24 March 2017
quoin
[koin, kwoin]
noun
1. an external solid angle of a wall or the like.
2. one of the stones forming it; cornerstone.
3. any of various bricks of standard shape for forming corners of brick walls or the like.
4. a wedge-shaped piece of wood, stone, or other material, used for any of various purposes.
5. Printing. a wedge of wood or metal for securing type in a chase.
verb (used with object)
6. to provide with quoins, as a corner of a wall.
7. to secure or raise with a quoin or wedge.
Also, coign, coigne.
Origin of quoin
1525-1535; variant of coin
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for quoin
Historical Examples
A third slid a quoin along the “bed” of the carriage, under the gun, to support it at the required height.
On the Spanish Main
John Masefield
In great-gun exercise, the order which prepares for adjusting the quoin.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
Porter’s quoin is adopted for all carriages requiring quoin s.
Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy.
Bureau of Ordnance, USN
This was the only time this species was observed in the quoin Hill area.
Birds from North Borneo
Max C. Thompson
A small patch of low land was discovered beyond them, between which and quoin Island appeared the proper channel.
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2
John Lort Stokes
Today’s quote
The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.
– Leo Tolstoy
On this day
24 March 1958 – Elvis Presley is conscripted into the U.S. Army as a Private. He was discharged on 2 March 1960 with the rank of Sergeant.
24 March 1989 – the oil-tanker, Exxon Valdez, is seriously damaged after running aground on a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Over 11 million gallons of crude oil was released, resulting in a five mile oil slick, which caused severe environmental damage, including the deaths of 250,000 birds, 3,000 sea otters, 300 seals, 22 killer whales and an untold number of fish.
24 March 1973 – Pink Floyd release their iconic ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ album, which is the 6th best-selling album of all time with over 40 million sales worldwide.