30 June 2017

belabour

[bih-ley-ber]

verb (used with object)

1. to explain, worry about, or work at (something) repeatedly or more than is necessary:
He kept belaboring the point long after we had agreed.
2. to assail persistently, as with scorn or ridicule:
a book that belabors the provincialism of his contemporaries.
3. to beat vigorously; ply with heavy blows.
4. Obsolete. to labor at.

Also, especially British, belabour.

Origin of belabor
1590-1600 First recorded in 1590-1600; be- + labor

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for belabor

Historical Examples

It is exhausting to belabour a thick-skinned and obstinate animal with a stick.
Blue Lights
R.M. Ballantyne

Have you any particular spite at my door, that you belabour it in that style?
Macaria
Augusta Jane Evans Wilson

He made himself greatly dreaded by his orchestra, whom he used to belabour over the head with his fiddle.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCLXXVI. February, 1847. Vol. LXI.
Various

He said he would track him out and belabour him as he deserved.’
Penshurst Castle
Emma Marshall

At one time some worthy fellow entreats us to take up the public cudgel and belabour a blatant Economist.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 68, No. 417, July, 1850
Various

belabour thy brains, as to whom it would be well to question.
Scribner’s Magazine, Volume 26, July 1899
Various

He chased the sheep into a corner of the enclosure, and proceeded to belabour them with a heavy stick.
The Pilots of Pomona
Robert Leighton

He seized a stick that was lying on the ground, and began to belabour the hag with all his might.
The Mantle and Other Stories
Nicholas Gogol

So saying she snatched up the ladle from the dripping-pan, and threatened to belabour him with it.
Boscobel: or, the royal oak
William Harrison Ainsworth

He may hit me on the head and they may belabour me from behind.
White Nights and Other Stories
Fyodor Dostoevsky

Anagram

a blue orb

Today’s quote

Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.

– Pietro Aretino

On this day

30 June 1934 – Night of the Long Knives (Operation Hummbingbird), in which Hitler purges his political enemies.

30 June 1937 – The world’s first emergency telephone number, 999, is introduced in London.

30 June 1950 – US President Truman sends troops to South Korea to assist in repelling the North Korean Army. He calls on the Soviet Union to negotiate a withdrawal from North Korea, however, the Soviets blame South Korea for an unprovoked attack.

30 June 1959 – US fighter jet, an F-100 Super Sabre, crashes into the Japanese Miyamori Elementary School at Ishikawa (now Uruma) on the US occupied island of Okinawa, Japan, killing 11 students, 6 other people from the neighbouring area and injuring 210 (including 156 students). The pilot, Captain John G. Schmitt Jr, had ejected to safety. The incident was one of many tragic events the Okinawans have suffered since the US occupation.

28 June 2017

Huguenot

[hyoo-guh-not or, often, yoo-]

noun

1. a member of the Reformed or Calvinistic communion of France in the 16th and 17th centuries; a French Protestant.

Origin of Huguenot

German

1555-1565; French, perhaps blend of Hugues (name of a political leader in Geneva) and eidgenot, back formation from eidgenots, Swiss variant of German Eidgenoss confederate, literally, oath comrade

Related forms

Huguenotic, adjective
Huguenotism, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Huguenot

Contemporary Examples

The du Pont family descended from Huguenot nobility in Burgundy, emigrating to the United States in 1800.
Foxcatcher’s Real-Life Psycho Killer
Marlow Stern
November 17, 2014

Historical Examples

This induces him to cross the Channel in order to take a share in the Huguenot wars.
A Roving Commission
G. A. Henty

He was of Huguenot ancestry, and learned the goldsmith’s trade of his father.
Tea Leaves
Various

This seems strange considering that all the merchants of the new company were Huguenot Protestants.
Montreal 1535-1914 under the French Rgime
William Henry Atherton

“I would rather see him hanged, but saved, than alive and a Huguenot,” was the gloomy reply.
The Works of Honor de Balzac
Honor de Balzac

He escaped in 1576, and put himself at the head of the Huguenot party.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 1 of 8
Various

Armadas, though born in Hull, was the son of a Huguenot refugee.
Days of the Discoverers
L. Lamprey

Anagram

into huge
tongue uh
he outgun

Today’s quote

Sometimes I wish that I could go into a time machine right now and just look at my self and say, ‘Calm down. Things are gonna be fine. Things are gonna be all great. Just relax.’

