nonmilitary, sectors. During World War I, the term took on a more generalized sense of a “level” or “subdivision”; World War II broadened echelon’s usage to describe grades and ranks in professions outside the military.
At the same time, English speakers started using echelon to classify institutions or persons they held in high esteem by referring to them as part of the “upper” or “top” echelon. With this in mind, the phrase “social climber” conjures up the image of people who wish to ascend through the various ladder rungs of society until they reach the top.

Popular references

—Row echelon form: In linear algebra, a simplified form of a matrix in which each non-zero row has more leading zeros than the previous row.
—ECHELON: Code name of a global surveillance system developed by the United States National Security Agency (NSA). It operates by intercepting and processing international communications transmitted via communications satellites.
—Third Echelon: A fictional sub-group of the NSA created by Tom Clancy in his Splinter Cell book series.

Related Quotations

“Beyond [the city] were the suburban homes of laborers and low-echelon executives who had carved brass-knuckled niches for themselves in the medium-income bracket.“
—Irving E. Cox, Jr., The Cartels Jungle (1955)

“If a CEO wavers and shows signs of not being confident of which way he wants to go, it sends shudders from the top echelon all the way down the mountain.“
—D. A. Benton, How to think like a CEO (2000)

“[I]t is a monstrous leap from what [a master] can do to what the elite grandmasters (the Fischers and the Karpovs and the Kasparovs) can do, which is why even the top echelon of players often maintain a base of humility beneath their bluster.“
—Michael Weinreb, Game of Kings: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs, and Geniuses Who Make Up America’s. Top High School Chess Team (2007)

“By echelon we mean a formation in which the subdivisions are placed one behind another, extending beyond and unmasking one another either wholly or in part.“
—James Alfred Moss, Manual of Military Training (1914)

“[T]hey echeloned to the right around the hill, and the 1st Platoon fired into their flank for ten to fifteen minutes; however, they never slacked or broke formation.“
—William T. Bowers, The Line: Combat In Korea, January–February 1951, Volume 1 (2008)

Dictionary.com

Anagram

he clone

Today’s quote

Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes.

– Daniel Defoe

On this day

31 July 1703 – Daniel Defoe, author of ‘Robinson Crusoe‘, is put in the pillory for committing ‘seditious libel’ after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet entitled ‘The shortest-way with dissenters; Or, proposals for the establishment of the church‘, which was critical of the establishment of the church and the practice of ‘occasional conformity’, in which dissenters could attend church once a year and still qualify as members of the Church of England. Whilst in the pillory, Defoe was pelted with flowers rather than the usual fruit and vegetables.

31 July 1965 – birthday of Joanne (J.K.) Rowling, author of the ‘Harry Potter‘ series. In 2006 a minor planet was named after her: ‘43844 Rowling’.

30 July 2015

racket (1)

[rak-it]

noun
1. a loud noise or clamor, especially of a disturbing or confusing kind; din; uproar:
The traffic made a terrible racket in the street below.
2. social excitement, gaiety, or dissipation.
3. an organized illegal activity, such as bootlegging or the extortion of money from legitimate business people by threat or violence.
4. a dishonest scheme, trick, business, activity, etc.:
the latest weight-reducing racket.
5. Usually, the rackets. organized illegal activities:
Some say that the revenue from legalized gambling supports the rackets.
6. Slang.
an occupation, livelihood, or business.
an easy or profitable source of livelihood.
verb (used without object)
7. to make a racket or noise.
8. to take part in social gaiety or dissipation.

Origin of racket 1
1555-1565; 1890-95 for def 6; metathetic variant of dial. rattick; see rattle1

Can be confused
racket, racquet.

Synonyms
1. tumult, disturbance, outcry. See noise.
Antonyms Expand
1, 2. tranquillity.
racket (2) or racquet (for defs 1, 2, 4)

[rak-it]

noun

1. a light bat having a netting of catgut or nylon stretched in a more or less oval frame and used for striking the ball in tennis, the shuttlecock in badminton, etc.
2. the short-handled paddle used to strike the ball in table tennis.
3. rackets, (used with a singular verb) racquet (def 1).
4. a snowshoe made in the form of a tennis racket.

