22 August 2016

pedant

[ped-nt]

noun

1. a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning.
2. a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details.
3. a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense.
4. Obsolete. a schoolmaster.

Origin of pedant

Italian

1580-1590; < Italian pedante teacher, pedant; apparently akin to pedagogue; see -ant

Related forms

pedantesque, adjective
pedanthood, noun

Synonyms

2. hairsplitter.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for pedant

Contemporary Examples

Call me a Limbaugh pedant, but Rush is on in the afternoon; has been for 22 years.
Rush Limbaugh! The Musical
Rick Perlstein
February 2, 2010

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

He would be only a pedant who would take nothing because he could not get everything at once.
Georgina’s Reasons
Henry James

A pedant iz a lernt phool pedant ry iz a little knowledge on parade pedant ry iz hypocrasy, without enny malice in it.
The Complete Works of Josh Billings
Henry W. Shaw

He talks pleasantly, and nothing of a pedant, as I half dreaded he might be.
The Martins Of Cro’ Martin, Vol. I (of II)
Charles James Lever

Anagram

ten pad
tap end
and pet

Today’s quote

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

– George Bernard Shaw

On this day

22 August 565 – St Columba claims to see a monster in Loch Ness.

22 August 1572 – attempted assassination of Admiral de Coligny, a leading Heugonet Protestant, in Paris. The following day, the main suspects (the Guises, who were the Cardinal of Lorraine and his nephews) broke into Coligny’s room and dragged him from his sickbed, killed him and threw him from the window. The event triggered the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre on 23-24 August 1572.

22 August 1770 – Captain James Cook sets foot on the east cost of Australia.

22 August 1864 – signing of the First Geneva Convention (for ‘Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field’)

22 August 1917 – birth of John Lee Hooker, American blues guitarist. Died 21 June 2001.

22 August 1920 – birth of Ray Bradbury, American fantasy, science-fiction, horror and mystery fiction writer. Author of Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustratred Man, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The movie Butterfly Effect uses a similar theory to that described in Bradbury’s short-story A Sound of Thunder. In one scene, aSound of Thunder pennant is hanging on the dormitory door of the main character, Evan. Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11 was named after Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury was not happy with this and pressured Moore to change the title, which Moore refused to do. Died 5 June 2012.

22 August 1963 – birth of Tori Amos, American pianist/singer.

21 August 2016

urbane

[ur-beyn]

adjective

1. having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities:
an urbane manner.
2. reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., especially in expression:
He maintained an urbane tone in his letters.

Origin of urbane

Middle French, Latin
1525-1535; (< Middle French urbain) < Latin urbānus (see urban; for difference in stress and second syllable cf. human, humane )

Related forms

urbanely, adverb
urbaneness, noun
unurbane, adjective
unurbanely, adverb

Can be confused

urban, urbane.

Synonyms

1. suave, cosmopolitan.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for urbane

Contemporary Examples

As a passionate and urbane liberal, Obama bore more than a passing resemblance to JFK.
Be More Like Teddy
Reihan Salam
August 25, 2009

The year 2011 was particularly tough for the usually gracious and urbane president.
Hamid Karzai Tells The Daily Beast That U.S. Night Raids Must End
Ron Moreau, Sami Yousafzai
January 6, 2012

And menswear designer Michael Bastian created a world of gentlemen farmers and urbane dandies.
Designing for the One Percent at New York Fashion Week
Robin Givhan
February 13, 2012

He is, by all accounts, brilliant; a dashing, urbane go-getter who exudes charm.
This Scary-Smart New Minister of Economy Might Just Turn France Around
Tracy McNicoll
August 30, 2014

Historical Examples

Seated in state, on a sort of daïs in the centre of the room, was a courteous and urbane personage of affable exterior.
She and I, Volume 2
John Conroy Hutcheson

Lived at Athens in his “gardens,” an urbane and kindly, if somewhat useless, life.
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius

He is the most urbane and the most agreeably gossiping companion.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, March 4th 1914
Various

“You seem in haste, friends,” said the curate, with an urbane smile.
Hunted and Harried
R.M. Ballantyne

All comers were received with a hearty handshake and were entertained with urbane speeches.
A Dream of Empire
William Henry Venable

“I perfectly agree with you,” said the other, with an urbane bow.
Luttrell Of Arran
Charles James Lever

Anagram

are bun

Today’s quote

The historic ascent of humanity, taken as a whole, may be summarized as a succession of victories of consciousness over blind forces – in nature, in society, in man himself.

