9 October 2017

adjunct

[aj-uhngkt]

noun

1. something added to another thing but not essential to it.
2. a person associated with lesser status, rank, authority, etc., in some duty or service; assistant.
3. a person working at an institution, as a college or university, without having full or permanent status:
My lawyer works two nights a week as an adjunct, teaching business law at the college.
4. Grammar. a modifying form, word, or phrase depending on some other form, word, or phrase, especially an element of clause structure with adverbial function.
adjective
5. joined or associated, especially in an auxiliary or subordinate relationship.
6. attached or belonging without full or permanent status:
an adjunct surgeon on the hospital staff.

Origin of adjunct

Latin

1580-1590; Latin adjunctus joined to (past participle of adjungere), equivalent to ad- ad- + jung- (nasal variant of jug- yoke1) + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms

adjunctly, adverb

Synonyms

1. appendix, supplement. 2. aide, attaché.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for adjunct

Contemporary Examples

She appeared at his side, impish smile in place, dutiful, fragrantly rather than ferociously sexy, and—frustratingly—an adjunct.
How Can Katie Holmes Escape Tom Cruise—and ‘Dawson’s Creek’?
Tim Teeman
October 29, 2014

At first Wales and Sanger conceived of Wikipedia merely as an adjunct to Nupedia, sort of like a feeder product or farm team.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story
Walter Isaacson
October 18, 2014

Bouts of landays may be a formal part of a family gathering or may emerge more spontaneously as an adjunct to collective labor.
Beauty and Subversion in the Secret Poems of Afghan Women
Daniel Bosch
April 5, 2014

“They got letters,” says Simo Muir, adjunct professor of Jewish Studies at Helsinki University.
The Jews Who Fought for Hitler: ‘We Did Not Help the Germans. We Had a Common Enemy’
The Telegraph
March 9, 2014

The students I teach as an adjunct are pointed toward midlevel careers.
We Overvalue College
Professor X
September 10, 2011

Historical Examples

What remains of the former cathedral is now an adjunct to a hotel.
The Cathedrals of Northern France
Francis Miltoun

When I get a photograph I treasure it as an adjunct to the sketch.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America

As an adjunct to class work, the travelling library is proposed.
The Arena
Various

Sails can sometimes be used with advantage on the komatik as an adjunct.
A Labrador Doctor
Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

If the adjunct is placed elsewhere, different considerations apply.
“Stops”
Paul Allardyce

Anagram

jan duct

Today’s quote

We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.

– Che Guevara

On this day

9 October 1940 – birth of John Lennon. English guitarist and singer-songwriter for the Beatles. Murdered 8 December 1980.

9 October 1967 – death of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Argentinian Marxist revolutionary, physician, author. Executed in Bolivia. Born 14 June 1928.

9 October 1969 – birth of P.J. Harvey, English musician.

9 October 1975 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet dissident, wins Nobel Peace Prize.

8 October 2017

conflagration

[kon-fluh-grey-shuh n]

noun

1. a destructive fire, usually an extensive one.

Origin of conflagration

Latin

1545-1555; < Latin conflagrātiōn- (stem of conflagrātiō), equivalent to conflagrāt(us) past participle of conflagrāre to burn up ( con- con- + flagr- (akin to fulgur lightning, flamma flame, Greek phlóx; see phlox ) + -ātus -ate1) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

conflagrative, adjective

See flame.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for conflagration

Contemporary Examples

The fires that corporate America lit have now become a conflagration beyond its control.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party
Jack Schwartz
December 7, 2013

A century ago, miscalculation was greatly to blame for thrusting Europe into a conflagration.
Mideast War in Our Time?
Jamie Dettmer
May 30, 2013

The Boston Marathon bombings reminded the world how quickly a celebration can turn into a conflagration.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing
Nadette De Visser
April 28, 2013

The canisters, McMahon said, are to blame for the conflagration.
How Christopher Dorner Went Down
Christine Pelisek
February 13, 2013