Origin
1490-1500; < Middle French raquette, rachette, perhaps < Arabic rāḥet, variant of rāḥah palm of the hand

Related forms
racketlike, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for racket

Contemporary Examples

For all who do believe this, the very existence of Israel is a sort of fraud or a racket.
(No Drama Obama’s Israel Ambivalence, James Poulos, July 25, 2014)

The Texas financier Allen Stanford stands accused of a mere $7 billion racket.
(Why Smart People Are Dumb, Morley Safer, February 10, 2010)

They marched through the neighborhood, everybody running outside to see what the racket was all about.
(The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou, John Ed Bradley, April 26, 2014)

Anagram

tacker

Today’s quote

War is a racket. It always has been… A few profit – and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can’t end it by disarmament conferences. You can’t eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can’t wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.

– Major General Smedley Butler

On this day

30 July 1626 – earthquake in Naples, Italy, kills 70,000 people.

30 July 1818 – birthday of Emily Bronte, author of the novel, ‘Wuthering Heights‘. Died 19 December 1848.

30 July 1863 – birthday of Henry Ford, American industrialist and car maker. Died 7 April 1947.

30 July 1881 – birth of Smedley Butler, U.S. Marine Corp Major-General. He received 19 medals, five of which were for bravery. He twice received the Medal of Honor. Butler was, at the time of his death, the most decorated Marine in history. Nonetheless, he was an outspoken critic of war and military actions. He wrote a book called ‘War is a Racket’, which exposed the links between the military and industry, in which he stated that business interests directly benefit from warfare. Butler wrote a summary of the book, which stated: ‘War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small ‘inside’ group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes‘. He died on 21 June 1940.

30 July 1898 – W.K. Kellogg invents cornflakes.

30 July 1956 – the United States officially adopts ‘In God We Trust’ as the national motto.

30 July 1958 – birthday of Kate Bush, English singer/songwriter. In 1978, she had a hit song with ‘Wuthering Heights‘, a song about the novel of the same name which was written by Emily Bronte (whose birthday is also today). She followed this up with a number of other hits, including ‘Babooshka‘ and ‘The Man with the Child in His Eyes‘.

30 July 1969 – birthday of Simon Baker, Australian actor. Stars in the TV series, ‘The Mentalist‘.

29 July 2015

baroque

[buh-rohk; French ba-rawk]

adjective

1. (often initial capital letter) of or relating to a style of architecture and art originating in Italy in the early 17th century and variously prevalent in Europe and the New World for a century and a half, characterized by free and sculptural use of the classical orders and ornament, by forms in elevation and plan suggesting movement, and by dramatic effect in which architecture, painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts often worked to combined effect.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) of or relating to the musical period following the Renaissance, extending roughly from 1600 to 1750.
3. extravagantly ornate, florid, and convoluted in character or style:
the baroque prose of the novel’s more lurid passages.
4. irregular in shape:
baroque pearls.

noun
5. (often initial capital letter) the baroque style or period.
6. anything extravagantly ornamented, especially something so ornate as to be in bad taste.
7. an irregularly shaped pearl.

Origin of baroque

French, Portuguese, Spanish, Medieval Latin
1755-1765; < French < Portuguese barroco, barroca irregularly shaped pearl (of obscure origin; compare Spanish berrueco, barrueco granitic crag, irregular pearl, spherical nodule), probably conflated with Medieval Latin baroco invented word for a kind of obfuscating syllogism

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for baroque

Contemporary Examples

It was impossible to focus on the actress, as she was wearing a gown that was as grand—and busy—as a baroque tapestry.
(Rooney Mara, Michelle Williams, Kristen Wiig: 2012 Oscars’ Best, Worst, and Wilted, Robin Givhan
February 26, 2012)

Inside, the club is built like a baroque theater, with a dance floor in the center and rows of loggias up the walls.
(Russia’s Gold Digger Academy, Peter Pomerantsev, November 10, 2014)

The clavecinistes of the French baroque were especially keen on the idea.
(For the Birds! – and Art Lovers, Blake Gopnik, December 9, 2013)

Anagram

qua robe

Today’s quote

Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbours, films, football, beer, and above all, gambling, filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult. A few agents of the Thought Police moved always among them, spreading false rumours and marking down and eliminating the few individuals who were judged capable of becoming dangerous; but no attempt was made to indoctrinate them with the ideology of the Party. It was not desirable that the proles should have strong political feelings. All that was required of them was a primitive patriotism which could be appealed to whenever it was necessary to make them accept longer working-hours or shorter rations. And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because being without general ideas, they could only focus it on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice.

