30 October 2015

empirical

[em-pir-i-kuh l]

adjective

1. derived from or guided by experience or experiment.
2. depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory, especially as in medicine.
3. provable or verifiable by experience or experiment.

Origin of empirical

1560-1570; empiric + -al1

Related forms

empirically, adverb
empiricalness, noun
antiempirical, adjective
antiempirically, adverb
nonempirical, adjective

Synonyms

1, 2. practical, firsthand, pragmatic.

Antonyms

1, 2. secondhand, theoretical.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for empirical

Contemporary Examples

There’s also a fair amount of empirical support for the theory that lobbying dollars are driving up home prices in the District.
Is DC Real Estate Headed Up or Down?
Megan McArdle
October 22, 2012

Manzi, who founded a company that makes software expediting RFTs, is an enthusiast of this empirical approach, and rightly so.
David’s Book Club: Uncontrolled
Kenneth Silber
May 11, 2012

Those are the kinds of things that the IMF, for the first time, is actually studying in details and with empirical data.
Transcript: Thomas Friedman Interviews Hillary Clinton and Christine Lagarde
April 4, 2014

Anagram

ripe claim
eclair imp

Today’s quote

I am a Christian. That obliges me to be a Communist.

– George Bernard Shaw

On this day

30 October 1920 – the Communist Party of Australia founded in Sydney, New South Wales.

30 October 1938 – Fear of alien invasion panics the United States as Orson Welles narrates the H.G. Wells radio-play, War of the Worlds (click for the complete broadcast). Listeners did not realise it was just a play, unleashing havoc across the U.S.
30 October 1939 – birth of Grace Slick, American rock singer with Jefferson Airplane and as a solo performer.
30 October 1961 – the Soviet Union detonates the world’s largest nuclear bomb, the Tsar Bomba, which had a yield of 50 megatons. It was 4,000 times more powerful than the bomb the USA dropped on Hiroshima, 1,400 times the combined power of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 10 times the combined power of all conventional explosives used in World War II, and one quarter of the estimated yield of the 27 August 1883 volcanic explosion in Krakatoa. The crown of the mushroom cloud was more than 56km high and was visible for hundreds of kilometres. The Soviets had initially intended for the Hydrogen Bomb to be 100 megatons, but decided to tone it back a tad. The United Nations pleads with both the Soviet Union and the United States to end the arms race or risk destroying the planet. By 1986, with the arms race out of control, the U.S.A. deployed the MX-missiles. Each missile had 10 warheads capable of carrying 300 megatons each, with a potential combined yield 60 times the Tsar Bomba (240,000 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, 15 times the size of Krakatoa) … a dream come true for Marvin the Martian … but … the MX’s were never detonated (‘where’s the kaboom?‘). They were retired in 2005.

30 October 1990 – the ‘Chunnel’ (or Channel Tunnel) is completed linking England and France by a tunnel that goes under the English Channel.

29 October 2015

hermetic or hermetical

[hur-met-ik]

adjective

1. made airtight by fusion or sealing.
2. not affected by outward influence or power; isolated.
3. (sometimes initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of occult science, especially alchemy.
4. (initial capital letter) of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings ascribed to him.

Origin of hermetic

Medieval Latin

1630-1640; < Medieval Latin hermēticus of, pertaining to Hermes Trismegistus, equivalent to Latin Hermē (s) Hermes + -ticus -tic

Related forms

unhermetic, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for hermetic

Contemporary Examples

The government of Colombia decided to loan the 28,000 square meter fixer-upper to a fraternity of hermetic Benedictine monks.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens
Jeff Campagna
June 6, 2014

And Demme, by barely indicating the visual presence of the audience until the end, intensifies the closed-off, hermetic feeling.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael’s Talking Heads Obsession
Pauline Kael
November 21, 2014

We love to laugh at Kim and Company because it distracts our souls from the horrific reality of their hermetic regime.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack
James Poulos
December 18, 2014

Anagram

creme hit
the crime
therm ice

Today’s quote

There is no sincerer love than the love of food.

– George Bernard Shaw

On this day

29 October 529BC – International Day of Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, responsible for the Cyrus Cylinder, which has been called the world’s first charter of human rights. The Cyrus Cylinder praised the munificence of King Cyrus and denounced the conquered Babylonian King Nabodinus as an oppressor of the people. It extols King Cyrus as a benefactor of the people, who liberated them from Nabodinus, repatriated them, restored temples and improved their lives.

