20 May 2018

duenna

[doo-en-uh, dyoo-]

noun

1. (in Spain and Portugal) an older woman serving as escort or chaperon of a young lady.
2. a governess.

Origin of duenna

Spanish Latin

1660-1670; < Spanish duenna (now dueña) < Latin domina, feminine of dominus master

Related forms

duennaship, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for duenna

Historical Examples

She felt that she had been rather remiss in her duties as duenna, and was angry with herself.
Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon

It is to be observed the duenna was of a most obliging disposition.
Gomez Arias
Joaqun Telesforo de Trueba y Coso

Then the duenna resumed, and now came the worst of her story.
The Story of Don Quixote
Arvid Paulson, Clayton Edwards, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

He told me that O’Brien had the duenna called to his room that morning.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

They must be torn away at once, or my character as duenna is lost for ever.’
Shawl-Straps
Louisa M. Alcott

The duenna entered, and remained standing before her master.
The Pearl of Lima
Jules Verne

She kept me in sight like a duenna, and strangely ill-treated me.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13
Elbert Hubbard

Mary’s duenna ;—the artist who is supposed to be moulding the wife.
Orley Farm
Anthony Trollope

That’s her instituted governess, duenna, dragon, what you will.
The Adventures of Harry Richmond, Complete
George Meredith

The Sisters are the only duenna for you; and back to the convent you shall go to-morrow.
Remember the Alamo
Amelia E. Barr

Anagram

an dune

Today’s quote

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal … Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses.

– C.S. Lewis

On this day

20 May 325 – commencement of the First Council of Nicea, a cabal of 1800 bishops convened by Roman Emperor Constantine I (Constantine the Great) to gain consensus within the church for various doctrinal issues, such as the divinity of Christ, the Holy Trinity and the date for Easter which were articulated in the ‘Creed of Nicea’. The Council concluded on 25 August 325.

20 May 1896 – a 6 ton chandlier falls from the ceiling of the Palais Garnier, Paris, onto the crowd below. One person is killed and many injured. The theatre was used as the setting for Gaston Leroux’s novel, Phantom of the Opera.

20 May 1944 – birth of Joe Cocker. English rock and blues singer. His first big hit was in 1968 with his cover of the Beatles song, ‘With a Little Help from my Friends’, which he performed at Woodstock the year later. In 1972, while touring Australia, he and six band members were arrested in Adelaide for possession of cannabis. The following day he was charged with assault following a brawl in Melbourne. Australian Federal Police gave him 48 hours to leave the country and banned him from re-entry. From this he earned the nickname ‘Mad-dog’. The incident raised the profile of cannabis legalisation in Australia. He toured Australia again in 1975, after the new Labor government allowed him back into the country. He won a Grammy Award in 1983 and was awarded an OBE in 2007. Died 22 December 2014.

20 May 1998 – The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was formally announced. It was formed by major technology companies, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Toshiba and Nokia to develop a standard low-range radio standard that could connect disparate items, such as phones to headsets, regardless of the manufacturers. After considering a number of names for the technology, including Flirt (with the catchphrase ‘getting close, but not touching’), the SIG settled on the name Bluetooth, which was named after a 10th century Viking king, Harald Blatand, which translates as Bluetooth. He was so named because he had a dead tooth that turned blue from all the blueberries he ate. The name was proposed by Jim Kardach of Intel, who was reading a historical novel about vikings, by Frans G. Bengtsson called The Long Ships. Harald Bluetooth had united disparate Dane tribes to form a united Denmark. The Bluetooth logo is a bind rune which combines the two runic letters H and B, for Harald Bluetooth.

19 May 2018

iconoclast

[ahy-kon-uh-klast]

noun

1. a person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition.
2. a breaker or destroyer of images, especially those set up for religious veneration.

Origin of iconoclast

Medieval Latin, Medieval Greek

1590-1600; < Medieval Latin īconoclastēs < Medieval Greek eikonoklástēs, equivalent to Greek eikono- icono- + -klastēs breaker, equivalent to klas- (variant stem of klân to break) + -tēs agent noun suffix

Related forms

iconoclastic, adjective

Synonyms

1. nonconformist, rebel, dissenter, radical.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for iconoclast

Contemporary Examples

Concerned and kind, he was also the ultimate risk taker, an iconoclast with an edgy, hard charging quality about him.
They Murdered My Friend
Sandra McElwaine
November 17, 2008