– George Orwell, ‘1984‘

On this day

29 July 1565 – marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to her cousin, Lord Darnley.

29 July 1836 – the Arc de Triomphe is inaugurated in Paris.

29 July 1848 – the failed nationalist Tipperary Revolt against English rule, which occurred during the Great Potato Famine in Ireland.

29 July 1860 – birth of Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901 and Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907. Lamington is credited with commissioning the creation of one of Australia’s most iconic desserts, the lamington. Numerous stories abound regarding the origin of the lamington, but generally Lamington’s chef (French-born Armand Gallad) is believed to have created it when he was ordered to prepare a morning tea for Federation celebrations being held by Lady Lamington. Rumour has it that Gallad cut up some left-over sponge cake, dipped it in chocolate and covered it in coconut. It should be noted that coconut was not a well-known or popular ingredient at that time, but Gallad was aware of it as his wife was from Tahiti, where coconut was a staple ingredient.

29 July 1890 – death of Vincent Van Gogh, dutch painter.

29 July 1907 – the Boy Scouts formed in England by Sir Robert Baden-Powell.

29 July 1948 – the XIV Olympiad is opened in London by King George VI. This is the first Olympiad since the XI Olympiad in Berlin in 1936. The XII and XIII Olympiads for 1940 and 1944 respectively, were not held because of World War II.

29 July 1949 – first broadcast by BBC radio.

29 July 1981 – Prince Charles and Lady Dianna Spencer wed in London.

29 July 1989 – Burmese authorities imprison Aung Sun Suu Kyi even though her political party won 59% of votes in the election. She rose to prominence following her role in the ‘8888’ Uprising on 8 August 1988.

28 July 2015

extant

[ek-stuh nt, ik-stant]

adjective
1. in existence; still existing; not destroyed or lost:
There are only three extant copies of the document.
2. Archaic. standing out; protruding.

Origin of extant

Latin

1535-1545; < Latin ex (s) tant- (stem of ex (s) tāns) standing out, present participle of exstāre, equivalent to ex- ex-1+ stāre to stand

Related forms
nonextant, adjective

Can be confused
extant, extent.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for extant

Contemporary Examples

Alas, CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler has already said that if extant is a hit like Dome, it will return next year.
(Surprise! Halle Berry’s Career Is ‘Extant’, Jason Lynch, July 8, 2014)

“Today,” Deptula said, “the Russians have an extant significant advantage in their surface to air capabilities”.
(The Pentagon Isn’t Ready for a New Cold War, Jacob Siegel, March 19, 2014.

The only extant copy online is at a Bashar fan site called presidentassad.net.
(Asma-al-Assad Comes Out in Support of Syria’s Brutal Regime, Josh Dzieza, February 7, 2012)

Today’s quote

You can never win an argument with a negative person. The only hear what suits them and listen only to respond.

– Michael P. Watson

On this day

28 July 1586 – the humble and versatile potato introduced to the British Isles by Sir Thomas Harriot after it was brought to Europe from the Americas by the Spanish.

28 July 1866 – the United States recognises the metric system as a valid means of measurement.

28 July 1900 – Louis Lassing of Connecticut invents the hamburger.

28 July 1902 – birth of Albert Namatjira, Australian Aboriginal artist. Died 8 August 1959.

28 July 1914 – start of World War I when a Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princep, assassinated Austrian Prince Franz Ferdinand. At the time, Europe was comprised of two blocs, the Triple Entente (Britain, France and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy). War escalated as each country came to the other’s aid following military responses to the assassination.

28 July 1928 – IX Olympiad opens in Amsterdam.

28 July 1945 – a United States Air Force B-25 Liberator bomber collides with the Empire State Building in New York. A 9.40am, the plane was flying from Bedford Army Air Field to Newark Airport. The pilot asked for clearance to land but was denied because of zero visibility as a result of heavy fog. Rather than turn around, the pilot continued on and became disoriented in the thick fog. The plane smashed into the building between the 78th and 80th floors, killing 14 people, including all on board the plane. One of the plane’s engines flew through the other side of the building, into the next block, falling 900 feet onto the roof of another building, causing a fire that destroyed a penthouse. The other engine and part of the landing gear plummeted down the elevator shaft.