– Leon Trotsky

On this day

21 August 1940 – death of Leon Trotsky (Lev Davidovich Bronshtein). Russian Marxist revolutionary, Soviet politician, founder and first leader of the Red Army. Major figure in the Bolshevik victory during the Russian Civil War. After the Russian Revolution Trotsky became the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs. He was opposed to Joseph Stalin. He was expelled from the Communist Party in November 1927 and deported from the Soviet Union in 1929. Trotsky relocated to Mexico where he continued his opposition to Stalin. Trotsky was assassinated by ice-pick wielding Rámon Mercader in Mexico on the orders of Stalin. Trotskyism is a form of Marxism which is based on Trotsky’s ideas and opposed to Stalinism. Born 7 November 1879.

21 August 1970 – birth of Fred Durst, American rock vocalist with Limp Bizkit.

21 August – International Day of Lucid Dreaming. For further information check out this podcast on ABC radio

20 August 2016

tessellate

[verb tes-uh-leyt; adjective tes-uh-lit, -leyt]

verb (used with object), tessellated, tessellating.

1. to form of small squares or blocks, as floors or pavements; form or arrange in a checkered or mosaic pattern.
adjective
2. tessellated.

Origin of tessellate

Latin

1785-1795; < Latin tessellātus mosaic, equivalent to tessell (a) small square stone (diminutive of tessera tessera ) + -ātus -ate1

tessellation or tesselation

[tes-uh-ley-shuh n]

noun

1. the art or practice of tessellating.
2. tessellated form or arrangement.
3. tessellated work.

Origin of tessellation

1650-1660; tessellate (v. ) + -ion

Dictionary.com

Example sentences

We’re all part of this infinite tessellation, each a single cell in the honeycomb.

– Touch, TV Series, season 1 episode 10.

Symmetry is the language of the universe.
It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles, and other geometrical figures, without which it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word. But some of us can speak it. We see the precise patterns, the tessellations.

– Touch, TV Series, season 1 episode 10.

Anagram

tease tells
seal settle
slate sleet
steal steel

Today’s quote

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.

– Winston Churchill

On this day

20 August 1866 – American Civil War formally ends.

20 August 1940 – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, states ‘never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few‘, in relation to the Royal Air Force who was repelling German attacks on the United Kingdom in the Battle of Britain.

20 August 1948 – birth of Robert Plant, British rock singer, musician and songwriter. During the 1960’s, Plant sang with a number of bands, including The Crawling King Snakes, Listen, Band of Joy and Hobbstweedle. In 1968, Jimmy Page of successful blues band, The Yardbirds (which had previously featured Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck), convinced Plant to front his new band, The New Yardbirds. Page and Plant began writing songs for the new band, as well as playing some of the Yardbirds classics, such as Dazed and Confused, and For Your Love. Towards the end of 1968, the band was renamed Led Zeppelin. Musicologist Robert Walser stated, ‘Led Zeppelin’s sound was marked by speed and power, unusual rhythmic patterns, contrasting terraced dynamics, singer Robert Plant’s wailing vocals, and guitarist Jimmy Page’s heavily distorted crunch‘. Led Zeppelin has been widely regarded as the forerunner of Heavy Metal.

20 August 1966 – birth of Dimebag Darrell, (born Darrell Lance Abbott), American musician, founding member of Pantera. Dimebag was shot dead on stage on 8 December 2004 while playing for Damageplan.

20 August 1968 – the USSR and a number of other Warsaw Pact nations, invade Czechoslovakia to halt the ‘Prague Spring’ liberalisation reforms being implemented by the Czech leader, Alexander Dubček. This invasion caused a significant rift in support by Communists across the globe and condemnation by many non-Communist nations, leading to a weakening of communism in general and the Soviet Union in particular.