Historical Examples

I am an iconoclast and have broken my god and cannot put together the pieces.
Outdoor Sketching
Francis Hopkinson Smith

I would like to say that I have no fear of the odium of the designation of iconoclast.
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 2, April 1906
Various

There is no iconoclast in the world like an extreme Mohammedan.
A Desert Drama
A. Conan Doyle

There was nothing of the revolutionary or the iconoclast about him.
The Expositor’s Bible: The Epistle to the Galatians
G. G. Findlay

Oliver Cromwell wasn’t as moral as Anabel is—nor such an iconoclast.
Touch and Go
D. H. Lawrence

I was ordered to answer it; and opposed the iconoclast to his Icon.
An Introduction to the Prose and Poetical Works of John Milton
Hiram Corson

The iconoclast that is in the heart of this poet is rampant.
Egoists
James Huneker

This gentle remonstrance only made the iconoclast more furious.
Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum
John Healy

Her husband had been iconoclast, and he scourged those who would not receive his edict.
Constantinople
William Holden Hutton

Anagram

laconic sot
lost cocain
coca tonsil
cool antics

Today’s quote

Money is numbers and numbers never end. It it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.

– Bob Marley

On this day

19 May 1536 – Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, incest and treason.

19 May 1568 – Queen Elizabeth I orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots.

19 May 1895 – Death of José Julián Martí Pérez, (José Martí), Cuban national hero, nicknamed The Maestro. He was a poet, essayist, revolutionary philosopher. Fought for Cuba’s independence from Spain. Martí’s poetry is respected across the globe. One of his poems was adapted into the song, Guantanamera. Born 28 January 1853.

19 May 1897 – Oscar Wilde released from Reading Gaol.

19 May 1909 – birth of Sir Nicholas Winton, MBE, British humanitarian who rescued 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1938, shortly after Kristallnacht. Most of the children were Jewish. He arranged their safe passage to Britain and found homes for them. As war loomed, Winton registered as a conscientious objector and registered for work with the Red Cross. He rescinded his objection in 1940 and served with the Royal Air Force. Winton kept quiet about the rescue of the 669 children, not even telling his wife, Grete. It wasn’t until 1988, when Grete found a scrapbook in their attic that detailed the children, their parents’ names, and the names and addresses of the people they moved in with in Britain. She was able to locate 80 of the children. Later that year, she took Nicholas along to the filming of the BBC-TV show That’s Life. Unexpectedly for Winton, his scrapbook was shown on camera and his exploits detailed. When the host asked if anyone in the audience owed their life to Winton, more than two dozen people stood up, surrounding and applauding him.

19 May 1925 – birth of Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist. He campaigned for the rights of African-Americans. At the age of 20, while in prison, he joined the ‘Nation of Islam’, a group that preached black supremacy. He eventually became disillusioned with it and its leader, Elijah Muhammad. On 8 March 1964, he publicly announced he had left the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X founded Muslim Mosque Inc and the Organisation of Afro-American Unity. He converted to Sunni Islam, revoked black supremacy and preached equal rights. He was assassinated on 21 February 1965 by three members of the Nation of Islam; Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan), Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson. All three were convicted, although Butler and Johnson maintained their innocence.

19 May 1962 – Marilyn Monroe sings a seductive version of ‘Happy Birthday‘ to President John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday. She was introduced to the stage as the ‘late’ Marilyn Monroe. Less than three months later, Monroe was found dead. The dress Monroe wore was designed by Jean Louis and sold at auction in 1999 for more than $1,200,000. It was a sheer, flesh coloured dress with 2,500 rhinestones.

19 May 2014 – Death of Sir John Arthur ‘Jack’ Brabham AO OBE, Australian racing legend, 3 times Formula One world champion (1959, 1960, 1966). Born 2 April 1926.

17 May 2018

termagant

[tur-muh-guh nt]

noun

1. a violent, turbulent, or brawling woman.
2. (initial capital letter) a mythical deity popularly believed in the Middle Ages to be worshiped by the Muslims and introduced into the morality play as a violent, overbearing personage in long robes.
adjective
3. violent; turbulent; brawling; shrewish.

