9 December 2015

interfenestration

[in-ter-fen-uh-strey-shuh n]

noun

1. a space between two windows.
2. the art or process of arranging the openings in a wall.

Origin of interfenestration

1815-1825; inter- + fenestration

Related forms

interfenestral [in-ter-fuh-nes-truh l], adjective

Dictionary.com

Anagram

a ferrets intention
a softener inert nit

Today’s quote

Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?

– Maurice Freehill

On this day

9 December 1906 – birth of Sir Douglas Nichols KCVO, OBE. Aboriginal activist, raising awareness of aboriginal issues, including treating aborigines with dignity and as people. He played for Carlton football club in the A-grade Victorian Football League (VFL), leaving after racist treatment and joining the Northcote football club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Nicholls became a minister and social worker. In 1957, he was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 1972 he was the first aborigine to be knighted. In 1976, he became the 28th governor of South Australia, the first aborigine to be appointed to a vice-regal position. He died on 4 June 1988.

9 December 1947 – Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sandar Valiabbhai Patel announces that India and Pakistan have reached an agreement on the borders of the two countries following partition … except for the issue of Kashmir, which is unresolved to this day.

9 December 1990 – Polish dissident, Solidarity union leader and 1983 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lech Walesa wins Polish presidential election in a landslide. Solidarity was the Soviet Bloc’s first independent trade union. Walesa presided over Poland’s transition from a communist state to a post-communist state.

8 December 2015

hadeharia

[had-eh-har-ee-uh]

noun

– constant use of the word ‘hell’.

Origin

– Greek, ‘Hades’ meaning ‘hell’.

Anagram

ah airhead
ahead hair

Today’s quote

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.

– John Lennon

On this day

8 December 1943 – birth of Jim Morrison, lead singer and song writer for the Doors. Died 3 July 1971.

8 December 1980 – Murder of John Lennon. English guitarist and singer-songwriter for the Beatles. Born 9 October 1940.

8 December 1991 – the Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus sign the Belavezha Accords declaring the Soviet Union dissolved and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States. The legality of this accord was questionable, however, it was ratified by leaders of all other Soviet republics (except Georgia) on 21 December 1991.

8 December 2004 – death of Dimebag Darrell, (born Darrell Lance Abbott), American musician, founding member of Pantera. Dimebag was shot dead on stage while playing for Damageplan.

7 December 2015

gambrinous

– being full of beer

Origin

– Gambrinus is a mythical Flemish king, reputedly responsible for inventing beer.

Example

‘I’m so gambrinous’.

Anagram

barium song

Today’s quote

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

– Marcus Tullius Cicero

On this day

7 December 43BC – death of Marcus Tullius Cicero (sometimes Anglicised as Tully), Roman statesman, politician, philosopher, orator. Tully’s influence on Latin and other European languages was immense and still felt up to the 19th century. The history of prose in Latin and other languages was said to be either a reaction against, or a return to, his style. Born 3 January 106BC .

7 December 1941 – bombing of Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The bombing was a major tactical victory for Japan and led to the United States entering World War II. The USA suffered 2403 deaths, including 68 civilians, and 1178 wounded. Japan lost 64 lives.

7 December 1941 – At the same time as Pearl Harbour, Japan attacked British and Australian forces in Malaysia and Singapore, British forces in Hong Kong and US forces in the Philippines. British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill declared war on Japan as a result. Singapore fell to Japan on 15 February 1942. US General Douglas MacArthur escaped the Philippines in March 1942 as the country fell to Japan. He relocated his headquarters to Brisbane, Australia, and became the Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the Pacific, with forces from the United States, Australia, Netherlands, Britain and other countries coming under his command.

7 December 1987 – USSR President Mikael Gorbachev arrives in the USA for an arms control summit with US President Ronald Reagan. The summit resulted in the Intermediate Nuclear Force Treaty (INF) which called for elimination of all cruise and ballistic missiles and launchers in Europe that had a range of 320 to 3,400 miles. This was one of the most significant arms treaties of the Cold War.

7 December 1988 – An earthquake registering 7.2 on the richter scale, completely destroys the Armenian city of Spitak, in the Soviet Union, killing 50,000.

