31 May 2017

manumit

[man-yuh-mit]

verb (used with object), manumitted, manumitting.

1. to release from slavery or servitude.

Origin of manumit

late Middle English Latin

1375-1425; late Middle English < Latin manūmittere, earlier manū ēmittere to send away from (one’s) hand, i.e., to set free. See manus, emit

Related forms

manumitter, noun
unmanumitted, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for manumit

Historical Examples

We think, if any manumit, before we license them to part, they do usurp a power is ours by nature.
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12 (of 15)
Robert Dodsley

Even baptism did not manumit him unless the owner were a Moor or a Jew.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1
Henry Charles Lea

Suppose the South should manumit their slaves, will the North receive and educate them?
A Review of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
A. Woodward

Anagram

a tin mum

Today’s quote

Turn on, Tune in, Drop out.

– Timothy Leary

On this day

31 May 1921 – 1 June 1921 – The Tulsa Race Riots in which a large group of white people attacked the black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including aerial attacks that dropped bombs and fired on the community. It resulted in the Greenwood District, also known as the ‘Black Wall Street’ being burned to the ground. The Greenwood District was the wealthiest black community in the USA at the time.More than 800 people were admitted to white hospitals after two hospitals in the black community were burned down. Police arrested or detained more than 6,000 black residents. More than 10,000 were left homeless and 35 city blocks comprising of 1,256 destroyed. Official figures state that 39 people were killed, however, other sources estimate that between 55 and 300 black residents were killed with 9 white people killed. The riots were precipitated when a black man was suspected of raping a white girl in an elevator. White residents gathered with rumours of a lynching to happen. As the whites descended on Greenwood, a group of black men assembled to confront them. During this, some of the whites began torching buildings

31 May 1930 – birth of Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, producer and politician.

31 May 1948 – birth of John Bonham, Led Zeppelin drummer. Died 25 September 1980.

31 May 1965 – birth of Brooke Shields, American actor, model and producer.

31 May 1996 – death of Timothy Leary, American psychologist and author. Leary was a major proponent of the use of pscyhedelic drugs, particularly LSD and psilocybin (mushrooms). He conducted numerous psychiatric experiments using psychedelics, particularly during the 1950s and and 1960s, when the drugs were legal. LSD was banned by the USA in 1966. Leary popularised 1960’s catch-phrases such as ‘turn on, tune in and drop out’, ‘set and setting’, and ‘think for yourself and question authority’. He was friends with beat generation poets, such as Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. Leary was arrested numerous times over his possession and use of drugs. He wrote a number of books on the benefits of psychedelic drugs. Leary became fascinated with computers, declaring that ‘the PC is the LSD of the 1990s’. He encouraged bohemians to ‘turn on, boot up, jack in’. Leary was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1995. He chose to stream his dying moments over the internet. Seven grams of Leary’s ashes were placed aboard a Pegasus rocket, launched on 21 April 1997. It remained in orbit around the Earth for six years until it burned up in atmosphere. Born 22 October 1920.

30 May 2017

artisanal

[ahr-tuh-zuh-nl, ahr-tiz-uh-]

adjective

1. pertaining to or noting a person skilled in an applied art:
The men were taught artisanal skills such as bricklaying and carpentry.
2. pertaining to or noting a high-quality or distinctive product made in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods: artisanal cheese;

artisanal cheesemakers.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

alias rant
atlas rain
Satan lair
a altar sin

Today’s quote

The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.

– Voltaire

On this day

30 May 1778 – death of François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire. French enlightment writer, historian and philosopher. A man of wit who advocated freedom of religion, freedom of expression and separation of church and state. Voltaire wrote more than 20,000 letters, 2,000 books and pamphlets. He criticised intolerance, religious dogma and social institutions. Born 21 November 1694.

30 May 1911 – death of Milton Bradley, U.S. board-game maker, credited with launching the board-game industry. Born 8 November 1836.

29 May 2017

succotash

[suhk-uh-tash]

noun

1. a cooked dish of kernels of corn mixed with shell beans, especially lima beans, and, often, with green and sweet red peppers.

Origin of succotash

Narragansett

1745-1755, Americanism; < Narragansett (E spelling) msíckquatash boiled whole kernels of corn (cognate with Eastern Abenaki (French spelling) mesikoutar, equivalent to Proto-Algonquian *mes- whole + *-i·nkw- eye (hence, kernel) + *-ete·- be cooked (+ -w-) + *-ali plural suffix)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for succotash

Historical Examples

Kornlet and dried Lima beans may be made into succotash in a similar manner.
Science in the Kitchen.
Mrs. E. E. Kellogg

By following in his footsteps we learned about succotash and hominy.
Cobb’s Bill-of-Fare
Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb

I am reminded of the story of an old Indian chief who was invited to some great dinner where the first course was ” succotash.”
Birds and Poets
John Burroughs

Our word ” succotash ” we now apply to corn cooked with beans.
Home Life in Colonial Days
Alice Morse Earle

Anagram

chaos cuts
so catch us
such a cost
USA scotch

Today’s quote

How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.

– Gilbert K. Chesterton

On this day

29 May 1874 – birth of Gilbert Keith Chesterton (otherwise known as G.K. Chesterton), English writer, lay theologian, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer and Christian apologist. Died 14 June 1936.