29 October 1929 – ‘Black Tuesday’, stock market crash leads to the Great Depression. Investors dumped 16 million shares and the market crashed a further 12%, losing $30 billion in two days.

29 October 1956 – Israel invades Egypt after President Nasser announces he is nationalising the Suez Canal, starting the Suez Crisis.

29 October 1969 – Creation of the ARPANET, predecessor of the internet, when the first host-to-host communication is sent. ARPANET stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network which was operated by the U.S. Department of Defense.

29 October 1982 – Lindy Chamberlain found guilty of murdering her baby daughter, Azaria, after a jury dismissed her claim that a dingo took the baby. Her husband, Michael, was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder. She spent 3 years in jail, before being released. Eight years after the trial, her conviction was overturned. In 1992, her and Michael were acquitted and received $1.3 million in compensation from the Australian government for false imprisonment. There have been four inquests, with the latest being held 2012, with the finding that a dingo did take the baby.

28 October 2015

iatrophobia

[eye(ee)-at-roh-foh-bee-uh]

noun

– abnormal or irrational fear of going to the doctor.

Anagram

a phobia riot
to pariah bio
bait hair hoop

Today’s quote

The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.

– Ernest Hemingway

On this day

28 October 1922 – Benito Mussolini, of the National Fascist Party, takes over the leadership of Italy’s government, after forcing Prime Minister Luigi Facta to resign following the ‘March on Rome’. Mussolini took the title ‘IL DUCE’ (The Leader).

28 October 1962 – end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, known in Cuba as the October Crisis and in Russia as Kарибский кризис (Caribbean Crisis), one of the major events of the Cold War as it brought the world to the brink of nuclear conflict. It started when a USAF U-2 plane photographed evidence of Soviet air bases being constructed in Cuba on 14 October 1962. The U.S. considered bombing the bases, but ended up blockading Cuba, preventing Soviet weapons being delivered. Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev wrote to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, stating the blockade constituted an act of war. For 13 days, the Americans and Soviets conducted talks to resolve the crisis. On 28 October 1962, Kennedy and UN Secretary General U. Thant reached a public and secret agreement with Khrushchev. Publicly, the Soviets agreed to dismantle their weapons in Cuba, while the U.S. gave an agreement to never invade Cuba. Secretly, the U.S. agreed to dismantle its ballistic missiles in Turkey.

28 October 1965 – Ernest Hemingway wins the Nobel Prize for Literature. Author of ‘The Old Man and the Sea‘.

27 October 2015

quiddity

[kwid-i-tee]

noun, plural quiddities.

1. the quality that makes a thing what it is; the essential nature of a thing.
2. a trifling nicety of subtle distinction, as in argument.

Origin of quiddity

Medieval Latin

1530-1540; < Medieval Latin quidditās, equivalent to Latin quid what + -itās -ity

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for quiddity

Historical Examples

The suchness of being implies a previously existing being and quiddity.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 1
Plotinos (Plotinus)

Aristotle has thus shown how the Essence or quiddity (τί ἐστι) may become known in this class of cases.
Aristotle
George Grote

The lawyer’s clerk, whose name was quiddity, also set about publishing the whole of the matter abroad.
Forgotten Tales of Long Ago
E. V. Lucas

Anagram

Tidy quid

Today’s quote

Fear is proof of a degenerate mind.

– Virgil

On this day

27 October 1728 – birth of Captain James Cook, British explorer. Made three major voyages in which he discovered many of the islands of the south pacific, including the east coast of Australia. Cooktown, Queensland, is named after him. The house he grew up in was relocated from Yorkshire, England, to Melbourne, Australia and is open to visits (now known as Captain Cook’s Cottage and is situated in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne). Died 14 February 1779 after being stabbed by Hawaiians who credited their Chief Kalanimanokahoowaha (Kanaina) with the kill. Captain Cook’s body was then subjected a funeral ritual that was normally reserved for a Chief.

27 October 1923 – birth of Roy Lichtenstein, American pop artist. Died 29 September 1997.

27 October 1927 – death of Joseph Theodore Leslie (Squizzy) Taylor, Australian gangster, earned money from sly-grog, two-up, illegal bookmaking, extortion, prostitution, cocaine dealing. Died from a gunshot wound inflicted by ‘Snowy’ Cutmore. Born 29 June 1888.