27 July 2015

incorrigible

[in-kawr-i-juh-buh l, -kor-]

adjective

1. not corrigible; bad beyond correction or reform:
incorrigible behavior; an incorrigible liar.
2. impervious to constraints or punishment; willful; unruly; uncontrollable:
an incorrigible child; incorrigible hair.
3. firmly fixed; not easily changed:
an incorrigible habit.
4. not easily swayed or influenced:
an incorrigible optimist.
noun
5. a person who is incorrigible.

Origin of incorrigible
Middle English, Latin
1300-1350; Middle English < Latin incorrigibilis. See in-3, corrigible

Related forms
incorrigibility, incorrigibleness, noun
incorrigibly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for incorrigible

Contemporary Examples

And Anthony Hopkins as Noah’s hammy 969-year-old grandpa, Methuselah, who was apparently an incorrigible berry addict.
(‘Noah’ Review: An Ambitious, Flawed Biblical Tale That You Have to See, Andrew Romano, March 27, 2014)

Despite his nebbishy demeanor, the Senate majority leader is an incorrigible junkyard dog.
(Why Harry Reid’s Mormon Slur May Be Good for the Church, Michelle Cottle, September 25, 2012)

But there were also many times when either Palmer or Weaver could have written the other off as an incorrigible pain in the ass.
(Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up, Tom Boswell, September 26, 2014)

Anagram

crib religion
broiling rice
ironic gerbil

Today’s quote

Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex.

– Frank Zappa

On this day

27 July – National Sleepy-head Day – a celebration in Finland in which the last person still in bed is woken by throwing cold water over them or by throwing them in a lake or river.

27 July 1836 – founding of Adelaide, South Australia.

27 July 1935 – Yangtze River, China, floods kill up to 200,000 people.

27 July 1940 – Bugs Bunny makes his debut in the cartoon, ‘Wild Hare’.

27 July 2012 – XXX Olympiad opens in London.

26 July 2015

achromatic

[ak-ruh-mat-ik, ey-kruh-]

adjective
1. Optics.
free from color.
able to emit, transmit, or receive light without separating it into colors.
2. Biology. (of a cell structure) difficult to stain.
3. Music. without accidentals or changes in key.

Origin of achromatic
1760-1770; a-6+ chromatic

Related forms
achromatically, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for achromatic

Historical Examples
achromatic lenses are used in all high-grade optical instruments such as telescopes and microscopes.
(Physics, Willis Eugene Tower)

If not, the substitution of an achromatic lens will be of no advantage.
(Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4, Various)

The achromatic condenser itself should consist of at least two combinations of different powers and of wide angular apertures.
(Photography in the Studio and in the Field, Edward M. Estabrooke)

Anagram

archaic Tom
mac chariot
a trim coach

Today’s quote

It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.

– Joseph Stalin

On this day

26 July 1875 – birth of Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology. He developed the concepts of extraversion and introversion; archetypes and collective unconscious. Died 6 June 1961.

26 July 1894 – birth of Aldous Huxley, English writer. Most famous for his vision of the future, ‘Brave New World’, as well as his work ‘The Doors of Perception’, based on his use of psychedelic drugs. Jim Morrison named his 60’s psychedelic rock band, ‘The Doors’ after Huxley’s book. Died 22 November 1963.

26 July 1943 – birth of Mick Jagger. English singer-songwriter, founding member of the Rolling Stones.

26 July 1945 – Potsdam Declaration, or ‘Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender’ is issued by President Harry S. Truman (U.S.), Prime Minister Winston Churchill (U.K.) and Chairman Chiang Kai-shek (China). The document stated that Japan faced ‘prompt and utter destruction’ if it did not surrender. Japan initially rejected the declaration, resulting in President Truman ordering the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively.

26 July 1952 – death of Eva Perón, first lady of Argentina and second wife of Argentine President, Juan Perón. Her life was immortalised in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Evita, which included the hit song, ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’.

26 July 1953 – Fidel Castro forms the revolutionary organisation, Movimiento 26 de Julio, (‘26th of July Movement‘), or M-26-7, fighting against Cuba’s Batista regime. M-26-7 fails in its attack on Moncado Barracks on 26 July 1953, but eventually succeeds in overthrowing Batista in 1959.