Origin of termagant

Middle English, Old French

1175-1225; Middle English Termagaunt, earlier Tervagaunt, alteration of Old French Tervagan name of the imaginary deity

Related forms

termagantly, adverb

Synonyms

1. shrew, virago, harridan, scold.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for termagant

Historical Examples

His wife is a shrew, a termagant, who embitters every hour of his existence.
The Lion’s Skin
Rafael Sabatini

The child must not be suffered to grow up into a termagant —you will admit that, I hope?
Brother Copas
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

This bride was a canting hypocrite of sixty-three, covetous, and a termagant.
The Life and Adventures of Baron Trenck
Baron Trenck

She seemed to be a sort of termagant, and she said nobody said that about her unless you told them.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4, 1919
Various

There are two claimants on the Milanese, then; the Spanish termagant, and he?
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XII. (of XXI.)
Thomas Carlyle

Not to a woman; but I’m sometimes forced to do so to a termagant.
The Evil Eye; Or, The Black Spector
William Carleton

And I was the termagant who must have put it there, though I have no memory of doing so.
The Prairie Child
Arthur Stringer

It was as if Elizabeth had put herself into the situation of a termagant wife.
The Town
Leigh Hunt

She may be a fool—she may be a termagant —she may be what you please—but—but she has money.
The Cock and Anchor
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Why, what a bloody-minded, inveterate, termagant strumpet have I been plagued with!
Thomas Otway
Thomas Otway

Anagram

get mantra
rat magnet
anger Matt
a tram gent

Today’s quote

Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.

– William Faulkner

On this day

17 May – International Day Against Homophobia.

17 May 2000 – Thomas Blanton Jr and Bobby Frank Cherry, former Ku Klux Klan members, are arrested and charged with murder for the 1963 bombing of a church in Alabama which killed four girls. The two men were sentenced to life in prison.

17 May 2012 – Disco singer, Donna Summer dies from lung cancer. She was born on 31 December 1948.

16 May 2018

censer

[sen-ser]

noun

1. a container, usually covered, in which incense is burned, especially during religious services; thurible.

Origin of censer

Middle English, Medieval Latin

1200-1250; Middle English < Anglo-French, aphetic variant of ensenser < Medieval Latin incensārium. See incense1, -er2

Can be confused

censer, censor, censure, sensor.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for censer

Historical Examples

The censer was made of iron, and was so large one could not clasp it with both arms.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various

Stole on the winds through the woodland aisles like the breath of a censer.
Poems
William D. Howells

He had a big can of water, which he swung like a censer as he danced.
Despair’s Last Journey
David Christie Murray

He stood in the middle of the room, staring from Venus to altar-cloth, from altar-cloth to censer.
Peak and Prairie
Anna Fuller

This Absolon, that jolif was and gay, Gooth with a sencer ( censer) on the haliday.
The Romance of Names
Ernest Weekley

Or sometimes the incense is lighted and put in the censer by one of the priests employed.
Moon Lore
Timothy Harley

The gods must have their incense from the right kind of censer.
Visions and Revisions
John Cowper Powys

The most elaborate is the censer, which has been already given.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 5. (of 7): Persia
George Rawlinson

Their religion stops with the altar and the censer —the material things.
In League with Israel
Annie F. Johnston

Among the uses suggested are those of a censer and a lantern.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume IV
Hubert Howe Bancroft

Anagram

screen

Today’s quote

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

– Rumi

On this day

16 May 1920 – Joan of Arc is canonised (declared a saint) by the Catholic Church. In 1431, the Catholic Church accused her of heresy. She was subsequently ex-communicated and burnt at the stake. The church later nullified her ex-communication, declaring her a matyr who was unjustly executed because of a vendetta by the English (who controlled the Inquisitorial Court in occupied France). She was beatified (given the title of Blessed and the ability to intercede on behalf of those who pray to her) in 1909 prior to her canonisation in 1920.

16 May 1990 – death of Jim Henson, American muppeteer (Sesame Street, the Muppet Show). Born 24 September 1936.

16 May 1944 – birth of Danny Trejo, American actor (Desperado, Machete, Con-Air).

16 May 1945 – birth of Nicky Chinn, British songwriter and record producer. In conjunction with Queensland-born Mike Chapman, he wrote hit singles for Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Racey, Smokie and Tina Turner.

16 May 2010 – death of Ronald James Padavona, otherwise known as Ronny James Dio, heavy metal singer. Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer of Black Sabbath, for two years before leaving after disagreements with other band members. Dio was also associated with Rainbow, Dio, and Elf. Born 12 July 1942.

15 May 2018

spinet

[spin-it]

noun

1. a small upright piano.
2. a small, square piano.
3. any of various small harpsichords.
4. Also called spinet organ. a small electric organ.

