20 July 2017

toxophilite

[tok-sof-uh-lahyt]

noun

1. a devotee of archery; archer.

Origin of toxophilite

Greek

1785-1795; Toxophil(us) bow-lover (coined by Roger Ascham in his 1545 book so entitled; Greek tóxo(n) bow + -philos -phile ) + -ite1

Related forms

toxophilitic [tok-sof-uh-lit-ik], adjective
toxophily, noun

Dictionary.com

Anagram

lithe pix too
helix tip too
pixie hot lot

Today’s quote

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

– Lao Tsu

On this day

20 July 356 BC – birth of Alexander the Great, Macedonian King. He conquered the Persia Empire, which ruled Asia Minor, The Levant and Syria, Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia. He then invaded India before returning to Persia. He died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon, most likely by poisoning. Died 10 June 323 BC.

20 July 1919 – birth of Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first men to reach the summit of Mt Everest. Died 11 January 2008.

20 July 1969 – Apollo 11 becomes the first manned landing on the moon, with Neil Armstrong the first man to walk on the moon, followed by Edwin (Buzz) Aldren Jr. Michael Collins drew the short straw and remained in orbit in order to pick up Armstrong and Aldren later.

20 July 1973 – death of Bruce Lee (born as Lee Jun-fan), martial artist and actor. Born 27 November 1940.

20 July 1976 – birth of Andrew Stockdale, Australian rock musician, leader singer, lead guitarist and founding member of Wolfmother. In 2007, Stockdale and his Wolfmother mates, won ‘Songwriter of the Year’ at the APRA Awards. Stockdale’s vocal style has been described as a cross between Ozzy Osbourne and Robert Plant. Musically, he has been compared with Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi. He grew up in Ashgrove, Brisbane.

18 July 2017

espalier

[ih-spal-yer, -yey]

noun

1. a trellis or framework on which the trunk and branches of fruit trees or shrubs are trained to grow in one plane.
2. a plant so trained.
verb (used with object)
3. to train on an espalier.
4. to furnish with an espalier.

Origin of espalier

Italian

1655-1665; French, Middle French: trellis; Italian spalliera back rest, espalier, equivalent to spall(a) shoulder, support + -iera -ier2

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for espalier

Historical Examples

Trained as an espalier, with protection of straw or mats, it will do tolerably well throughout the Middle states.
Soil Culture
J. H. Walden

Attend to the trees lately planted, and water them often; and whatever good shoots they make, fasten them to the wall or espalier.
The Cook and Housekeeper’s Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

A beautiful portion of Holland’s glorious history affords the espalier, around which the tendrils of my narrative entwine.
The Burgomaster’s Wife, Complete
Georg Ebers

This practice is also followed in winter cabbages, which are sown in this season along an espalier border.
Buffon’s Natural History. Volume X (of 10)
Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

The U-form classifies somewhere between the cordon and the espalier.
Dwarf Fruit Trees
F. A. Waugh

Rosalie had tied the twigs to a palisade, so that, as an espalier, it could thoroughly drink in the sun’s rays.
O. T.
Hans Christian Andersen

Anagram

pale rise
real pies
pair eels

Today’s quote

I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.

– Shannon Hale

On this day

18 July – Mandela Day – An internationally recognised day to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good. Ultimately it seeks to empower communities everywhere. ‘Take Action; Inspire Change; Make Every Day a Mandela Day’. http://www.mandeladay.com/

18 July 64 AD – Great Fire of Rome.

18 July 1918 – birth of Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician. Died 5 December 2013.

18 July 1925 – Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf. He wrote the book in prison while serving a sentence for treason. Mein kampf is German for ‘My Struggle’. The book is a rambling read in which Hitler covers many concepts including what he was like as a child and the reasons for collapse of the Second Reich. At its core it expresses Hitler’s view of his plans for Germany and often blames the Jews for many of the ills that had beset Germany, including the rise of Marxism, controlling the economy, weakening the army and bastardising the white race. Throughout the book, Hitler often mentioned that his plans to combat the Jewish influence in Germany was a fulfilment of the Lord’s will.

18 July 1937 – birth of Hunter S. Thompson, American writer and gonzo journalist. Died 20 February 2005.

18 July 1950 – birth of Richard Branson, British entrepreneur.

17 July 2017

avocation

[av-uh-key-shuh n]

noun

1. something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, especially for pleasure; hobby:
Our doctor’s avocation is painting.
2. a person’s regular occupation, calling, or vocation.
3. Archaic. diversion or distraction.