– Tristan Wilds

On this day

28 June 1914 – Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, while in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The assassin, Gavrilo Princip, was one of 16 Bosnian Serbs found guilty of the incident. The assassination led to World War I as European countries took sides in the subsequent retaliation. The world’s major powers aligned into two opposing alliances: the Allies (UK, Russia, France, USA, Italy and Japan) and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary (later joined by the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria). More than 70 million military personnel were mobilised. By 1918, when the war ended, there were more than 9 million combatants and more than 7 million civilians dead. However, prior to this, following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the new communist government withdrew Russia from the war. The Allies took exception to this and invaded Russia as part of the White Armies (counter-revolutionary, anti-communist forces made up of British, French, Japanese and US Armies, as well as Russian conscripts) that waged war against the communist Red Army in what became known as the Russian Civil War. Both sides massacred civilians (the Red Terror and the White Terror). The war caused massive famine. By the time the war ended in 1922, around 8 million were dead (5 million from famine) and the Red Army was victorious.

28 June 1919 – World War I officially ends as Germany signs the Treaty of Versailles. The armistice had been agreed to on 11 November 1918, but it took until June 1919 to formalise the peace treaty. The treaty forced Germany and her allies to take responsibility for the war, to disarm, to make significant territorial concessions and to make financial reparations to a number of countries. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the motivators behind Hitler’s rise to power and subsequently World War II that resulted in the deaths of between 50 million and 80 million people.

28 June 1997 – World heavyweight champion boxer, Mike Tyson, bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during the third round of a world title rematch. Tyson was initially disqualified and then allowed to continue the fight, however, Tyson then bit off a part of Holyfield’s other ear which was later found on the floor of the ring. Tyson was disqualified and later fined $3 million. His boxing licence was rescinded, but reinstated in 1998.

26 June 2017

forgo

[fawr-goh]

verb (used with object), forwent, forgone, forgoing.

1. to abstain or refrain from; do without.
2. to give up, renounce, or resign.
3. Archaic. to neglect or overlook.
4. Archaic. to quit or leave.
5. Obsolete. to go or pass by.

Also, forego.

Origin of forgo

Middle English, Old English

950 before 950; Middle English forgon, Old English forgān. See for-, go1

Related forms

forgoer, noun
unforgone, adjective

Synonyms

1. forbear, sacrifice, forsake.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for forgo

Contemporary Examples

He forced her, along with her older sisters, to forgo any semblance of a normal childhood.
Why My Mother Would Save Aurora Shooter James Holmes
Anna Klassen
April 2, 2013

Bulgaria recently announced they will forgo adopting the single Euro currency.
The Euro Misses A Victim
Justin Green
September 4, 2012

We had decided to forgo a rainy Parisian night of hailing cabs and falling prey to more tourist traps.
For the Love of Pâté
Molly Hannon
January 4, 2011

And if he does lose, the political pressure on him to forgo a Syria strike will likely prove overwhelming.
Obama Decision on Syria Good for U.S Democracy, but His Case Is Weak
Peter Beinart
September 2, 2013

Historical Examples

He finally agreed to forgo the pleasure of possessing it for a suitable reward.
The River and I
John G. Neihardt

The freshmen who had been so favored did not wish to forgo these joys.
Hester’s Counterpart
Jean K. Baird

It is extremely good of you to forgo any engagement you may have had merely to return this to me with your own hands.
The Silver Butterfly
Mrs. Wilson Woodrow

It was a mere piece of theatricality, such as it was not in Scaramouche’s nature to forgo.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini

Most had agreed to forgo rents and to help with artificial manure for next year.
The Foundations of Japan
J.W. Robertson Scott

Anagram

or fog

Today’s quote

I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.

– Natalie Portman

On this day

26 June – International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

26 June 1945 – 50 nations ratify the United Nations Charter in an effort to prevent another world war. The United Nations was formally established on 24 October 1945, replacing the League of Nations.

25 June 2017

je ne sais quoi

[zhuh nuh se kwa]

noun, French.

1. an indefinable, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one:
She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody.