The conflagration in Congress is spreading to singe, if not consume, critical decisions across the board.
Washington’s Endless Civil War
Robert Shrum
January 10, 2013

Historical Examples

Isabel herself had scarcely time for escape, so rapid was the conflagration.
Leila, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

You’re liable to start a conflagration you can’t stop, and that may consume yourself, is all.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower

Then a shower of sparks rose high in the air and the conflagration subsided.
The Downfall
Emile Zola

Presently, as the conflagration waned, they opened their eyes.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
Various

“A costly blaze that,” said Hoare, as he watched the conflagration.
Roland Cashel
Charles James Lever

Anagram

carnation flog
nonfatal corgi
fatal crooning
factoring loan

Today’s quote

You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!

– John Lennon

On this day

8 October 1769 – Captain James Cook lands at Poverty Bay, New Zealand.

8 October 1939 – birth of Paul Hogan, Australian actor.

8 October 1970 – Soviet dissident author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins Nobel Price for Literature. Author of ‘The Gulag Archipelago‘.

8 October 1971 – John Lennon releases the iconic song, ‘Imagine’.

8 October 1980 – Bob Marley collapses on stage in New York. The following day he collapses while jogging in Central Park. He is diagnosed with a brain tumour, which developed from a melanoma that had spread from his toe. He died on 11 May 1981.

6 October 2017

Boeotian

[bee-oh-shuh n]

adjective

1. of or relating to Boeotia or its inhabitants.
2. dull; obtuse; without cultural refinement.
noun
3. a native or inhabitant of Boeotia.
4. a dull, obtuse person; Philistine.

Origin of Boeotian

1590-1600 First recorded in 1590-1600; Boeoti(a) + -an
Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Boeotian Expand

Historical Examples

Very true, said Cebes, laughing gently and speaking in his native Boeotian.
Phaedo
Plato

This was a certain Apollonides there present, who spoke in the Boeotian dialect.
Anabasis
Xenophon

This does no more prove that Hector was a Boeotian than that he was an Athenian.
The World of Homer
Andrew Lang

Anagram

atone obi
an oboe tin

Today’s quote

Love is the most transformative medicine For Love slowly transforms you Into what psychedelics only get you to glimpse.

― Ram Dass

On this day

6 October 1961 – President John F. Kennedy advises Americans to build fall-out shelters, as Cold War paranoia continues to grow.

6 October 1966 – LSD, a synthetic hallucinogenic drug, is declared illegal in the United States.

6 October 1978 – death of Johnny O’Keefe, Australian rock and roll legend. Known as J.O.K. or ‘The Wild One’. Born 19 January 1935.

5 October 2017

demijohn

[dem-i-jon]

noun

1. a large bottle having a short, narrow neck, and usually being encased in wickerwork.

Origin of demijohn

French

1760-1770; by folk etymology < French dame-jeanne, apparently special use of proper name

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for demijohn

Historical Examples

Let it stand six weeks in a demijohn or glass jar, and then bottle it.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

Put the liquid into a glass jar or a demijohn, and let it stand a fortnight.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

Put the mixture into a stone jug, or a demijohn, and cork it tightly.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

“I—that demijohn that you took last night,” began the Briton nervously.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling

A simple tank can be made from a large water bottle or demijohn.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America

The demijohn was introduced, and all paid their respects to it.
The Citizen-Soldier
John Beatty

The man with the demijohn gave a curious hop, skip and jump.
Rimrock Trail
J. Allan Dunn

He lifted the demijohn of whiskey from the table and shook it.
Mrs. Skaggs’s Husbands and Other Stories
Bret Harte

When clear, pour it carefully from the sediment into a demijohn.
Housekeeping in Old Virginia
Marion Cabell Tyree

He returned to the table, carrying a demijohn, which he banged upon the table.
The Border Legion
Zane Grey

Anagram

John dime

Today’s quote

Help one another. It is the only way to survive.

– Elie Wiesel

On this day

5 October 1902 – birth of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds … and the Big Mac … Died 14 January 1984.