Origin of avocation

Latin

1520-1530; Latin āvocātiōn- (stem of āvocātiō) a calling away. See a-4, vocation

Related forms

avocational, adjective
avocationally, adverb

Can be confused

avocation, vocation.
avocation, evocation.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for avocation

Contemporary Examples

He stammered, and read and wrote a lot of poetry (mostly in secret), an avocation he changed to photography for the novel.
Colm Toibin Describes The Creation Of His Quiet Masterpiece ‘Nora Webster’
Jennie Yabroff
November 2, 2014

I think it was more a matter of self-consciousness… I always saw writing about music as purely an avocation.
Peter Guralnick: In Love With the Life of Music
Ron Hogan
March 28, 2014

Historical Examples

Because they serve for stages of faculty and avocation upon that biological gradient of Ascent by which we climb.
Feminism and Sex-Extinction
Arabella Kenealy

They were a gay group of men, and hospitality was their avocation.
Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror
Richard Linthicum

Sire,” said the noble Surgeon Larry to Napoleon, “it is my avocation to prolong life, and not to destroy it.
Martyria
Augustus C. Hamlin

Petrarca, in his avocation of barber, was in the greatest request.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 57, No. 351, January 1845
Various

But it is the cause of a vast amount of misery amongst those who are compelled to seek a house close to their daily avocation.
Christmas Penny Readings
George Manville Fenn

I would not like to hurt your feelings by calling your avocation a trade!
Crown and Anchor
John Conroy Hutcheson

They found Joe Sanders sitting on the doorstep, with the morose aspect of a man deprived of his avocation in life.
When ‘Bear Cat’ Went Dry
Charles Neville Buck

Industry is diligence applied to some avocation, business, or profession.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
James Champlin Fernald

Anagram

to ciao van
coo at vain

Today’s quote

Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.

– Oscar Ameringer

On this day

17 July 1774 – Captain James Cook arrives in New Hebrides (now Vanuatu).

17 July 1976 – 25 African countries boycott the opening ceremony of the Montreal Olympics in protest against New Zealand’s sporting links with South Africa.

17 July 1979 – In Nicaragua, Marxist Sandinista rebels overthrow the U.S. sponsored government of President Samoza, who flees to the United States.

17 July 2013 – The Queensland Maroons rugby league team win a record 8 consecutive State of Origin series against the New South Wales Blues.

16 July 2017

fuddling cup

noun

1. an English earthenware drinking vessel of the 17th and 18th centuries, having the form of a cluster of three or more cups communicating at their bottoms in such a way that the entire vessel can be drained from any of them. A fuddling cup is a three-dimensional puzzle in the form of a drinking vessel, made of three or more cups or jugs all linked together by holes and tubes. The challenge of the puzzle is to drink from the vessel in such a way that the beverage does not spill. To do this successfully, the cups must be drunk from in a specific order.

Fuddling cups

Today’s quote

In an open society, no idea can be above scrutiny, just as no people should be beneath dignity.

– Maajid Nawaz

On this day

16 July 622 – The Prophet Mohammad escapes from Mecca and travels to Medina, marking the beginning of both Islam and the Islamic calendar.

16 July 1439 – England bans kissing in an effort to stop the spreading of germs.

15 July 2017

rowel

[rou-uh l]

noun

1. a small wheel with radiating points, forming the extremity of a spur.
2. Veterinary Medicine. a piece of leather or the like inserted beneath the skin of a horse or other animal to promote drainage of an infection.
verb (used with object), roweled, roweling or (especially British) rowelled, rowelling.
3. to prick or urge with a rowel.
4. Veterinary Medicine. to insert a rowel in.

Origin of rowel

Middle English, Middle French, Old French, Late Latin

1350-1400; Middle English rowelle < Middle French ruelle, Old French roel < Late Latin rotella, equivalent to Latin rot(a) wheel + -ella -elle

Related forms

unroweled; especially British, unrowelled, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for rowel

Historical Examples

Unbuckling the spur from her heel, she used the rowel as a knife to jab a hole in the clay.
The Sheriff’s Son
William MacLeod Raine

The shank of the spur is the bridge and road, the rowel the church and rectory.
Cradock Nowell, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Richard Doddridge Blackmore

The spurs were also richly gilded, the shank and rowel representing the thistle, and were the gift of the drummer-boys.
The Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Volume II (of 2)
Hazard Stevens

She twirled her rowel in silence for a time, her eyes fixed on it.
The Heritage of the Hills
Arthur P. Hankins

The rowel spur is found but in one or two instances during this century.
Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe
John Hewitt

I measured one which was six inches in the diameter of the rowel, and the rowel itself contained upward of thirty points.
With the World’s Great Travellers, Volume 1
Various

Anagram

lower

Today’s quote

Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

– Anton Chekhov

On this day

15 July 1099 – First Crusaders conquer Jerusalem.

15 July 1606 – birth of Rembrandt, famous Dutch painter. Died 4 October 1669.

15 July 1815 – Napoleon surrenders and is eventually exiled on the island of St Helena.

15 July 1904 – death of Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer, considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. One of the seminal figures in the birth of modernism. Chekhov was also a medical doctor. His works include ‘The Bear’, ‘The Cherry Orchard’, ‘The Seagull’, ‘The Lady with the Dog’. Born 29 January 1860.

15 July 2013 – India sends it last telegram, bringing an end to the 163 year old service. Hundreds of people attended the remaining 75 telegram offices to send their final telegrams.