Origin of je ne sais quoi

literally, I don’t know what

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for je ne sais quoi

Contemporary Examples

She never finishes her soup and she wears a toweling robe with a certain je ne sais quoi.
Polanski’s Brilliant Comeback
Simon Schama
February 17, 2010

Just in time for Paris Fashion Week, a new book, Paris Street Style, offers tips on how to acheive that certain je ne sais quoi.
A New Guide to Parisian Style
Rebecca Benhamou
March 2, 2013

Historical Examples

I don’t know what that means, but I love that sort of—of—of— je ne sais quoi, in short!
Trilby
George Du Maurier

Tout le reste a je ne sais quoi de chimrique et souvent de trs-funeste.
The Life of Albert Gallatin
Henry Adams

There is something about you, Tweeny, there is a je ne sais quoi about you.
The Admirable Crichton
J. M. Barrie

A raven hopping about the casks gives a je ne sais quoi, a cachet, to the premises.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, March 3rd, 1920
Various

And not one has the beginnings of the polished charm of manner, the fire of glance, the je ne sais quoi of Mrs. Hunt Maclean.
The Californians
Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton

But there was a je ne sais quoi in their behaviour to-day, which begins to alarm my suspicion.
The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom, Complete
Tobias Smollett

But there was a je ne sais quoi in the whole cut of your jib as familiar to me as rolls and coffee.
Grey Roses
Henry Harland

“A ‘ je ne sais quoi young man,'” quotes the younger Miss Beresford, with a sneer.
Rossmoyne
Unknown

Anagram

Ouija Sense Qi

Today’s quote

In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.

– George Orwell

On this day

25 June 1903 – birth of George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair), Democratic Socialist and English author of works such as ‘Nineteen-Eighty Four‘, ‘Animal Farm‘, and ‘Homage to Catalonia‘. Died 21 January 1950.

25 June 1947 – The Diary of a Young Girl (better known as The Diary of Anne Frank) is first published.

25 June 1978 – the Rainbow Flag, symbol of gay pride, is flown for the first time in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.

24 June 2017

workaday

[wur-kuh-dey]

adjective

1. of or befitting working days; characteristic of a workday and its occupations.
2. ordinary; commonplace; everyday; prosaic.

Origin of workaday

Middle English

1150-1200; alteration (probably after nowadays ) of earlier worky-day workday, alteration (by association with holiday ) of Middle English werkeday, obscurely derived from work and day

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for workaday

Contemporary Examples

And it divides an audience’s attention from the quotidian, workaday world, whether at the Globe or the Delacorte.
Anne Hathaway’s Magical “Night”
Daniel Menaker
June 27, 2009

But unlike most workaday reporters, Lepore is steeped in the history of the city and the American Revolution.
Great New Reads
The Daily Beast
October 14, 2010

Even typically Teflon partners will melt if you apply too much heat in workaday dealings.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week
Starsky + Cox
July 7, 2011

Historical Examples

There was just one thing in all the room that looked poor, workaday.
Aurora the Magnificent
Gertrude Hall

But in the workaday world one never knows the ending till it comes.
Tommy and Co.
Jerome K. Jerome

The summer ought not to be an entirely frivolous season, neither ought it to be too workaday.
A Girl’s Student Days and After
Jeannette Marks

At noon, however, its workaday aspect was on; it was no more than a lunching place.
The Readjustment
Will Irwin

I put away even the rings I wore habitually, keeping out only an inferior cat’s-eye for workaday wear.
Masterpieces of Mystery
Various

Margot discovered she could not disturb the little girl’s workaday life.
Little Jeanne of France
Madeline Brandeis

The Ghetto was all astir, for it was half-past eight of a workaday morning.
The Grandchildren of the Ghetto
Israel Zangwill

Anagram

away dork
a yard wok

Today’s quote

‎Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen Hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regrets. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

― Mary Anne Radmacher

On this day

24 June 1997 – the United States Air Force releases a report into the so-called ‘Roswell Incident’ in which there had been claims that an alien craft had crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, and the body of an alien was retrieved by the Air Force. The USAF report claimed that the bodies witnesses had seen were actually life-sized dummies.

24 June 2010 – Julia Gillard is appointed Australia’s first female prime minister after replacing Kevin Rudd in a leadership spill. On 26 June 2013, following ongoing ructions in the Labor Party, Gillard called another leadership ballot which was won by Kevin Rudd. Julia Gillard tendered her resignation, which took effect the following day when Rudd was sworn in as prime minister.

24 June 1950 – The Korean War begins as North Korean forces invade South Korea in response to the dividing of the Korean Peninsula by Allied forces after World War II. The US sends troops as part of the UN response to repel North Korea. In 1953 a demilitarised zone is established between North and South Korea. Although conflict ended in 1953 following a truce, both sides have remained on military alert ever since. Political posturing and a number of border clashes in the years since 1953 have brought the peninsula to the brink of war on numerous occasions.