5 October 1945 – Hollywood Black Friday – following a 6 month strike by set decorators, a violent riot breaks out at the gates of Warner Brothers studio. 300 police are called and 40 people are injured.

5 October 1945 – birth of Brian Connolly, Scottish rocker, lead singer of Sweet (Fox on the Run, Ballroom Blitz, Teenage Rampage, Action). Died 9 February 1997.

5 October 1947 – birth of Brian Johnson, English rocker, lead singer of AC/DC, replacing Bon Scott.

5 October 1951 – birth of Bob Geldoff, Irish singer for the Boomtown Rats.

5 October 1962 – the Beatle’s first single is released, ‘Love Me Do’. Although a Lennon-McCartney composition, it was primarily written by Paul in 1958-9 while he was wagging school. The song reached # 17 in the UK and was the # 1 hit in the U.S.A. in 1964.

5 October 1969 – Monty Python’s Flying Circus first broadcast on BBC-TV.

5 October 2011 – death of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. Born 24 February 1955.

3 October 2017

croon

[kroon]

verb (used without object)

1. to sing or hum in a soft, soothing voice:
to croon to a baby.
2. to sing in an evenly modulated, slightly exaggerated manner:
Popular singers began crooning in the 1930s.
3. to utter a low murmuring sound.
4. Scot. and North England.
to bellow; low.
to lament; mourn.

verb (used with object)

5. to sing (a song) in a crooning manner.
6. to lull by singing or humming to in a soft, soothing voice:
to croon a child to sleep.
noun
7. the act or sound of crooning.

Origin of croon

Middle English

1350-1400; Middle English cronen < Middle Dutch: to lament

Related forms

crooner, noun

crooningly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for croon

Contemporary Examples

“I love the buttery crust, but I love the meat just as much,” they croon.
‘We Can’t Stop’ a Cappella, Coffee Shop Telekinesis; More Viral Videos
Natasha Bach
October 12, 2013
He even enlists Mary J. Blige to croon an emotional bridge about how much he loves Mothah Killah.

Seven Best Rap Songs About Moms for Mother’s Day (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
May 11, 2013

Vidal smiled and began to croon the song softly into my ear.
Remembering the Surprisingly Vulnerable Gore Vidal
Lee Siegel
July 31, 2012

Alicia Keyes and John Legend will croon, while Cameron Diaz, Forest Whitaker, Salma Hayek and Lucy Liu add sparkle.
Al Gore Speaks, Colbert Sings and Other TV Highlights
Nicole Ankowski
November 22, 2008

Historical Examples

And croon they did through the long crowded way to Covent Garden.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward

Then she began to croon to it, swinging it gently from side to side.
In Court and Kampong
Hugh Clifford

The croon of the old lady thrummed in his ears with endless repetition.
The Blind Spot
Austin Hall

Wake, then, if you may not sleep, but only to watch the moon rising and hear the croon of the sea.
The Debatable Land
Arthur Colton

Sometimes there was a croon in the voice, sometimes a touch of decrepit anger.
The Hill of Venus
Nathan Gallizier

She had one song of “the Savior” which she delighted to croon.
The Incendiary
W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

Anagram

or con

Today’s quote

There’s a big difference between falling in love with someone and falling in love with someone and getting married. Usually, after you get married, you fall in love with the person even more.

– Dave Grohl

On this day

3 October 1226 – death of St Francis of Assisi, Italian friar and founder of the men’s Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St Clare and the Third Order of St Francis. Although these are all Catholic Orders, he was never ordained as a Catholic priest. Born 26 September 1181.

3 October 1925 – birth of Gore Vidal, American author, playwright, essayist and political activist. Died 31 July 2012.

3 October 1942 – Nazi Germany becomes the first nation to reach space with the launch of the V2 rocket fuelled by alcohol and liquid oxygen, which travelled 190 kilometres, taking it into the Earth’s thermosphere. The V2 was the world’s first long-range ballistic missile which Hitler’s forces used to great effect against the Allied armies. The V2 was developed by Werner von Braun (the Father of Rocket Science), who later worked on the American rocket and space program. Following the war, the Soviet Union and the USA raced to develop rocket technology so head-hunted former Nazi rocket scientists and acquired samples of the V2.