27 October 2013 – death of Lou Reed (Lewis Allan Reed), American glam rock musician, singer and song-writer. Was lead singer of 60s alternative band, Velvet Underground, before going solo and having hits such as ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, ‘Vicious’, ‘Satellite of Love’ and ‘Perfect Day’. His albums Transformer and Berlin are considered among the most influential albums of the 20th century. Reed coined the term ‘Ostrich tuning’ in relation to a type of trivial tuning of strings. The six strings of a guitar are normally tuned to EADGbe. However in his 1964 song, The Ostrich (performed by the Primitives, which later became Velvet Underground) Reed tuned all six strings of his guitar to a single D note: DDDDdd. Born 2 March 1942.

26 October 2015

lorn

[lawrn]

adjective

1. forsaken, desolate, bereft, or forlorn.
2. Archaic. lost, ruined, or undone.

Origin of lorn
Middle English, Old English
1250-1300; Middle English; Old English loren, past participle of -lēosan to lose (recorded in compounds)

Related forms

lornness, noun

Lorne or Lorn

[lawrn]

noun

1. Firth of, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, on the W coast of Scotland, leading NE to the Caledonian Canal.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for lorn

Historical Examples

This interesting historic memorial is still preserved by the lineal descendant of the Macdougals of lorn.
The Archaeology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland
Daniel Wilson

I’m a lone, lorn grass-widow, dear, but I will not sleep in my stays.
The Works of Rudyard Kipling: One Volume Edition
Rudyard Kipling

This results in the galley of lorn being in chief, and the Campbell gyrons in base.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

Today’s quote

Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.

– John Ray

On this day

26 October 1863 – Football Association forms in England, standardising the rules of soccer.

26 October 1881 – Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, the most famous gunfight in the Wild West. It is believed the gunfight lasted around 30 seconds and was between outlaws Billy Clanton, Ike Clanton, Billy Claiborne, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury and lawmen Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday. Three of the outlaws were killed, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury. The gunfight has been immortalised in a number of movies and songs.

26 October 1917 – birth of Felix the Cat, legendary cartoon character.

25 October 2015

effendi

[ih-fen-dee]

noun, plural effendis.

1. a former Turkish title of respect, especially for government officials.
2. (in eastern Mediterranean countries) a man who is a member of the aristocracy.

Origin of effendi

Turkish, Greek
1605-1615; < Turkish efendi < Modern Greek, Greek authentḗs doer, master. See authentic

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for effendi

Historical Examples

This privilege is granted to them on payment of a sum of money to the effendi in charge of the Haram.
Jerusalem Explored, Volume I–Text
Ermete Pierotti

“Everything that you have ordered has been done, effendi,” he said humbly.
The Clue of the Twisted Candle
Edgar Wallace

“You may think that those are, effendi,” said Yussuf in his quiet way.
Yussuf the Guide
George Manville Fenn

Anagram

feed fin
find fee

Today’s quote

We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause.

– William James

On this day

25 October 1854 – Charge of the Light Brigade. A famous cavalry charge led by Lord Cardigan of Britain, against the Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. The Russians were victorious. The charge was immortalised in the poem of the same name by poet laureate, Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem can be read here: http://www.ram.org/contrib/the_charge_of_the_light_brigade.html

25 October 1917 – October Revolution. This is the traditional date (old style Julian calendar) for the October Revolution, which corresponds with 7 – 8 November 1917 (new style Gregorian calendar) for the October Revolution. Part of the Russian Revolution which commenced with the February Revolution (8-12 March 1917) and which overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and replaced it with the Soviet government.

25 October 1923 – the first jar of vegemite rolls off the production lines. It was developed by a chemist named Dr Cyril P. Calister, under direction of the Fred Walker Company (which later became Kraft). Australia’s iconic vegemite is a yeast extract spread, great for toast, crumpets, pikelets, gravy, stews, soups and anything else.

25 October 1941 – birth of Helen Reddy, legendary 1970’s Australian singer, with hit songs such as I Am Woman, and Delta Dawn.

25 October 1964 – Zambian Independence. Formally, Northern Rhodesia, the British government grants independence. The first president is Kenneth Kaunda of the United National Independence Party.

25 October 1993 – death of Vincent Price, American actor, starred in a number of horror films, including House of Wax, House of Usher and The Raven. He also acted in the 1960s television series Batman, in which he played the evil mastermind, Egghead; a master criminal with a fixation on eggs. Price provided a voice-over on Alice Cooper’s 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare. In 1976, Price recorded a cover version of Bobby Pickett song, Monster Mash. Born 27 May 1911.