19 October 2018

encomienda

[en-koh-mee-en-duh, -kom-ee-; Spanish eng-kaw-myen-dah]

noun, plural encomiendas [en-koh-mee-en-duh z, -kom-ee-; Spanish eng-kaw-myen-dahs] (formerly in Spanish America)

1. the system, instituted in 1503, under which a Spanish soldier or colonist was granted a tract of land or a village together with its Indian inhabitants.
2. the land or village together with its inhabitants.
Origin of encomienda Expand

1800-1810; Spanish: charge, commission, recommendation. See en-1, commend

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for encomienda

Historical Examples

This was known as the system of Repartimiento, or encomienda.
The History of Cuba, vol. 1
Willis Fletcher Johnson

The encomienda of Taytay is inhabited by five hundred Indians.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume V., 1582-1583
Various

Temanduque is also an encomienda, with five hundred Indians.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume V., 1582-1583
Various

The encomienda of Maragondon, with four hundred and fifty men.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume V., 1582-1583
Various

The said encomienda is instructed and visited with difficulty.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume VIII (of 55), 1591-1593
Emma Helen Blair

Where it was already under cultivation by the native peasants, they were turned into serfs attached to the encomienda.
South America Observations and Impressions
James Bryce

The régime of the encomienda, the mitas and the yanaconazgo had produced only a formal subjection of the natives.
The Social Evolution of the Argentine Republic
Ernesto Quesada

Your Majesty has commanded that no offices or places of profit shall be given to those who hold Indians in encomienda.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume XIV., 1606-1609
Various

Consequently, the encomienda of that large island was very desirable.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 – Volume 41 of 55, 1691-1700
Various

But abuses arose and the encomienda system was gradually abolished.
The Colonization of North America
Herbert Eugene Bolton

Contemporary definitions for encomienda

noun

in the US, a land grant system started in 1503 which gave certain Spaniards an estate or tract of land in America as well as the Native American inhabitants of that land; also, this tract of land and its inhabitants

Examples

Encomienda provided for Indian tribute in exchange for protection and Christian instruction.
Usage Note
encomendero n

Dictionary.com’s 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2014 Dictionary.com, LLC

Word Origin and History for encomienda

n. 1810, from Spanish, “commission,” from encomendar “to commit, charge.” Estate granted to a Spaniard in America with powers to tax the Indians.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Anagram

canine mode
canoed mine
menaced ion
iceman done
nomad niece
named on ice
damn ice eon
code in name

Today’s quote

In a serious struggle there is no worse cruelty than to be magnanimous at an inopportune time.

– 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 2018

paternoster

[pey-ter-nos-ter, pah‐, pat-er‐]

noun

1. (often initial capital letter). Also, Pater Noster. the Lord’s Prayer, especially in the Latin form.
2. a recitation of this prayer as an act of worship.
3. one of certain beads in a rosary, regularly every 11th bead, differing in size or material from the rest and indicating that the Lord’s Prayer is to be said.
4. any fixed recital of words used as a prayer or magical charm.
5. a doorless, continuously moving elevator for passengers or goods, having numerous platforms or compartments that rise or descend on a moving chain.
6. (initial capital letter) Architecture. pearl molding.

Origin of paternoster

Latin

1000 before 1000; Middle English, Old English: Lord’s prayer < Latin pater noster our father, its first two words in the Vulgate (Matthew VI: 9
pearl molding

noun, Architecture.

1. a molding having the form of a row of pearls.

