21 October 2015

coxcomb

[koks-kohm]

noun

1. a conceited, foolish dandy; pretentious fop.
2. Archaic. head; pate.
3. Obsolete, cockscomb (def 2).

Origin of coxcomb

1565-1575; spelling variant of cockscomb

Related forms

coxcombical [koks-kom-i-kuh l, -koh-mi-], coxcombic, adjective

coxcombically, adverb

Synonyms

1. dude, popinjay, jackanapes.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for coxcomb

Historical Examples

Mr. Dashwood could not be mistaken for a pedant, unless a coxcomb be a sort of pedant.
Tales And Novels, Volume 1 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

Somebody says, that nature may make a fool, but a coxcomb is always of his own making.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

He hints that this is perhaps the reason why a coxcomb always believes himself to be handsome.
Critical Miscellanies (Vol 2 of 3)
John Morley

Today’s quote

Our own heart, and not other men’s opinions form our true honor.

– Samuel Taylor Coleridge

On this day

21 October 1492 – Christopher Columbus discovers America.

21 October 1772 – birth of Samuel Taylor Colleridge, English poet. Died 25 July 1834.

21 October 1833 – birth of Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Swedish chemist and armaments manufacturer, inventor of dynamite and the Nobel Prizes. Was known as the ‘Merchant of Death’. A newspaper stated that he ‘became rich by finding ways to kill people faster than ever before‘. As a result, he decided to leave a better legacy than that and used his estate to establish and fund the Nobel Prizes, which included the Nobel Peace Prize. Died 10 December 1896.

21 October 1967 – Thousands of anti-Vietnam-war protestors attempt to storm the Pentagon.

21 October 1969 – death of Jack Kerouac, American beat-generation writer, ‘On the road‘. Born 12 March 1922.

21 October 2015 – Back to the Future Day. At 4.29pm on 21 October 2015, Doc Emmett Brown and Marty McFly arrived from the year 1955 in a time machine made from a Delorean in the hit 1989 film, Back to the Future 2. Apart from the time machine, the most famous invention featured in the movie was the hoverboard.

19 October 2015

peripeteia

[per-uh-pi-tahy-uh, -tee-uh]

noun

1. a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal, especially in a literary work.

Also, peripetia, peripety [puh-rip-i-tee]

Origin of peripeteia

Greek

1585-1595; < Greek peripéteia sudden change, equivalent to peripet (ḗs) literally, falling round ( peri- peri- + pet-, base of píptein to fall) + -eia -y3

Dictionary.com

Anagram

pear pie tie
eat pie pier

Today’s quote

Technique is noticed most markedly in the case of those who have not mastered it.

– Leon Trotsky

On this day

19 October 1924 – Leo Trotsky, one of the founders of the Soviet Union and founder of the Red Army, is thrown out of the Soviet Politburo and his followers persecuted after he opposed Stalin. Trotsky was eventually expelled from the Communist Party and in 1929 was deported from the Soviet Union. He continued his opposition to Stalinism from his base in Mexico.

19 October 1944 – birth of Peter Tosh, Jamaican reggae singer and musician. From 1963 to 1974, Tosh was a member of Bob Marley and Wailers until going solo. His most famous song is ‘Legalize It’, about legalising marijuana. Tosh’s album, ‘Bush Doctor’, included a duet with Mick Jagger in the song, ‘Don’t Look Back’. Tosh was a Rastafarian. He campaigned against apartheid, which he sang about on his album ‘Equal Rights’. Tosh was murdered on 11 September 1987, after three men broke into his house and tortured him in an effort to extort money. After several hours, one of the men shot Tosh in the head, killing him. Two other friends of Tosh’s were also killed.

19 October 2001 – 353 asylum seekers drown when the boat they are on sinks 70km south of Java. The victims included 146 children, 142 women and 65 men. They were travelling from Indonesia to Australia and were predominantly Iraqi. Australian authorities labelled the boat SIEV-X (SIEV is short for ‘Suspected Illegal Entry Vehicle’). The incident became a major political issue and coupled with other incidents, such as the ‘Tampa crisis’ and the ‘Children Overboard affair’, resulted in major changes to Australia’s migration laws, including excising 4,600 islands from Australia’s migration zone and introduction of the controversial ‘Pacific Solution’.

18 October 2015

timocracy

[tahy-mok-ruh-see]

noun, plural timocracies.

1. a form of government in which love of honor is the dominant motive of the rulers.
2. a form of government in which a certain amount of property is requisite as a qualification for office.

