23 October 2016

inutile

[in-yoo-til]

adjective

1. of no use or service.

Origin of inutile

late Middle English Latin
1400-1450; late Middle English < Latin inūtilis. See in-3, utile

Related forms

inutilely, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for inutile

Historical Examples

There is a lot of inutile talk about “significant form” by propagandists of the New Æsthetic.
Unicorns
James Huneker

M. France sees and notes many gestures, inutile or tragic, notes them with the enthralling simplicity of a complicated artist.
Egoists
James Huneker

The tune of her life had never sounded so discouragingly faint and inutile.
Visionaries
James Huneker

Next she found the telephone wire cut and the speaking tube battered and inutile.
The Drums Of Jeopardy
Harold MacGrath

As Christy’s plan was not in order, would be inutile, the business of the visitors at the islands was finished.
Fighting for the Right
Oliver Optic

The faint swarming toward the light and the rending of the sphere of hope, frustrate, inutile.
Melomaniacs
James Huneker

It is true that it would have been inutile, for no incident occurred to put the colonists to any painful trial.
The Secret of the Island
W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)

Anagram

lie unit

Today’s quote

It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.

– Samuel Adams

On this day

23 October 4004BC – The day the world was created, according to Archbishop James Ussher.

23 October 42BC – death of Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, for a while known as Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus before returning to his original name. He is more commonly known as Brutus, Roman senator. He led a group who assassinated then Emperor Julius Caesar. Brutus suicided after his Army was defeated during the Roman civil wars at the Second Battle of Philippi, by Mark Antony and Octavian.

23 October 1959 – birth of ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic, American parody singer-songwriter.

23 October 1998 – Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, establish a ‘Land for Peace’ deal regarding the West Bank, after a marathon 21 hour negotiation.

22 October 2016

astucity

[uh-stoos-i-tee]

noun

1. The quality of being astute. Astuteness.
(Astute: having or showing an ability to notice and understand things clearly : mentally sharp or clever)

Example

They had been fools (to put it mildly), while the M’gai had been devils of astucity and treachery — John Masefield.

(c) Meriam-Webster

Origin

1605-15; < Latin astūtus shrewd, sly, cunning, equivalent to astū- (stem of astus) cleverness + -tus adj. suffix
(Dictionary.com)

Anagram

I stay cut

Today’s quote

You’re only as young as the last time you changed your mind.

– Timothy Leary

On this day

22 October 1797 – Andre-Jacques Garnerin becomes the world’s first sky-diver after jumping out of a balloon above Paris.

22 October 1920 – birth of Timothy Leary, American psychologist and author. Leary was a major proponent of the use of pscyhedelic drugs, particularly LSD and psilocybin (mushrooms). He conducted numerous psychiatric experiments using psychedelics, particularly during the 1950s and and 1960s, when the drugs were legal. LSD was banned by the USA in 1966. Leary popularised 1960′s catch-phrases such as ‘turn on, tune in and drop out’, ‘set and setting’, and ‘think for yourself and question authority’. He was friends with beat generation poets, such as Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. Leary was arrested numerous times over his possession and use of drugs. He wrote a number of books on the benefits of psychedelic drugs. Leary became fascinated with computers, declaring that ‘the PC is the LSD of the 1990s’. He encouraged bohemians to ‘turn on, boot up, jack in’. Leary was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1995. He chose to stream his dying moments over the internet. Seven grams of Leary’s ashes were placed aboard a Pegasus rocket, launched on 21 April 1997. It remained in orbit around the Earth for six years until it burned up in atmosphere. Died 31 May 1996.

22 October 1934 – Notorious gangster, Pretty Boy Floyd, shot to death by FBI agents in Ohio. Born 3 February 1904.

21 October 2016

anticity

[an-tee-sit-ee, an-tahy-]

adjective

1. averse to cities and urban locations.

Dictionary.com

Example

The increase in people making treechanges is evidence of anticity migration trends.

Anagram

tacit yin
I tiny act

Today’s quote

Offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become panic-stricken.

– Jack Kerouac

On this day

21 October 1492 – Christopher Columbus discovers America.

21 October 1772 – birth of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 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 protesters 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.

20 October 2016

sciolism

[sahy-uh-liz-uh m]

noun

1. superficial knowledge.