25 July 2015

acroamatic

Ac`ro`a`mat´ic

a. 1. Communicated orally; oral; – applied to the esoteric teachings of Aristotle, those intended for his genuine disciples, in distinction from his exoteric doctrines, which were adapted to outsiders or the public generally. Hence: Abstruse; profound.
(e.g. acroamatic teaching)

(Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by C. & G. Merriam Co.)

Anagram

Croatia cam
a cacti roam

Today’s quote

Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind.

– Samuel Taylor Coleridge

On this day

25 July 1603 – James VI, King of Scotland, is crowned as the first King of Great Britain and becomes James I.

25 July 1834 – death of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet.

25 July 1946 – the United States conducts first under-water tests of an atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

25 July 1978 – Bob Dylan booed off stage for using an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival.

25 July 1995 – discovery of minor planet: 43844 Rowling, which was named after author J.K. Rowling in 2006.

24 July 2015

philanthropy

[fi-lan-thruh-pee]

noun, plural philanthropies.
1. altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.
2. the activity of donating to such persons or purposes in this way:
to devote one’s later years to philanthropy.
3. a particular act, form, or instance of this activity:
The art museum was their favorite philanthropy.
4. an organization devoted to helping needy persons or to other socially useful purposes.

Origin of philanthropy
Late Latin, Greek
1600-1610; earlier philanthropia < Late Latin < Greek philanthrōpía love for mankind. See phil-, anthropo-, -y3

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for philanthropy

Contemporary Examples

The crippled giants should also be extending their philanthropy to a street-eye level.
(How Bankers Screwed Up Their PR, Adam Hanft, February 6, 2009)

Philanthropy supports advocacy which effectively pressures the government to expand its work in the field of economic development.
(A Dangerous Position, Batya Kallus, Ron Gerlitz, November 22, 2012)

Or for Elijah Cummings of Maryland to thank George Soros for his philanthropy.
(Hedge Fund Managers Are the Heroes of this Crisis, Frank Partnoy, November 17, 2008)

Anagram

happily north

Today’s quote

I prefer rogues to imbeciles, because they sometimes take a rest.

– Alexandre Dumas

On this day

24 July 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, forced to abdicate after being accused of adultery and murder. Her 1 year old son becomes King James VI of Scotland, and later King James I, when Scotland and England unify. He also sponsored the Authorised Translation of the bible, which was named after him, the King James Bible.

24 July 1802 – birthday of Alexandré Dumas, French author of celebrated works such as ‘Count of Monte Christo‘, ‘The Three Musketeers‘, ‘The Black Tulip‘.

24 July 1938 – Nescafe, or freeze-dried, coffee invented. Although this wasn’t the invention of instant coffee, but rather the refinement of it. Instant coffee was first invented in 1901 by Satori Kato. In 1906, George Washington invented the first mass produced instant coffee.

23 July 2015

cathect

[kuh-thekt, ka-]

verb (used with object), Psychoanalysis

1. to invest emotion or feeling in (an idea, object, or another person).

Origin of cathect Expand

1930-1935; back-formation from cathectic relating to cathexis
Dictionary.com

Example of usage

‘Mortimer divorced Jane Goodall’s mother, Vanne, in 1950, consigning Jane to the fate of so many children who cathect with the animal kingdom to compensate for missing parents’.
(Judith Lewis; Observing the Observer: Jane Goodall, The Woman Who Redefined Man; Los Angeles Times; Nov 19, 2006)
(wordsmith.org)

Anagram

act etch

Today’s quote

The preservation of peace and the guaranteeing of man’s basic freedoms and rights require courage and eternal vigilance: courage to speak and act – and if necessary, to suffer and die – for truth and justice; eternal vigilance, that the least transgression of international morality shall not go undetected and unremedied.

– Haile Selassie

On this day

23 July 1892 – birthday of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. Although Selassie was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, Rastafarians believe that he is the Messiah returned.

23 July 1934 – Australian batsman, Donald Bradman, scores 304 against England at Leeds, with 43 fours and 2 sixes. He is the only batsman to ever complete two treble centuries in Test cricket.

23 July 1935 – a B-25 Mitchell bomber carrying three people, crashes into the Empire State Building, New York City, killing 14 people. The accident was caused by heavy fog.

23 July 2011 – death of Amy Winehouse. English singer-songwriter. She was 27. Born 14 September 1983.