Origin of timocracy

Greek

1580-1590; earlier timocratie (< F) < Greek tīmokratía, equivalent to tīmo- (combining form of tīmḗ honor, worth) + -kratia -cracy

Related forms

timocratic [tahy-muh-krat-ik] (Show IPA), timocratical, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for timocracy

Historical Examples

Out of this timocracy, or timarchy, the city will next pass into an oligarchy, or government of wealth.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume IV (of 4)
George Grote

The individual who answers to timocracy has some noticeable qualities.
The Republic
Plato

Yet the question might be asked, under what category we would place the timocracy, or government of the rich.
Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Vol. 1
Henry Hallam

Anagram

macro city

Today’s quote

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

– Thomas A. Edison

On this day

18 October – Anti-slavery day, created by an act of the U.K. Parliament in 2010. It defines modern day slavery as child trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude and trafficking for sexual exploitation. It provides an opportunity to draw attention to the subject and to pressure government, local authorities, public institutions and private and public companies to address the scale and scope of human trafficking.

18 October 1776 – the ‘cocktail’ is invented when a customer requests a drink decorated with a bird-tail, in a New York bar.

18 October 1867 – Formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States. Every year, 18 October is celebrated as Alaska Day.

18 October 1926 – birth of Chuck Berry, legendary American musician and pioneer of rock and roll and famous for songs such as ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’.

18 October 1931 – death of Thomas Edison, U.S. inventor. Born 11 February 1847.

17 October 2015

aesthetics

[es-thet-iks or, esp. British, ees-]

noun, ( used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of philosophy dealing with such notions as the beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, the comic, etc., as applicable to the fine arts, with a view to establishing the meaning and validity of critical judgments concerning works of art, and the principles underlying or justifying such judgments.
2. the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty.

Also, esthetics.

Origin of aesthetics

1815-1825; see aesthetic, -ics

aestheticor esthetic
[es-thet-ik or, esp. British, ees-]

adjective

1. relating to the philosophy of aesthetics; concerned with notions such as the beautiful and the ugly.
2. relating to the science of aesthetics; concerned with the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty.
3. having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty.
4. relating to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality.
noun
5. the philosophical theory or set of principles governing the idea of beauty at a given time and place:
the clean lines, bare surfaces, and sense of space that bespeak the machine-age aesthetic; the Cubist aesthetic.
6. Archaic. the study of the nature of sensation.

Origin
1815-25; < New Latin aestheticus < Greek aisthētikós, equivalent to aisthēt (ḗs) (see aesthete ) + -ikos -ic

Related forms

nonaesthetic, adjective
pseudoaesthetic, adjective

Can be confused

acetic, aesthetic, ascetic.

Synonyms

2. discriminating, cultivated, refined.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for aesthetics

Contemporary Examples

To Vorotnikov and his wife, aesthetics and diplomacy have long ceased being a part of the discussion.
Russian Protesters Use Art as Act of War
Anna Nemtsova
January 5, 2012

The newspaper interviews two industrial designers—both of whom place value on the aesthetics of more “invisible” technologies.
Jennifer Lawrence Gets ‘Chopped’; Viktor & Rolf Return to Couture
The Fashion Beast Team
April 21, 2013

We often talk about religion in terms of commitment and ideology, but the aesthetics and experience matter, too.
Is American Christianity Becoming a Workout Cult?
Michael Schulson
April 26, 2014

Anagram

teaches its

Today’s quote

You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

– Mark Twain

On this day

17 October 1814 – London Beer Flood causes the deaths of 8 people. The flood occurred when a vat containing 610,000 litres (135,000 gallons) of beer ruptured, causing other vats in the building to also rupture, resulting in a total of 1,470,000 litres (323,000 gallons) to flood nearby streets, destroying two homes and the wall of a pub. Those killed were living in the basement of houses which filled with the beer. The brewery was sued, however, the court ruled the event an ‘Act of God’.

17 October 1901 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt issues an Executive Order changing name of the ‘Executive Mansion’ to the ‘White House’.

17 October 1938 – birth of U.S. daredevil, Evel Knievel (Robert Craig Knievel). Knievel was best known for his failed attempt to jump over the Grand Canyon on a rocket-propelled motor-bike. He also successfully, and often unsuccessfully, attempted long distance motor-bike jumps, such as jumping 14 buses. Through his career, Knievel broke 35 bones. Died 30 November 2007.

17 October 1989 – Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

17 October 2010 – Mary McKillop is canonised by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming Australia’s first saint.

17 October 2011 – Richard Branson, of Virgin Group, opens the world’s first commercial space-port, which he has based in Mexico. The first commercial launch is expected in 2013.