Origin of sciolism

Late Latin

1810-1820; < Late Latin sciol (us) one who knows little (diminutive of scius knowing; see conscious, -ole1) + -ism

Related forms

sciolist, noun
sciolistic, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sciolism

Historical Examples

Such an age of sciolism and scholasticism may possibly once more get the better of the literary world.
Phaedrus
Plato

Few things are as distressing as the sciolism of a second-rate English editor of a classic.
An American at Oxford
John Corbin

This is scholarship; the secondary information that has been popular is sciolism.
Education: How Old The New
James J. Walsh

Anagram

miss coil

Today’s quote

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.

– Thomas A. Edison

On this day

20 October 1977 – Plane crash in Mississippi kills 3 members of rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd (Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, along with their Assistant Road Manager (Dean Kilpatrick), the pilot (Walter McCreary and co-pilot (William Gray).

20 October 2011 – death of Muammar Gaddafi, former leader of Libya. He had been shot to death by rebel fighters following the overthrow of his government. Born 7 June 1942.

19 October 2016

dilettante

[dil-i-tahnt, dil-i-tahnt, -tahn-tey, -tan-tee]

noun, plural dilettantes, dilettanti [dil-i-tahn-tee]

1. a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, especially in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler.
2. a lover of an art or science, especially of a fine art.
adjective
3. of or relating to dilettantes.

Origin of dilettante

Latin

1725-1735; < Italian, noun use of present participle of dilettare < Latin dēlectāre to delight

Related forms

dilettantish, dilettanteish, adjective

Synonyms

1. amateur.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for dilettante

Contemporary Examples

Men who marry rich, by contrast, are often seen as dilettantish —effete even.
Mitt Romney: The GOP’s Own John Kerry, or Is He More an Al Gore?
Michelle Cottle
January 13, 2012

Historical Examples

His dilettantish manner was gone for good, as was also his foppish beard.
Molly Brown of Kentucky
Nell Speed

Evelyns suggestions were unpractical and dilettantish, and Pepyss ramblings not over wise.
Haunted London
Walter Thornbury

Anagram

elated tint
talent tide
latent edit
latte end it

Today’s quote

Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one’s enemies.

– Leon Trotsky

On this day

19 October 1924 – Leon 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 2016

defalcation

[dee-fal-key-shuh n, -fawl-]

noun, Law.

1. misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other fiduciary.
2. the sum misappropriated.

Origin of defalcation

Middle French, Medieval Latin
1425-1475; late Middle English: deduction from wages (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin dēfalcātiōn- (stem of dēfalcātiō) a taking away, equivalent to dēfalcāt (us) (see defalcate ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

nondefalcation, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for defalcation

Historical Examples

“My uncle was not down here this morning,” Maude would say:—and then she would go on to excuse the defalcation.
Kept in the Dark
Anthony Trollope

Evidently there had been a defalcation on rather a large scale.
Miss Mehetabel’s Son
Thomas Bailey Aldrich

You don’t mean that this is the blackguard who wrote that account of the defalcation in the Events?
The Quality of Mercy
W. D. Howells

But nothing yet concerning the defalcation and disappearance of Angelo Puma.
The Crimson Tide
Robert W. Chambers

The only distinct cause assigned by M. de St Priest, for his defalcation in the lists, is the Arragonese version.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 391, May, 1848
Various

The rumour of Elijah’s defalcation had not disturbed Seymour seriously.
The Vision of Elijah Berl
Frank Lewis Nason

Anagram

toned facial
coaled faint
fetid canola
if anecdotal

Today’s quote

I think a good friend, to me, is all about trust and loyalty. You don’t ever want to second-guess whether you can tell your friend something.

– Lauren Conrad

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 2016

convocation

[kon-vuh-key-shuh n]

noun

1. the act of convoking.
2. the state of being convoked.
3. a group of people gathered in answer to a summons; assembly.
4. Anglican Church. either of the two provincial synods or assemblies of the clergy.
5. Protestant Episcopal Church.
an assembly of the clergy of part of a diocese.
the area represented at such an assembly.
6. a formal assembly at a college or university, especially for a graduation ceremony.

Origin of convocation

Middle English, Middle French Latin
1350-1400; Middle English convocacio (u) n (< Middle French) < Latin convocātiōn- (stem of convocātiō). See convoke, -ation

Related forms

convocational, adjective
convocationally, adverb

Synonyms

3. See convention.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for convocation

Contemporary Examples

More than ever before, Liberty has been thrust into the political spotlight this election year. The school has been invoked by newscasters for Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.’s comments in convocation advocating for students to carry guns, Donald Trump speaking at convocation on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Falwell’s speech at the Republican National Convention, Falwell’s apologetics for the Trump campaign … and the list could go on.
Here’s Why Liberty University Students Are Denouncing Trump
Wesley Walker, sojo.net
October 13, 2016

And know this: Despite the willfully informal name, the import of such a convocation was immense.
The Most Important Chef in America
Joshua David Stein
September 15, 2009

Historical Examples

Congregation numbers four hundred, convocation nearly six thousand.
Oxford and Her Colleges
Goldwin Smith

The title of this poem was the convocation, or a Battle of Pamphlets, 1717.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes
Samuel Johnson

Anagram

coca onion TV
taco con vino
in cocoon vat

Today’s quote

I debate with others only with a desire that the truth comes out of either side. I never want the other side to lose.