19 August 2016

gyre

[jahyuh r]

noun

1. a ring or circle.
2. a circular course or motion.
3. Oceanography. a ringlike system of ocean currents rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Origin of gyre

Latin Greek
1560-1570; < Latin gȳrus < Greek gŷros ring, circle

Related forms

subgyre, noun
supergyre, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for gyre

Contemporary Examples

Yet with the tsunami debris joining the gyre, the problem is compounding more quickly than anyone can measure.
Japanese Debris Plume From Tsunami Migrating Across Pacific Ocean
Daniel Stone
March 8, 2012

Historical Examples

Dorsally, the fissure bifurcates, embracing the gyre indented by the caudal limb of the paracentral.
Christian Science
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

gyre (derived from Gayour or Giaour, a dog), “to scratch like a dog.”
Lewis Carroll in Wonderland and at Home
Belle Moses

Anagram

grey

Today’s quote

Nothing is as approved as mediocrity, the majority has established it and it fixes its fangs on whatever gets beyond it either way.

– Blaise Pascal

On this day

19 August 14AD – death of Augustus Caesar, founder of the Roman Empire and first Roman Emperor. Born 23 September 63BC.

19 August 1662 – death of Blaise Pascal, controversial French mathematician, physicist, inventor and writer. Formulated ‘Pascal’s Triangle’, a tabular presentation for binomial coefficients, challenged Aristotle’s followers who claimed that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’. The computer programming language, ‘Pascal’, is named in his honour.

19 August 1900 – start of the first Olympic cricket match, played in Paris. It is the only Olympics in which cricket was played.

19 August 1919 – Afghanistan Independence Day, in which Afghanistan declared its independence from Britain.

19 August – World Humanitarian Day – a day to recognise those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. 19 August was chosen because it is the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Special Representative for Secretary-General to Iraq and 21 of his colleagues. The day seeks to draw attention to humanitarian needs worldwide and the importance of international cooperation in meeting these needs.

18 August 2016

bupkis

noun

something worthless; nothing

See bubkes

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for bupkis

Contemporary Examples

That counts for bupkis with conservative voters but could help with independents.
‘Newt Gingrich Doubles Down in Defending Stance on Illegal Immigration’
Howard Kurtz
November 23, 2011

But he knew, as the self-proclaimed king of the dealmakers, that saying you’re going to do something is bupkis—DOING it is what makes the bastards sit up and pay attention.
Trump Is Self-Sabotaging His Campaign Because He Never Really Wanted the Job in the First Place
Michael Moore
August 16, 2016

Anagram

bus kip

Today’s quote

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

– Leo Buscaglia

On this day

18 August – Vietnam Veterans’ Day. The day was originally Long Tan Day, which commemorated the anniversary of the Australian Army’s victory in the Battle of Long Tan during the Vietnam War on this day in 1966. During the battle, 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought against 2,000 North Vietnamese and Viet-Cong troops. Eighteen Australian and New Zealand soldiers were killed and 24 wounded, while there were hundreds of North Vietnamese and Viet-Cong deaths.

18 August 1931 – the flooded Yangtze River, China, peaks in what becomes the worst natural disaster of the 20th century, killing up to 3.7 million people.

18 August 1948 – Australia’s greatest cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman, plays his last game of test cricket. It was played at the Oval in Britain against the English cricket team. Bradman was bowled for a duck, which left him 4 runs short of a career average of 100 runs. Bradman’s first test was in 1928. Over his 20 year test career, he played 52 tests, scored 6,996 runs, with a top score of 334 and an average of 99.94. Throughout his first-grade career, he played 234 games, scored 28,067 runs, with a top score of 452 not out and an average of 95.14.

17 August 2016

bodega

[boh-dey-guh; Spanish baw-th e-gah]

noun, plural bodegas [boh-dey-guh z; Spanish baw-th e-gahs]

1. (especially among Spanish-speaking Americans) a grocery store.
2. a wineshop.
3. a warehouse for storing or aging wine.