22 June 2017

envoi

(or envoy)

[en-voi, ahn-]

noun

1. a short stanza concluding a poem in certain archaic metrical forms, as a ballade, and serving as a dedication, or a similar postscript to a prose composition.

Origin of envoi

Middle English

1350-1400; Middle English envoye < Old French, derivative of envoyer to send; see envoy1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for envoy

Historical Examples

In Middle English poetry the envoi mostly serves the same purposes.
A History of English Versification
Jakob Schipper

The poem might also conclude with a half stanza or tornada, (French envoi).
The Troubadours
H.J. Chaytor

“I will try to remember the last stanza and the envoi as we go along,” added Victor.
The Grey Cloak
Harold MacGrath

Even in Modern English poetry the envoi has not quite gone out of use.
A History of English Versification
Jakob Schipper

Followed the beat of lessening footfalls, while the nightingale improvised an envoi.
Chivalry
James Branch Cabell

But as a writer reviews his own words, it is inevitable that some sort of envoi should present itself to his mind.
To My Younger Brethren
Handley C. G. Moule

At the end of nearly every section he adds an envoi of his own to drive home the moral more surely.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3
Various

The scheme is a b a b c c d d e d E in the stanzas and d d e d E in the envoi.
A History of English Versification
Jakob Schipper

Guynemer’s biography is of such a nature that it must seem like a poem: why not, then, conclude it with an envoi ?
Georges Guynemer
Henry Bordeaux

It is composed of five strophes, identical in arrangement, of eleven verses each, and of an envoi of five verses.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7
Various

Anagram

I oven
vie on

Today’s quote

Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.

– John F. Kennedy

On this day

22 June 1938 – death of C.J. Dennis, Australian poet (Songs of a Sentimental Bloke). Born 7 September 1876. Note, that C.J. Dennis foretold email by about 90 years with his reference to ‘ethergrams thro’ space’ which appears in ‘The Stoush of Day‘, in ‘The Sentimental Bloke‘.

22 June 1986 – the controversial ‘hand of God’ incident in the FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and England, when Diego Maradona scored a goal that came off his hand. The referee didn’t see the hand infringement and awarded the goal. Four minutes after the ‘hand of God’ goal, Maradona scored the ‘goal of the century’, which is claimed to be the greatest individual goal of all time, which he scored after playing the ball for 60 metres within 10 seconds, through four English defenders to slot the goal. Argentina won the match 2-1 and went on to win the World Cup.

21 June 2017

heimweh

[haym-vee]

noun

– homesickness

Origin

German: heim (“home”) +‎ Weh (“pain”). Literally “homesickness”

Antonym

fernweh

Anagram

whee him
he we him

Today’s quote

The biggest competition is myself. I am not looking to follow others or pull them down. I’m planning to test my own boundaries.

– Rain

On this day

21 June 1940 – death of Smedley Butler, U.S. Marine Corp Major-General. He received 19 medals, five of which were for bravery. He twice received the Medal of Honor. Butler was, at the time of his death, the most decorated Marine in history. Nonetheless, he was an outspoken critic of war and military actions. He wrote a book called ‘War is a Racket’, which exposed the links between the military and industry, in which he stated that business interests directly benefit from warfare. Butler wrote a summary of the book, which stated: ‘War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small ‘inside’ group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes‘. He was born on 30 July 1881.

21 June 1953 – birth of Benazir Bhutto, elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988, becoming the first female leader of a Muslim country. She was dismissed as Prime Minister in 1996 amid accusations of corruption. She went into exile, living in the United Arab Emirates. In 2007, against the orders of President Musharraf, she returned to Pakistan to contest the 2008 election. She was assassinated at a rally on 27 December 2007.

21 June 1964 – Three civil rights activists (James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner) disappear in Mississippi while investigating an allegation that the Ku Klux Klan had burned down an African-American church. Their bodies were discovered six weeks later. In 1966, seven Ku Klux Klan members were found guilty of the murders, while eight others were found not guilty, including Edgar Ray ‘Preacher’ Killen who was retried in 2005 and found guilty.

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

21 June 2005 – Edgar Ray ‘Preacher’ Killen, former Ku Klux Klansman, is found guilty of manslaughter for his part in the 1964 killing of three civil rights activists and sentenced to 60 years imprisonment.