16 October 2015

improvident

[im-prov-i-duh nt]

adjective

1. not provident; lacking foresight; incautious; unwary.
2. neglecting to provide for future needs.

Origin of improvident
1505-1515; im-2+ provident

Related forms

improvidence, noun
improvidently, adverb

Synonyms

1. thoughtless, careless, imprudent, heedless. 2. shiftless, thriftless, unthrifty, wasteful, prodigal.

Antonyms

1. prudent. 2. economical.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for improvident

Contemporary Examples

The old elite worried that the masses were too improvident and seditious.
The New Heat Center
Michael Lind
January 18, 2009

Government nurtured these behemoths by weaving an improvident safety net, and by practicing crony capitalism.
Break Up the Banks?
Megan McArdle
February 10, 2013

Historical Examples

It is said by some that the native is shiftless and improvident.
The Philippine Islands
Ramon Reyes Lala
1899

Anagram

divine mr top
primed ion tv

Today’s quote

The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything.

– Oscar Wilde

On this day

16 October – Dictionary Day (in the U.S.A), coinciding with the birthday of Noah Webster (born 1758), creator of Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language and known as the ‘Father of American Scholarship and Education’.

16 October 1834 – London’s House of Lords and House of Commons damaged by fire caused by an over-heating chimney flue during the destruction of tally sticks.

16 October 1854 – birth of Oscar Wilde, Irish writer and poet. Wilde wrote a number of plays, poems and epigrams. His only novel was ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. His plays included ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’, and ‘Salome’. In addition to English, he was fluent in German and French. In 1895, Wilde was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ which related to some of his homosexual relationships. He received the maximum sentence of two years hard labour. On his release from prison in 1897, Wilde moved to Paris, living in exile and poverty. He died on 30 November 1900 from cerebral meningitis. He was buried at Cimetière de Bagneux, but in 1909 his remains were transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.

16 October 1962 – start 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.

15 October 2015

wheedle

[hweed-l, weed-l]

verb (used with object), wheedled, wheedling.

1. to endeavor to influence (a person) by smooth, flattering, or beguiling words or acts:
We wheedled him incessantly, but he would not consent.
2. to persuade (a person) by such words or acts:
She wheedled him into going with her.
3. to obtain (something) by artful persuasions:
I wheedled a new car out of my father.
verb (used without object), wheedled, wheedling.
4. to use beguiling or artful persuasions:
I always wheedle if I really need something.

Origin of wheedle

1655-1665; origin uncertain

Related forms

wheedler, noun
wheedlingly, adverb
unwheedled, adjective

Synonyms

1. flatter, cajole. 2, 3. coax, beguile, inveigle.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for wheedle

Contemporary Examples

Instantly there flashes to mind the image of a carpet salesman in the Istanbul bazaar trying to wheedle me into his stall.
So, When Do We Become a Third World Nation?
James Atlas
December 1, 2008

Many times he would approach a patient and wheedle his great head under the patient’s hand.
RIP Cobber
David Frum
September 30, 2012

Historical Examples

I know that I have but to wheedle you and you, too, will yield!
Chivalry
James Branch Cabell

Anagram

wheeled
held ewe
wed heel

Today’s quote

The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts.

– Virgil

On this day

15 October 1917 – death of Mata Hari, (born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle), Dutch dancer, courtesan and spy. She was charged with espionage and executed by firing squad in France, after being accused of spying for Germany during World War I.

14 October 2015

chork

verb

mid-15c., now Scottish, “to make the noise which the feet do when the shoes are full of water” [Jamieson]. Related: Chorked ; chorking.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Examples from the Web for chork

Historical Examples

There, in the valley of the chork, it joined up with the Tenth Corps.
The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII)
Various

Today’s quote

We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.

– Will Rogers

On this day

14 October 1066 – Battle of Hastings. When King Edward of England died, William the Duke of Normandy felt the throne should go to him. Meanwhile, Earl Harold Godwinson (cousin of King Edward) felt the throne was his. The two went to battle with William decisively defeating Harold. The battle changed history as William brought England under Norman rule and stripping the Saxons of their rights. King William introduced three major changes, firstly, he made himself the principal authority, having executive, judicial and legislative power. (This was replaced centuries later by the Westminster System, which separates these three powers). Secondly, William introduced a new language and culture, by replacing 300 years of Anglo-Saxon culture with a French dialect. Thirdly, he introduced the feudal system in which a plot of land (called a fief) would be given to loyal followers.