Origin of bodega

Spanish Latin; American Spanish, Spanish; Latin apothēca storehouse; see apothecary

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for bodega

Contemporary Examples

The very next day, Walmart de Mexico authorized five bribes totaling $221,000, including a $52,000 bribe for the bodega Aurrera.
Walmart’s Dirty Dealings
The Daily Beast
December 17, 2012

Hernandez still did not become a suspect when he quit working at the bodega one month later and moved back to New Jersey.
Why Pedro Hernandez Confessed to Killing Etan Patz
Michael Daly
May 31, 2012

Casa Bruja’s Fula Farmacia Blond Ale sells for $1.95 at bodega Mi Amiga.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama
Jeff Campagna
November 29, 2014

bodega Mi Amiga is the largest liquor store in the country—and the oldest, dating back to 1959.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama
Jeff Campagna
November 29, 2014

Historical Examples

Presently, away off in the fog, he heard the bodega whistle.
Captain Scraggs
Peter B. Kyne

There is no more cholera in bodega Central than there is in heaven!
Carmen Ariza
Charles Francis Stocking

Me, I don’t feel like drownin’ in that engine room or gettin’ cut in half by the bow o’ the bodega or the Aphrodite.
Captain Scraggs
Peter B. Kyne

They are fleeing to the bodega to get the rifles and ammunition!
Carmen Ariza
Charles Francis Stocking

“Fernando sends Juan to bodega Central at daybreak,” the old man said.
Carmen Ariza
Charles Francis Stocking

Anagram

bade go
bad ego

Today’s quote

Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul.

– Epicurus

On this day

17 August 1786 – birth of Davy Crockett, American frontiersman, King of the Wild Frontier. Died 6 March 1836.

17 August 1896 – Bridget Driscoll becomes the first car accident fatality after being run over by a Benz car in the grounds of the Crystal Palace, London, England.

17 August 1908 – the world’s first animated cartoon, Fantasmagorie by Émile Cohl, is shown in Paris.

17 August 1970 – Russia launches the Venera 7 spacecraft, which becomes the first man-made object to land on Venus (15 December 1970)

17 August 1980 – Azaria Chamberlain is reported missing at Ayers Rock, Northern Territory. Initially it was claimed that a dingo took her. In 1982, her mother, Lindy Chamberlain was tried for murder. Her husband, Michael, was charged for being an accessory after the fact. After three years in prison, Lindy was released after a piece of the baby’s clothing was found near a dingo’s lair. In 2012, a coroner confirmed the Chamberlain’s version of events that a dingo had taken Azaria.

17 August 1987 – death of Rudolf Hess, prominent Nazi politician who served as Deputy Fuhrer under Adolf Hitler. In 1941, Hess flew solo to Scotland in an effort to negotiate peace after being ignored by Hitler in various plans associated with the war. The flight was not sanctioned by Hitler. Hess was taken prisoner and charged with crimes against peace. He served a life sentence and remained in prison until his death. Born 26 April 1894.

16 August 2016

habiliment

[huh-bil-uh-muh nt]

noun

1. Usually, habiliments.
clothes or clothing.
clothes as worn in a particular profession, way of life, etc.
2. habiliments, accouterments or trappings.

Origin of habiliment

late Middle English Middle French
1375-1425; late Middle English (h) abylement < Middle French habillement, equivalent to habill (er), abill (ier) to trim a log, hence, dress, prepare (< Vulgar Latin *adbiliare; see a-5, billet2) + -ment -ment

Related forms

habilimental [huh-bil-uh-men-tl] (Show IPA), habilimentary, adjective
habilimented, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for habiliment

Historical Examples

And in habiliment, movement, air, with what telling force it impersonated sorrow!
The Prince of India, Volume II
Lew. Wallace

I might here—if it so pleased me—dilate upon the matter of habiliment, and other mere circumstances of the external metaphysician.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe

Others assign the habiliment to a Welshman, but give no authority for the assumption.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth

At an earlier period the armor of complete steel was the habiliment of the knight.
Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 1 (of 20)
Charles Sumner

I might hereif it so pleased medilate upon the matter of habiliment, and other mere circumstances of the external metaphysician.
Devil Stories
Various

So profuse was Gingham in his provision for the habiliment of his own elegant exterior.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 66, No 409, November 1849
Various

An habiliment of the stage designed to reinforce the general acclamation of the press agent with a particular publicity.
The Devil’s Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce

Anagram

main blithe
inhabit elm
I blame thin

Today’s quote

The true triumph of reason is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it.