– Imam Shafi.

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. Although there have been a number of sub-space test flights, to date there have been no commercial space flights.

16 October 2016

charcuterie

[shahr-koo-tuh-ree, shahr-koo-tuh-ree; French shar-kytuh-ree]

noun, plural charcuteries [shahr-koo-tuh-reez, shahr-koo-tuh-reez; French shar-kytuh-ree] (in France)

1. a store where pork products, as hams, sausages, and pâtés are sold.
2. the items sold in such a store.

Origin of charcuterie

French, Middle French

1855-1860; French; Middle French chaircuterie, equivalent to chaircut (ier) charcutier + -erie -ery

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for charcuterie

Contemporary Examples

I can’t get enough of the excellent French charcuterie : terrines, pates, saucisson—oh my!
Fresh Picks
Gina DePalma
August 23, 2010

It serves small plates like cheese, charcuterie, and sandwiches, but most come here for the impressive wine selection.
Delayed? The Best Airport Restaurants to Eat at This Thanksgiving
Brandy Zadrozny
November 26, 2013

I still pull from this book when making terrines, sausages, and other charcuterie.
Fresh Picks
Chris Leahy
February 1, 2011

Anagram

accrue their
rice hut acre

Today’s quote

When you’re 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you’re 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you’re 60 you realize no one was ever thinking about you in the first place.

– Unknown

On this day

16 October – Dictionary Day (in the U.S.A), coinciding with the birth 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 2016

apophony

[uh-pof-uh-nee]

noun, plural apophonies.

1. ablaut

Origin of apophony

1880-1885; apo- + -phony

Related forms

apophonic [ap-uh-fon-ik], adjective

1. ablaut.
[ahb-lout, ab-; German ahp-lout]

noun, Grammar.
1. (in Indo-European languages) regular alternation in the internal phonological structure of a word element, especially alternation of a vowel, that is coordinated with a change in grammatical function or combination, as in English sing, sang, sung, song; apophony.

Origin of ablaut

1840-1850; < German, equivalent to ab- off + Laut sound

Dictionary.com

Anagram

doom intricacy
narcotic dim yo
rid minty cocoa
dry atomic icon
croon city maid

Today’s quote

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.

– George Bernard Shaw

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. Born 7 August 1876.

14 October 2016

varmint or varment

[vahr-muh nt]

noun

1. Chiefly Southern and South Midland U.S.
vermin.
an objectionable or undesirable animal, usually predatory, as a coyote or bobcat.
2. a despicable, obnoxious, or annoying person.

Origin of varmint

1530-1540; variant of vermin (with regular outcome of Middle English ĕr before consonant (cf. argal3, parson ) and parasitic t)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for varmint

Contemporary Examples

Across the wilderness I once shot a varmint in the wilderness!
Mitt Romney Finds the Funny in ‘America the Beautiful’ (VIDEO)
Mark Katz
February 9, 2012

Historical Examples

“The varmint has run tu the nearest hole he could find,” he said with a smile.
Buckskin Mose
Buckskin Mose

I begun to fear that the varmint had a cave, and so, cuss him!
The Hunters’ Feast
Mayne Reid

These were the trophies of the professional ” varmint killer,” a man hired by the month.
The Killer
Stewart Edward White

“The varmint shall be speedily unearthed,” said Wilder, rushing to the spot.
Rookwood
William Harrison Ainsworth

A skunk’s a varmint that don’t stink tell ye meddle with him, but Hank Halliday stinks all the time.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith

I’d just like to look along the barrels of my gun at the varmint, as Jim calls him.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods
Lawrence J. Leslie

I’m goin’ to stop this business if I’ve got to kill every thievin’ varmint in the Army o’ the Cumberland.
Si Klegg, Book 5 (of 6)
John McElroy

Anagram

van trim

Today’s quote

The petty man is eager to make boasts, yet desires that others should believe in him. He enthusiastically engages in deception, yet wants others to have affection for him. He conducts himself like an animal, yet wants others to think well of him.

– Xun Kuang

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.