Origin of spinet

French, Italian

1655-1665; aphetic variant of obsolete espinette < French < Italian spinetta, probably equivalent to spin(a) thorn (see spine ) + -etta diminutive suffix; the existence of an instrument-maker named Spinetti is unverified

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for spinet

Contemporary Examples

I went into the smoking-room and sat down before the spinet.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers

February 20, 2014

Historical Examples

There are two theories as to the origin of the name ” spinet.”
How the Piano Came to Be
Ellye Howell Glover

There are interesting old books on the virginals, harpsichord, and spinet.
The Book-Hunter at Home
P. B. M. Allan

She had been taking lessons on the spinet, but the painting was a great rival.
A Little Girl in Old Salem
Amanda Minnie Douglas

Her laugh was sweet and tinkly, like the upper notes of a spinet.
IT and Other Stories
Gouverneur Morris

Do you think that you could learn to play the spinet, Jenny?
True to His Home
Hezekiah Butterworth

Now I know it is a spinet I heard humming—I told you about it, mother.
True to His Home
Hezekiah Butterworth

Breathing hard, Groverzb rose and gingerly lifted the spinet ‘s lid.
Quiet, Please
Kevin Scott

Then the order was given, ” spinet, be silent,” and all was quiet.
Harper’s Young People, May 11, 1880
Various

This spinet remained one of Verdi’s most treasured possessions.
Verdi: Man and Musician
Frederick James Crowest

Anagram

I spent
its pen

Today’s quote

Great anger and violence can never build a nation.

– Nelson Mandela

On this day

15 May – The Nakba (Day of the Catastrophe), Palestine – commemoration of the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians and the depopulation and destruction of at least 400 villages during the establishment of Israel in 1948.

15 May 1970 – At Jackson State University in Mississippi, police open fire on students who were protesting against the Vietnam and Cambodian Wars, killing two and injuring twelve.

14 May 2018

torrid

[tawr-id, tor-]

adjective

1. subject to parching or burning heat, especially of the sun, as a geographical area:
the torrid sands of the Sahara.
2. oppressively hot, parching, or burning, as climate, weather, or air.
3. ardent; passionate:
a torrid love story.

Origin of torrid

Latin

1580-1590; < Latin torridus dried up, parched, equivalent to torr(ēre) to parch, burn (see torrent, thirst ) + -idus -id4

Related forms

torridity, torridness, noun
torridly, adverb
hypertorrid, adjective
hypertorridly, adverb
hypertorridness, noun

Synonyms

1. tropical. 2. scorching, fiery.

Antonyms

1. arctic. 2. frigid. 3. cool.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for torrid

Contemporary Examples

It is tasked with mitigating environmental destruction brought on by three and a half decades of torrid growth.
Why China Won’t Eclipse the United States
Ali Wyne
June 12, 2014

They look at each other meaningfully—and repair to the boiler room for some torrid sex.
‘Halt and Catch Fire’ and AMC’s Push to Reset Dramas
Andrew Romano
May 30, 2014

The pace of fourth quarter growth is nowhere near as torrid – about 2.3 percent according to Macroeconomic Advisers.
Bad News for People Who Like Bad News
Daniel Gross
December 20, 2013

Basil, cucumber, mangoes, the cooing of turtledoves on torrid afternoons, the screech of buses coming to a sudden halt.
André Aciman: How I Write
Noah Charney
November 28, 2012

Michelle Cottle on the ballad of Johnny and Rielle—and the lessons we can all learn from their torrid affair.
What You Can Learn From John Edwards and Rielle Hunter
Michelle Cottle
June 27, 2012

Historical Examples

But in the height of summer the heat is torrid on the Roof of France.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards

Bitter indeed must be the wintry blast, torrid the rays of summer here.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards

Then it entered into a zone of torrid light which the sun threw on the waves.
A Romance of the West Indies
Eugne Sue

We have valleys and we have mountains; we have torrid and we have temperate zones.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America

It seemed as if the torrid days of late summer were harder to bear than July had been.
The Forbidden Trail
Honor Willsie

Anagram

rid rot

Today’s quote

I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity or anything else … Kindness — that simple word. To be kind — it covers everything, to my mind. If you’re kind that’s it.