– Voltaire

On this day

16 August 1938 – death of Robert Johnson. American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. Legend has it that Johnson met the devil at a crossroads and sold his soul in return for fame and fortune. One of the first musicians of the 20th century to join the 27 club. Born 8 May 1911.

16 August 1958 – birth of Madonna, American pop star, (born Madonna Louise Ciccone). The Guinness Book of World Records lists her as the biggest selling female recording artist of all time, with over 300 million records sold world-wide.

16 August 1962 – Ringo Starr becomes the new drummer for the Beatles, taking over from Peter Best who was sacked by the band. Ringo went on to fame and fortune, Best became a career public servant for 20 years, before forming the Peter Best Band.

16 August 1975 – Land is returned to Australia’s indigenous people for the first time by an Australian government. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (Australian Labor Party) returned land to Vincent Lingiari and the Gurindji people, who are based southwest of Katherine, in the Northern Territory. The land was returned as freehold following years of campaigning that included a strike in 1966 at Wave Hill cattle station.

16 August 1977 – death of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. Born 8 January 1935.

15 August 2016

trilby

[tril-bee]

noun (pl) -bies

1. (mainly Brit) a man’s soft felt hat with an indented crown
2. (pl) ( slang) feet

Word Origin

C19: named after Trilby, the heroine of a dramatized novel (1893) of that title by George du Maurier

Word Origin and History for trilby

noun

type of hat, 1897, from name of Trilby O’Ferrall, eponymous heroine of the novel by George du Maurier (1834-1896), published in 1894. In the stage version of the novel, the character wore this type of soft felt hat. In plural, also slang for “feet” (1895), in reference to the eroticism attached to the heroine’s bare feet.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Examples from the Web for trilby

Historical Examples

Poor trilby was hardly strong enough to walk back to the carriage; and this was her last outing.
Trilby
George Du Maurier

The composition sometimes is spoken of as the ” trilby ” impromptu.
The Pianolist
Gustav Kobb

Well—but how do you repent, trilby, if you do not humble yourself, and pray for forgiveness on your knees?
Trilby
George Du Maurier

Anagram

lib try

Today’s quote

Be alone. Eat alone, take yourself on dates, sleep alone. In the midst of this you will learn about yourself. You will grow, you will figure out what inspires you, you will curate your own dreams, your own beliefs, your own stunning clarity, and when you do meet the person who makes your cells dance, you will be sure of it, because you are sure of yourself.

– Bianca Sparacino

On this day

15 August 1769 – birth of Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor. Died 5 May 1821.

15 August 1945 – Japan announces its surrender to the Allies following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The official ‘Instrument of Surrender’ was signed on 2 September 1945.

15 August 1947 – India Independence Day. At the stroke of midnight (14/15 August), India was partitioned and granted independence from British rule.

15 – 18 August 1969 – the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (or just ‘Woodstock’), a festival of peace and music, was held over three days at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm, 69 kilometres south-west of the town of Woodstock in New York State. It featured artists such as Joan Baez, Ravi Shankar, Arlo Guthrie, Mountain, the Grateful Dead, Canned Heat, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Cosby Stills Nash and Young, Blood Sweat and Tears, Ten Years After. A number of high profile musicians declined to play, including The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Chicago, The Byrds, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Iron Butterfly and Joni Mitchell. Woodstock is still considered to be the ultimate rock and counter-cultural festival. The promoters hoped for 50,000 to attend and were caught unprepared when more than 500,000 people attended.

14 August 2016

liege

[leej, leezh]

noun

1. a feudal lord entitled to allegiance and service.
2. a feudal vassal or subject.
adjective
3. owing primary allegiance and service to a feudal lord.
4. pertaining to the relation between a feudal vassal and lord.
5. loyal; faithful:
the liege adherents of a cause.