7 December 2001 – the Taliban regime surrenders 61 days after commencement of US-led war in Afghanistan.

6 December 2015

filipendulous

adjective

[Fil`i`pen´du`lous]

1.(Bot.) Suspended by, or strung upon, a thread; said of tuberous swellings in the middle or at the extremities of slender, threadlike rootlets.

2. Hanging by a thread.

Origin

From Latin filum (thread) + pendere (to hang). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which is also the source of pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, and spontaneous. Earliest documented use: 1864.

Exampl
“A group of filipendulous constructions that evoke Brobdingnagian hornets’ nests.”
The New Yorker; Sep 25, 1989.

(wordsmith.org)

Anagram

nullified soup
upon fluid isle

Today’s quote

That which is false troubles the heart, but truth brings joyous tranquillity.

– Rumi

On this day

6 December 1790 – The United States Capitol is relocated from New York to Philadelphia. Ten years later, the District of Columbia is completed and the capitol permanently relocates there.

6 December 1922 – Creation of the Irish Free State as a dominion under the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Northern Ireland was included in the State, but chose not to join.

6 December 1956 – birth of Randy Rhoads, American heavy metal guitarist, played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. Rhoads was on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, heading to Orlando, Florida when their bus broke down near an airstrip at Leesburg, Florida. While some of the band continued sleeping in the van, the driver (an ex-commercial pilot) took one of the light planes for joy-rides with some of the band members. He didn’t have permission for the flights. Randy Rhoads and make-up artist, Rachel Youngblood were on the second flight. The pilot thought it would be funny to buzz the tour bus by flying as close as possible to it. On the third pass, the plane’s wing clipped the bus causing the plane to spiral out of control and for Rhoads and Youngblood’s heads to smash through the plane’s windshield. The plane severed the top of a pine tree before crashing into a garage at a nearby mansion. Rhoads, Youngblood and the pilot (Andrew Aycock) died instantly, all burnt beyond recognition. In 1987, Ozzy Osbourne released a live album in memory of Rhoads, called ‘Tribute’, it featured Osbourne and Rhoad’s work together. Died 19 March 1982.

6 December 1962 – a deadly smog, mainly containing sulfur dioxide, kills 90 people in London.

6 December 1969 – The Rolling Stones organise a free concert at the disused Altamont Speedway, Livermore, California, featuring themselves, as well as Jefferson Airplane, Santana, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Hell’s Angels were used as security, but the concert was marred by the deaths of four people, including one who was stabbed by a member of the Hell’s Angels.

5 December 2015

eccedentesiast

noun

[ek-se-den-tee-zhe-ist]

– a person who fakes a smile

Example

– After an hour of wedding photos, the couple felt more like eccedentesiasts than bride and groom.

Anagram

dessicates teen
detest a science
dictate essence
see ecstatic end

Today’s quote

Pure love and suspicion cannot dwell together: at the door where the latter enters, the former makes its exit.

– Alexandre Dumas

On this day

5 December – International Volunteer Day

5 December 1791 – death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer.

5 December 1870 – death of Alexandré Dumas, French author of celebrated works such as ‘Count of Monte Christo‘, ‘The Three Musketeers‘, ‘The Black Tulip‘.

5 December 1972 – Gough Whitlam appointed Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to its first victory since 1949. The results of some electoral seats had not been finalised, so Whitlam and Deputy Prime Minister, Lance Barnard ran a duumvirate government by taking on all 27 ministerial portfolios between them for two weeks, until Whitlam could select his ministry. Labor had won control of the House of Representatives but failed to gain control of the Senate, which resulted in numerous bills being blocked by the Upper House. With the Senate threatening to block supply (failing to vote in favour of the budget), Whitam introduced a bill that was defeated twice in the Senate, leading to a double dissolution of parliament. Labor was reelected at the subsequent election and continued to control the House of Representatives with a reduced majority. In the Senate, Labor and Liberal both won 29 seats, with the balance of power held by two independents. Even with the almost paralysed government that he led, Whitlam managed a number of crucial achievements including abolition of the White Australia policy, withdrawing Australian troops from Vietnam and ended conscription in 1972, granting independence to Papua New Guinea, Medibank, multi-culturalism, abolition of university tuition fees, establishing a new government department for Aboriginal Affairs and one for Environment, Aboriginal Land Fund Commission, Australian Legal Aid Office, National Employment and Training Scheme, Trade Practices Act 1975, Racial Discrimination Act 1975, National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975, Family Law Act 1975. In October 1975, opposition leader Malcolm Fraser again threatened to block supply which would have seen the government’s budget run out on 10 November 1975. A compromise couldn’t be reached and on 11 November 1975, Governor-General Kerr sacked the Whitlam government and appointed Malcolm Fraser as Prime Minister.