– Roald Dahl

On this day

14 May 1796 – Edward Jenner gives the first smallpox vaccination.

14 May 1879 – the first group of indentured Indians labourers arrive in Fiji aboard the Leonidas.

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

14 May 1929 – Wilfred Rhodes takes his 4,000th first-class wicket at Leyton, after bowling 9/39. He played 58 test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. He was the first Englishman to complete both 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test cricket. He went on to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in individual first-class seasons a record 16 times. He retired with first-class totals of 4,204 wickets and 39,969 runs. In Tests he retired with 127 wickets and 2,325 runs.

14 May 1939 – Lina Medina (born 27 September 1933 in Peru) becomes the world’s youngest confirmed mother at the age of five. She gave birth by a caesarean section, to a boy, weighing 2.7kg (6.0lb). He was named Gerardo after the doctor who delivered him. He was raised believing Lina was his sister and was told the truth at the age of 10. Gerardo died in 1979, aged 40, of a bone marrow disease. Following Gerardo’s birth, Lina was diagnosed with extreme ‘precocious puberty’, in which puberty occurs at an unusually early age. It was initially reported that she hit puberty by the age of three, however, a further medical report indicated she had commenced puberty by eight months old. Lina never revealed who the father was or the circumstances of her impregnation. Lina later married and had a second child in 1972, when she was 39. She presently lives in Lima, Peru.

14 May 1948 – the modern nation of Israel is established by proclamation of the Jewish Agency headed by David Ben-Gurion, following the United Nations adoption of Resolution 181 on 29 November 1947.

12 May 2018

onset

[on-set, awn-]

noun

1. a beginning or start:
the onset of winter.
2. an assault or attack:
an onset of the enemy.
3. Phonetics. the segment of a syllable preceding the nucleus, as the gr in great.
Compare coda (def 5), core1(def 14).

Origin of onset

1525-1535; on + set, after the verb phrase set on

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for onset

Contemporary Examples

I was never sure whether this was phlegm or the onset of lunacy.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?
Clive Irving
December 14, 2014

Believe it or not, a break at the onset of mild cramps may let you play in the game for longer.
A Lesson From LeBron James’ Game One Nightmare
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
June 7, 2014

The adults then burn one down but realize drugs are less fun with the onset of parental responsibilities.
‘Silicon Valley’ and the Return of Stoner Television
Rich Goldstein
April 10, 2014

He remembers how confused and scared people were by the onset of AIDS.
Matthew McConaughey In ‘Dallas Buyers Club’: From Bongos to Oscar Contender
Marlow Stern
October 30, 2013

Then there is the argument that there is no clear chain of evidence linking an enemy action to the onset of PTSD.
How The Purple Heart Can Help Heal Veterans with PTSD
Benjamin Tupper
August 23, 2013

Historical Examples

The onset and the issue were like the passage and destruction of a whirlwind.
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper

He met their onset with a firm, steady foot, and fired straight at their heads.
The Field of Ice
Jules Verne

As an eagle descendeth on its prey, so rusheth my kinsman to the onset.
Wilson’s Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume VI
Various

They were also greatly elated with the success which had crowned the first onset.
Three Years in the Federal Cavalry
Willard Glazier

Had I known this, I could have marked the onset with a less failing spirit.
Charles O’Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 2 (of 2)
Charles Lever

Anagram

stone
tones
notes

Today’s quote

We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities.

– Oscar Wilde

On this day

12 May 1932 – the body of the Lindbergh baby is found near to the Lindbergh residence. The baby was the son of famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, and had been kidnapped days earlier. The kidnapper had accidentally killed the baby during the kidnapping and abandoned the body in a nearby forest.

12 May 1937 – King George VI is crowned King of Britain (and it’s colonies) at Westminster Abbey, following the abdication of his brother.

12 May 1980 – death of Bette Nesmith Graham. Bette is the inventor of Liquid Paper. Her son, Mike Nesmith, was a member of 1960s UK/American pop/rock band, The Monkees. Born 23 March 1924 in Dallas, Texas.

12 May 1994 – in response to thousands acts of violence in the USA against abortion clinics and their patients, a bill is submitted to President Clinton making it a federal crime to prevent access to an abortion clinic or to threaten or use force against people attending the clinics. The bill resulted in the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act 1994. Between 1978 and 1993 anti-abortion (or pro-life) activists had been responsible for at least 9 murders, 17 attempted murders, 406 death threats, 179 acts of assault, 5 kidnappings of abortion providers, 41 bombings, 96 attempted bombings or arsons, 692 bomb threats, 1993 incidents of trespassing, 1400 incidents of vandalism and 100 attacks with butyric acid (stink bombs).