Also called bead molding, Paternoster.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for paternoster

Historical Examples

paternoster rises sheer from the water to a height of more than 900 feet.
The Last Voyage
Lady (Annie Allnutt) Brassey

I will say my paternoster in English with anybody, and my Belief too, for that matter.
In the Days of Drake
J. S. Fletcher

Christians we are,” said Pharaoh, “and will say our paternoster and Credo with any man.
In the Days of Drake
J. S. Fletcher

Death gave him time only to recite an Ave Maria, and a paternoster.
Italian Popular Tales
Thomas Frederick Crane

Not a thought of prayer, not one paternoster entered his mind.
The French Prisoners of Norman Cross
Arthur Brown

She began to repeat her paternoster, but she forgot how the words came.
Stories By English Authors: France
Various

She had not been able to pray; ave and paternoster alike had failed her.
Remember the Alamo
Amelia E. Barr

Some said “Our Father” and some ” paternoster,” and they all meant the same.
The Transformation of Job
Frederick Vining Fisher

Such a bill as came in this week past from a silkman in paternoster Row!
It Might Have Been
Emily Sarah Holt

Then to paternoster Row to buy things for my wife against her going.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete
Samuel Pepys

Anagram

eastern port
neater sport
parent store
near protest

Today’s quote

Modern slavery is a hidden crime and notoriously difficult to measure.

– Mo Ibrahim

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’. Died 18 March 2017.

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

17 October 2018

cherchez la femme

[sher-shey la-fam]

French.

1. look for the woman: advice offered facetiously in any situation, especially one of doubt or mystery.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cherchez la femme

Historical Examples

I dare say that wasn’t all of it—might have been cherchez la femme, don’t you think?
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington

It is sometimes just as poignant to say, ‘Cherchez l’homme’ as, ‘ cherchez la femme.’
The Rhodesian
Gertrude Page

They drink in order to say or do something or cherchez la femme.
Ulysses
James Joyce

In reply I can only quote the old saying, cherchez la femme.
Glories of Spain
Charles W. Wood

Oh, yes, Prescott sniffed; distrust the obvious is as hackneyed a phrase as cherchez la femme !
The Luminous Face
Carolyn Wells

This is not a cherchez la femme story, so we will leave the lady’s name out of it altogether.
A Little Book of Christmas
John Kendrick Bangs

Win was instantly sure that here was the man in the case; now, cherchez la femme !
Winnie Childs
C. N. Williamson

Someone has said that ” cherchez la femme ” is written over every phase of Parisian life, and the thing is true.
In Vanity Fair
Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd

But when a man acts with apparently inexplicable foolishness, it is generally safe to say, ” cherchez la femme !”
Anti-Suffrage Essays
Various

“ cherchez la femme,” one comic paper had the audacity to remark, propos l’affaire Svensen and Burnley.
Mystery at Geneva
Rose Macaulay

Word Origin and History for cherchez la femme

French, literally “seek the woman,” on the notion that a woman is the cause for whatever crime has been committed, first used by Alexandre Dumas père in “Les Mohicans de Paris” (1864) in the form cherchons la femme. French chercher is from Latin circare, in Late Latin “to wander hither and thither,” from circus “circle” (see circus ).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Anagram

feel Czech hammer

Today’s quote

Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.

– Richard Branson

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 2018

knavery

[ney-vuh-ree]

noun, plural knaveries.

1. action or practice characteristic of a knave.
2. unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest dealing; trickery.
3. a knavish act or practice.

Origin of knavery

1520-1530 First recorded in 1520-30; knave + -ery

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for knavery

Historical Examples

They know that their knavery is no secret but they don’t mind.
Albert Durer
T. Sturge Moore

To “resist not evil” seemed to him then only a rather feeble sort of knavery.
Dr. Sevier
George W. Cable

From this retreat we could see the proof of knavery in the villages below.
John Splendid
Neil Munro

Anagram

ark envy

Today’s quote

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

– Oscar Wilde

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.

14 October 2018

tumpline

[tuhmp-lahyn]

noun

1. a strap or sling passed around the chest or forehead to help support a pack carried on a person’s back.