Origin of liege

Middle English Old French Germanic Latin

1250-1300; Middle English < Old French li (e) ge ≪ Germanic *lēt- vassal + Latin -icus -ic; compare Medieval Latin lētī barbarians allowed to settle on Roman land (< Germanic; perhaps akin to let1), laeticus for *lēticus, derivative of lētī

Examples from the Web for liege

Historical Examples

“Wait till you have seen the arrangements, my liege,” said Careless.
Boscobel: or, the royal oak
William Harrison Ainsworth

Allegiance: the duty due from a subject to his liege the sovereign.
The History of London
Walter Besant

The lace of Brussels and the fire-arms of liege are among the finest in the world.
Alden’s Handy Atlas of the World
John B. Alden

The province of liege was the cradle of the Christian faith.
Olla Podrida
Frederick Marryat (AKA Captain Marryat)

Then taking the same view of gratitude which his liege and master took, home he went without delay to secure his privileges.
Cradock Nowell, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Richard Doddridge Blackmore

Her occupation as Dick’s liege lady, confidante, and tormentor would be gone.
Viviette
William J. Locke

“Your pardon, my liege, but I cannot answer the question,” replied Nicholas.
The Lancashire Witches
William Harrison Ainsworth

The defenses of liege were hardly worth an enemy’s gunfire before 1890.
The Story of the Great War, Volume II (of VIII)
Various

Our curiosity led us into an apartment where the noon meal was being prepared by a wife for her liege lord.
My Trip Around the World
Eleonora Hunt

Doubtless reports had come to him of the situation at liege.
The Story of the Great War, Volume II (of VIII)
Various

Anagram

I glee

Today’s quote

Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels.

– Bertolt Brecht

On this day

14 August 1248 – construction begins on the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

14 August 1880 – construction of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany is finally completed … 632 years after commencement.

14 August 1947 – Pakistan Independence Day. At the stroke of midnight (14/15 August), India was partitioned and the nation of Pakistan created, independent of British and Indian rule.

14 August 1956 – death of Bertolt Brecht, German playwright, writer and theatre practitioner. Born 10 February 1898.

14 August 1963 – Considered to be the founding documents of Australia’s indigenous land rights (native title) movement, the first Bark Petition was presented to the Australian Government’s House of Representatives by Jock Nelson, Member for the Northern Territory on behalf of the Yolngu people of Yirrkala. The second Bark Petition was presented to the House of Representatives by then Opposition Leader, Arthur Calwell. The petitions were ochre paintings on bark and signed by 13 clan leaders of the Yolngu region (Gove peninsula), protesting the Commonwealth Government granting mining rights to Nabalco on Yolngu land . The petitions resulted in a parliamentary inquiry that recommended compensation be paid to the Yolngu people. It was the first recognition of native title in Australia.

13 August 2016

gossamer

[gos-uh-mer]

noun

1. a fine, filmy cobweb seen on grass or bushes or floating in the air in calm weather, especially in autumn.
2. a thread or a web of this substance.
3. an extremely delicate variety of gauze, used especially for veils.
4. any thin, light fabric.
5. something extremely light, flimsy, or delicate.
6. a thin, waterproof outer garment, especially for women.
adjective
7. Also, gossamery [gos-uh-muh-ree] (Show IPA), gossamered. of or like gossamer; thin and light.

Origin of gossamer

Middle English German
1275-1325; Middle English gosesomer (see goose, summer1); possibly first used as name for late, mild autumn, a time when goose was a favorite dish (compare German Gänsemonat November), then transferred to the cobwebs frequent at that time of year

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for gossamer

Historical Examples

There is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere Man.
Edgar Allan Poe

Fascinated, he watched the heavy dark drop hang in the glistening cloud, and pull down the gossamer.
Sons and Lovers
David Herbert Lawrence

I have no idea what place these gossamer threads occupy in the economy of nature.
Gossamer
George A. Birmingham

When tens of thousands of the used threads sink to earth, there is a “shower of gossamer.”
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)
J. Arthur Thomson

Anagram

gear moss
rose mags
smogs era
some rags
mars goes

Today’s quote

A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men’s lives should not stake their own.

– H. G. Wells

On this day

13 August 1784 – British Parliament enacts ‘Pitt’s India Act’, which brought the East India company under the control of the British government.

13 August 1899 – birth of Alfred Hitchcock, English movie director and producer.

13 August 1926 – birth of Fidel Castro, former Cuban President.

13 August 1946 – death of Herbert George ‘H.G.’ Wells, British science fiction writer, author of The War of the Worlds, Time Machine, Island of Dr Moreau, The War of the Worlds. Born 21 September 1866.

13 August 1961 – construction of the Berlin Wall commences.