5 December 2013 – death of Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician. Born 18 July 1918.

4 December 2015

dactylonomy

[dak-til-on-uh-mee]

noun

– the act of counting using one’s fingers.

Example

Dactylonomy is not the domain of children or the slow of thought. Back in the day, pre-calculators, dactylonomy was an art form in which people could count up to 9,999 with one knuckle, two joints and three bones per finger available for calculations⁽¹⁾.

Anagram

my candy loot
my tycoon lad

Source:

1. http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-dac1.htm

Today’s quote

A writer is a spectator, looking at everything with a highly critical eye.

– Bernard Malamud

On this day

4 December 1952 – A deadly smog in London caused by soot and sulphur dioxide from factories, cars and home coal-fires. It continues for four days and kills at least 4,000 people.

4 December 1954 – the first franchised Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida by James McLamore and David Edgerton.

4 December 1961 – the birth control contraceptive pill (‘the pill’) available publicly through the National Health Service.

4 December 1969 – 14 police shoot dead two members of the Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton and Mary Clark, who were asleep in their apartment. The Black Panther Party was committed to racial equality and rights for African Americans.

3 December 2015

cachinnate

[kak-uh-neyt]

verb (used without object), cachinnated, cachinnating.

1. to laugh loudly or immoderately.

Origin of cachinnate

Latin

1815-1825; < Latin cachinnātus (past participle of cachinnāre to laugh aloud, laugh immoderately), equivalent to cachinn- laugh aloud + -ātus -ate1

Related forms

cachinnation, noun
cachinnator, noun
cachinnatory [kak-uh-nuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, kuh-kin-uh-] (Show IPA), adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cachinnate

Historical Examples

That definition excludes women, because they giggle, or chuckle, or cachinnate.
Punchinello, Vol. II., No. 35, November 26, 1870
Various

Anagram

enchain cat
canine chat

Today’s quote

There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.

– Frank Zappa

On this day

3 December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

3 December 1854 – the Eureka Rebellion (Battle of the Eureka Stockade) in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Gold miners, led by Peter Lalor and Henry Ross, revolted against the oppression of the British colonial powers as well as the excessive charges for miners licences. Between 22 and 60 people were killed in the rebellion and around 120 were arrested. The rebellion resulted in the right to vote for men and so is often seen as the birth of democracy in Australia.

3 December 1944 – Civil war breaks out in Greece following its liberation during World War II, when communist rebels fight democratic forces for control.

3 December 1948 – birth of Ozzy Osbourne, legendary British rocker, former lead singer of Black Sabbath, who has also had a successful solo career. He was born as John Michael Osbourne.

3 December 1984 – Bhopal Union Carbide accident in India in which thousands of people die from toxic gases that leaked from the factory when safety systems failed.

3 December 1992 – the world’s first SMS is sent. This monumental event occurred in the United Kingdom when Neil Papworth of the SEMA Group used a PC to send the message over a Vodafone GSM network to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone, who was using an Orbitel 901 phone. The message was ‘Merry Christmas’.

3 December 1993 – death of Frank Zappa, American revolutionary musician. Born 21 December 1940.

2 December 2015

borborygmus

[bawr-buh-rig-muh s]

noun, plural borborygmi [bawr-buh-rig-mahy]. Physiology.

1. a rumbling or gurgling sound caused by the movement of gas in the intestines.

Origin of borborygmus

Greek

1710-1720; < New Latin < Greek borborygmós intestinal rumbling

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for borborygmus

Historical Examples

It is knotted and lumpy to the touch and a rumbling noise ( borborygmus) is heard within it.
A Treatise on Sheep:
Ambrose Blacklock

Anagram

grubby rooms
burn bog sorry

Today’s quote

You can be dedicated to fitting in. Or you can become devoted to changing the world. But you can’t do both.

– Robin Sharma

On this day

2 December – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.

2 December 1972 – death of Yip Man, Wing Chun Kung Fu grand-master. Immortalised in the movie, Ip Man. Born 1 October 1893.