14 October 1322 – Scotland forces led by Robert the Bruce defeat England at Byland, forcing King Edward II to grant Scotland’s independence.

14 October 1947 – American pilot, Chuck Yeager, breaks the speed of sound in the experimental jet, Bell X-1, travelling at Mach 1 and at 45,000 feet.

14 October 1959 – death of Errol Flynn, Australian-born American actor. Born 20 June 1909.

14 October 2012 – Felix Baumgarten, Austrian adventurer, becomes the first man to break the speed of sound while in freefall after jumping from a helium balloon at the edge of space, 39km above the surface of the earth. He reached a speed of 1,342 km/hr (1.24 times the speed of sound). He also broke the record for the highest altitude reached in a manned balloon flight.

13 October 2015

valise

[vuh-lees or, esp. British, -leez]

noun

1. a small piece of luggage that can be carried by hand, used to hold clothing, toilet articles, etc.; suitcase; traveling bag.

Origin of valise

French, Italian, Medieval Latin
1605-1615; < French < Italian valigia, of obscure origin; compare Medieval Latin valēsium

Can be confused

briefcase, handbag, pocketbook, purse, valise, wallet.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for valise

Contemporary Examples

Next morning Alcide packed my valise, and leaving him in charge of my apartments I took the Orient express for Constantinople.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 19, 2014

Historical Examples

Yes, it is, assented the young pitcher, for I did want Reggie Varley to know who really robbed his valise.
Baseball Joe in the Central League
Lester Chadwick

I will write you again as soon as we get into billets when I can find my valise.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie
George Brenton Laurie

Anagram

I slave
is veal
as veil

Today’s quote

No one is free who does not lord over himself.

– Claudius

On this day

13 October 54AD – death of Claudius, Roman Emperor. He was treated as an imbecile because he’d been born with a limp and slight deafness. As a result he was not seen as a threat by others and therefore survived the purges by Caligula and Tiberius. He was the last surviving man in his family following Caligula’s assassination, leading to him being declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. He proved himself to be an able administrator and constructed many roads, aqueducts and canals across the empire. He successfully invaded Britain, something that previous emperors, including Caligula, had failed to achieve. He was assassinated by poisoning, many believe by his wife. He was succeeded by his grand-nephew, Nero. Born 1 August 10BC.

13 October 1307 – Pope Clement V orders the overthrow, arrest and torture of Knights Templar in France. This is believed to be the origin of Black Friday or Friday the 13th being unlucky.

12 October 2015

expectorate

[ik-spek-tuh-reyt]

verb (used without object), expectorated, expectorating.

1. to eject or expel matter, as phlegm, from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting; spit.
verb (used with object), expectorated, expectorating.
2. to eject or expel (matter) in this way.

Origin of expectorate

Latin

1595-1605; < Latin expectorātus (past participle of expectorāre to expel from the breast), equivalent to ex- ex-1+ pector- (stem of pectus) breast + -ātus -ate1

Related forms

expectorator, noun
unexpectorated, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for expectorate

Historical Examples

The others, sitting on the floor, backs to the wall and knees drawn up to chins, smoke their pipes and expectorate.
‘Neath Verdun, August-October, 1914
Maurice Genevoix

So absorbed was his attention that he even forgot to expectorate.
Original Short Stories of Maupassant, Volume 1
Guy de Maupassant

He is advised not to blow the nose, but to hawk as much of the secretion as possible backwards and then expectorate it.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)
Various

Anagram

orate except
exert ace pot
re exact poet

Today’s quote

Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

– Douglas Adams

On this day

12 October 1492 – Christopher Columbus lands on an island in the Bahamas, claiming ‘East Asia’ for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.

12 October 1810 – world’s first Oktoberfest when the people of Munich are invited to celebrate a Bavarian royal wedding.

12 October 1823 – Charles MacIntosh, Scottish inventor, sells his first water-proof ‘rubber raincoat’, which became known as the ‘MacIntosh’ or ‘Mac’.

12 October 1944 – ‘Columbus Day Riot’ in which 35,000 hysterical teenage girls dressed in bobby socks, descend on Times Square, New York City, in anticipation of Frank Sinatra appearing.

12 October 1979 – ‘Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams is first published. He eventually wrote a total of 5 books in the series, with a sixth one being written by Eoin Colfer.

12 October 2002 – Terrorist bombings of the Sari Club and Paddy’s Bar in Kuta, Bali, kill 202 people and injure 209. Members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a group linked with Al Qaeda, are convicted of the crime and on 9 November 2006, three of them are executed by firing squad.