14 July 2017

repast

[noun ri-past, -pahst, ree-past, -pahst; verb ri-past, -pahst]

noun

1. a quantity of food taken or provided for one occasion of eating:
to eat a light repast.
2. a meal:
the evening repast.
3. the time during which a meal is eaten; mealtime.
4. Archaic. the taking of food, as at a meal.
5. Obsolete. food.
verb (used without object)
6. to eat or feast (often followed by on or upon).

Origin of repast

Middle English, Late Latin, Latin

1300-1350; Middle English (noun); Old French, derivative (compare past; Latin pāstus fodder) of repaistre to eat a meal; Late Latin repāscere to feed regularly, equivalent to Latin re- re- + pāscere to feed (cf. pasture)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for repast

Historical Examples

The repast was short; it lasted little more than a quarter of an hour.
The Pearl of the Andes
Gustave Aimard

The Frenchmen paddled ashore and joined eagerly in the repast.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott

His repast consisted of a sandwich and a small bottle of well-frappéd champagne.
The Clarion
Samuel Hopkins Adams

When the Lapp had finished his repast he lay down to repose.
The Science of Fairy Tales
Edwin Sidney Hartland

And they hastened to regale the hungry visitors with a repast of fish.
Pioneers Of France In The New World
Francis Parkman, Jr.

Before the end of the repast he had recovered all his assurance, all his aplomb.
Samuel Brohl & Company
Victor Cherbuliez

Anagram

tapers

Today’s quote

One man’s style must not be the rule of another’s.

– Jane Austen

On this day

14 July 1789 – Bastille Day – commemorating the storming of the Bastille, a fortress-prison. Parisians feared being attacked by King Louis XVI following an economic meltdown and subsequent breakdown in communication between the royalty and the Third Estate (representing the common people and which formed the National Guard represented by the colours of red, white and blue). The Bastille represented the brutality of the monarchy, although at the time it was attacked it only held seven prisoners. The storming of the Bastille led to the French Revolution, bringing an end to feudalism and the proclamation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was influenced the US President Thomas Jefferson and declared the universal right of freedom for every person.

14 July 1881 – death (?) of William H. Bonney aka Billy ‘The Kid’. American outlaw. Legend has it that he killed 21 men, although historians believe it may have been between 4 and 9 men. He was shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett around 14 July 1881. Some conspiracy theorists believe that Bonney did not get shot that day, but that Garrett staged the shooting so that Billy ‘The Kid’ could escape. Born 23 November 1859.

12 July 2017

commodious

[kuh-moh-dee-uh s]

adjective

1. spacious and convenient; roomy:
a commodious apartment.
2. ample or adequate for a particular purpose:
a commodious harbor.

Origin of commodious

late Middle English Medieval Latin

1375-1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin commodiōsus, equivalent to Latin commodi(tās) convenience (see commodity ) + -ōsus -ous

Related forms

commodiously, adverb
commodiousness, noun
noncommodious, adjective
noncommodiously, adverb
noncommodiousness, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for commodious

Contemporary Examples

Although none of these issues are burrowed into, they scroll by in manner that is commodious and vivid.
Great Weekend Reads: 4 New Novels, November 13, 2011
Susan Salter Reynolds, Christopher Byrd, John Wilwol, Jennifer Miller
November 12, 2011

Historical Examples

Not lightly are the lives of the mariners of our commodious port to be risked for the savin’ of a penny’orth of oil.
A Son Of The Sun
Jack London

The house of Lawyer Hutchings was commodious and comfortable.
Gulmore, The Boss
Frank Harris

On the 15th of January, 1520, he came in sight of a high hill overlooking a commodious bay.
The South American Republics Part I of II
Thomas C. Dawson

Evidently this had been a big, commodious and comfortable house in its day.
Thankful’s Inheritance
Joseph C. Lincoln

These harbours are furnished with ample quay and shed-room, and also with a commodious graving-dock—the oldest in Scotland.
The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Vol 1
William Finden

She is most commodious ; the cabins are much larger than is usual in a vessel of this size.
Six Letters From the Colonies
Robert Seaton

Instead of belittling this commodious mansion, set to work at once, sir, and build us a fire.
Crestlands
Mary Addams Bayne

We knew that they were also plastered inside, so as to render them warm and commodious in winter.
The Desert Home
Mayne Reid

It is a safe and commodious harbor, and abundance of fresh water.
The World of Waters
Mrs. David Osborne

Anagram

disco moo um
do music moo

Today’s quote

Heroes need monsters to establish their heroic credentials. You need something scary to overcome.

– Margaret Atwood

On this day

12 July 1943 – The Soviet Army commences a counter-offensive in the Battle of Kursk, Russia to combat the German Army’s ‘Operation Citadel’ offensive on the Eastern Front. It was the largest tank battle in history, involving more than 8,000 tanks, 3 million troops, 35,000 guns and mortars, and more than 5,000 aircraft, between both sides. By mid-August, the Soviets had prevailed, driving the Germans out.

12 July 1950 – birth of Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello), drummer with Kiss. Died 24 November 1991.

12 July 1962 – Rolling Stones make their first live performance. The concert was at the Marquee Club on London’s Oxford St.