2 October 2017

fictive

[fik-tiv]

adjective

1. fictitious; imaginary.
2. pertaining to the creation of fiction :
fictive inventiveness.

Origin of fictive

1485-1495, First recorded in 1485-95; fict(ion) + -ive

Related forms

fictively, adverb
nonfictive, adjective
nonfictively, adverb

Can be confused

factitious, fictional, fictitious, fictive.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for fictive

Contemporary Examples

In the first decades of the twentieth century, Iran introduced ID cards. Rather than adopting the traditional method of naming people by patronym or by place name, the country gave its men the opportunity to pick their own surnames. Here was a rarely made journey into mass invention – millions of fictive acts, officially endorsed, on a national scale – and, what is more, undertaken for the sake of  no trifling matter. Names are powerful things in Iranian culture. A name defines you. And for people enchanted by words and poetry, this opportunity to define their legacy and shape their people was met with enthusiasm.
One Halal of a Story
Sam Dastyari

My goal (not my achievement, my goal) was to work like Joan Didion in a fictive realm.
The Perils of the Teen
Jill Bialosky
August 17, 2011

Historical Examples

Who knew of Ram-tah’s fictive origin, or even of Ram-tah at all?
Bunker Bean
Harry Leon Wilson

Its grossness must be transposed, as it were, to a fictive scale, a scale of fainter tints and generalized signs.
Picture and Text
Henry James

Anagram

if civet
fit vice
if ice TV

Today’s quote

Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys.

– Rita Schiano

On this day

2 October 1803 – death of Samuel Adams, American revolutionary and founding father. Born 27 September 1722.

2 October 1869 – birth of Mohandas Gandhi. Leader the campaign for Indian independence from British rule through non-violent disobedience. Assassinated 30 January 1948 by a Hindu nationalist opposed to the partitioning of India, who believed Gandhi was favouring the creation of the Muslim state of Pakistan.

2 October – International Day of Non-violence. This day was chosen because it is the anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi’s birth.

1 October 2017

tosh(1)

[tosh]

noun, Chiefly British Informal.

1. nonsense; bosh.

Origin of tosh(1)

1890-95; perhaps blend of trash + bosh1

tosh(2)

[tosh] Scot.

verb (used with object)

1. to make neat or tidy.
adjective
2. neat; tidy.

Origin

First recorded in 1770-80; origin uncertain

Related forms

toshly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tosh

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

How tiresome is the tosh written in the papers and spoken in Parliament about the war!
War Letters of a Public-School Boy
Paul Jones.

Into that tosh the house was invited to pour any fluid that could be spared.
The Hill
Horace Annesley Vachell

Before everybody—all this tosh —I mean all this stuff I wrote.
Regiment of Women
Clemence Dane

“Not that particular kind of tosh, perhaps,” agreed Mackenzie.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, Feb. 12, 1919
Various

Anagram

shot

Today’s quote

If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

– Roald Dahl

On this day

1 October – International Day of Older Persons.

1 October – World Vegetarian Day.

1 October 1867 – ‘Das Kapital‘ by Karl Marx first published.

1 October 1869 – The world’s first postcards are issued in Vienna, Austria.

1 October 1893 – birth of Yip Man, Wing Chun Kung Fu grand-master. Immortalised in the movie, Ip Man. Died 2 December 1972.

1 October 1908 – the Model T Ford rolls out.

1 October 1918 – Damascus captured by Arab forces under the direction of Lawrence of Arabia (T.E. Lawrence) in World War I.

1 October 1942 – Little Golden Books commences publishing.

1 October 1957 – United States commences printing ‘In God We Trust’ on its paper currency.

1 October 1958 – Britain transfers Christmas Island to Australia.