Origin of tumpline

Southern New England Algonquian proto-Eastern Algonquian

1790-1800; tump (earlier mattump, metomp < Southern New England Algonquian < proto-Eastern Algonquian *mat- empty root appearing in names of manufactured objects + *-a·pəy string) + line1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tumpline

Historical Examples

This is known as a tumpline, and consists of a band of leather to cross the head, and two long thongs to secure the pack.
Camp and Trail
Stewart Edward White

One night one of them ate a piece out of my tumpline, which was partially under my head, while I slept.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace

Anagram

punt mile
impel nut
I melt pun

Today’s quote

Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one?s life…but 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat – these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country.

– Roald Dahl

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 stripped the Saxons of their rights. King William I 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. In 1086, William commissioned a survey of land ownership and taxes owing throughout much of England. The survey listed 13,418 places. While the book originally had no formal title, in the 12th century, William’s great survey became known as the Domesday Book, and later as the Doomsday Book, in light of its comparison to the Final Judgement written of in the Bible. At that time, ‘Doom’ meant law, not ruin or death). William was also known as William the Conqueror and William the Bastard. He stated, ‘I have persecuted its native inhabitants beyond all reason. Whether gentle or simple, I have cruelly oppressed them; many I unjustly inherited; Innumerable multitudes, especially in the county of York, perished through me by famine or the sword‘.

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 2018

Lacandon

The Lacandon are one of the Maya peoples who live in the jungles of the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the southern border with Guatemala. Their homeland, the Lacandon Jungle, lies along the Mexican side of the Usumacinta River and its tributaries. The Lacandon are one of the most isolated and culturally conservative of Mexico’s native peoples. Almost extinct in 1943, today their population has grown significantly, yet remains small, at approximately 650 speakers of the Lacandon language.

Wikipedia.org

Anagram

nod canal
a clan don

Today’s quote

When in Rome, live as the Romans do; when elsewhere, live as they live elsewhere.

– Saint Ambrose

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 2018

Hunab Ku

(Mayan pronunciation: [huˈnaɓ ku]) is a Colonial period Yucatec Maya reducido term meaning “The One God”. It is used in colonial, and more particularly in doctrinal texts to refer to the Christian God. Since the word is found frequently in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel, a syncretistic document heavily influenced by Christianity, it refers specifically to the Christian god as a translation into Maya of the Christian concept of one God, used to enculturate the previously polytheist Maya to the new Colonial religion.

References to Hunab Ku have figured prominently in New Age Mayanism such as that of José Argüelles.

wikipedia.org

Anagram

a bunk uh

Today’s quote

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.

– 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 1994 – A 1,200-seat stand at a Pink Floyd concert in Earl’s Court collapses, injuring 90 people.

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.

11 October 2018

chayote

[chahy-oh-tee]

noun

1. a tropical American vine, Sechium edule, of the gourd family, having triangular leaves and small, white flowers.
2. the green or white, furrowed, usually pear-shaped, edible fruit of this plant.

Also, choyote.

Also called christophene, mirliton, vegetable pear.

Origin of chayote

Mexican Spanish Nahuat

1885-1890, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl chayohtli

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for chayote

Historical Examples

The chayote was not cultivated in Cayenne ten years ago.1353 Nothing indicates an ancient cultivation in Brazil.
Origin of Cultivated Plants
Alphonse De Candolle

Anagram

Hey taco
each toy

Today’s quote

You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’

– Maya Angelou

On this day

11 October – International Day of the Girl.

11 October 1844 – birth of Henry John Heinz, founder of Heinz Company, responsible for canned baked beans. Died 14 May 1919.

11 October 1935 – death of Steele Rudd, Australian author, (pen-name for Arthur Hoey Davis). Wrote ‘On Our Selection‘, which introduced Australia to ‘Dad and Dave’. Born 14 November 1868.

11 October 1930 – Australian Rules football club, Collingwood, win the VFL premiership for the fourth consecutive year.

11 October 1939 – German theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein explains to the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the possibility of building an atomic bomb.

11 October 1967 – premier of the childrens’ TV series, ‘Johnny Sokko and his flying robot‘.