29 May 1917 – birthday of John F. Kennedy. 35th president of the United States. Assassinated 22 November 1963.

29 May 1953 – Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, become the first men to reach the summit of Mt Everest.

28 May 2017

spiel

[speel, shpeel] Informal.

noun

1. a usually high-flown talk or speech, especially for the purpose of luring people to a movie, a sale, etc.; pitch.
verb (used without object)
2. to speak extravagantly.

Origin of spiel

German

1890-1895; (noun) < German Spiel or Yiddish shpil play, game; (v.) < German spielen or Yiddish shpiln to play, gamble

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for spiel

Contemporary Examples

When the crew finally reaches the tribe, they give them their spiel.
Meet the Germans Having Sex to Save the World
Marlow Stern
March 12, 2013

Historical Examples

He’ll give you a spiel about his research and ask to measure your brain waves.
Sentiment, Inc.
Poul William Anderson

“Aw, boss, that was part of the spiel,” he confessed frankly.
From Place to Place
Irvin S. Cobb

Anagram

piles
plies

Today’s quote

It is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.

– Douglas Adams

On this day

28 May 1867 – President Johnson signs a treaty with Russia to transfer Alaska to the United States.

28 May 1901 – Signing of the D’Arcy Concession between Mozzafar al-Din (Shah of Persia) and William Knox D’Arcy, a British businessman and one of the principal founders of the oil industry in Iran. D’Arcy was born in England, but had grown up in Rockhampton, Australia. In 1909, Knox became a director of the newly founded Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) which later became British Petroleum (BP). On 26 May 1908, almost exactly seven years after signing the D’Arcy Concession, commercial quantities of oil were discovered. The D’Arcy Concession gave rights to D’Arcy and by extension, APOC to mine and export the oil with a small kick-back paid to Persia. The D’Arcy Concession is one of the most important documents of the 20th century and has led to much of the conflict being experienced to this day. Britain’s attack on the Ottoman Empire during World War I, as well as it’s allegiance with Russia during that war was largely to protect its oil interests in Persia from both Russia and the Ottomans. Iran itself has experienced significant animosity towards Britain over the exploitation of its oil fields to the point that the Iranian revolution and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism was a revolt against Western profiteering and influence over Persian leaders which was often against the best interests of the Iranian people.

28 May 1908 – birth of Ian Fleming, British author of the ‘James Bond’ novels. Died 12 August 1964.

28 May 1964 – establishment of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which was founded with the purpose of liberating Palestine through armed struggle. It has since rejected violence and been recognised as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people by the United Nations.

28 May 1987 – West German, Matthias Rust, illegally flies his Cessna 172 from Finland to Moscow, landing in Red Square. Rust claimed that he wanted to build an imaginary bridge between the Soviet Union and the West. Rust was charged and convicted of hooliganism, disregard of aviation laws and breaching the Soviet border. He was sentenced to four years in a general-regime labour camp, but spent his imprisonment in the high security Lefortovo. During Rust’s imprisonment, US President Reagan and the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Mikhael Gorbachev signed an intermediate-range nuclear weapons treaty. As a sign of good faith following the signing of the treaty, the Supreme Soviet ordered Matthias Rust be released in August 1988.

28 May 2014 – death of Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Ann Johnson), American author, poet and civil rights activist. Maya wrote seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poems. She had numerous occupations, including fry cook, dancer, actor, director and journalist. Her civil rights activism saw her work with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Born 4 April 1928.

27 May 2017

dilatory

[dil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

adjective

1. tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.
2. intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision:

Origin of dilatory

Latin, Middle English, Anglo-French

1250-1300; Middle English (Anglo-French); Latin dīlātōrius, equivalent to dīlā-, suppletive stem of differre to postpone (see differ ) + -tōrius -tory1

Related forms

dilatorily, adverb
dilatoriness, noun
undilatorily, adverb
undilatory, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for dilatory

Contemporary Examples

Decision making is slow, acquisition processes are dilatory, and maintenance of the equipment bought is poor.
India’s Tryst with Terror
Kanwal Sibal
September 8, 2011

Historical Examples

His dilatory action seemed to increase the young woman’s panic.
A Rock in the Baltic
Robert Barr

He had been dilatory but now he intended to get down to business.
The Lady Doc
Caroline Lockhart

The want of proper arrangement and sufficient hands made this a most dilatory and tedious operation.
Lands of the Slave and the Free
Henry A. Murray

I had received more than a dilatory donkey on the road to the fair!
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 28, April 1893
Various

He had never been quite satisfied with Lincoln, whose policy seemed to him too dilatory.
McClure’s Magazine, Vol 31, No 2, June 1908
Various

They were as slow and dilatory as the others were eager and persistent.
Historic Tales, vol 10 (of 15)
Charles Morris

The King wished to regain Paris by negotiation; all his movements were dilatory.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VII
John Lord

Spring is the most dilatory and provoking of all the seasons at Halifax.
Bert Lloyd’s Boyhood
J. McDonald Oxley

He was temporizing, making, with unconscious prudence, a dilatory opposition to an impending catastrophe.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Vol. II: In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians
Ambrose Bierce

Anagram

idolatry
dial troy
oily dart

Today’s quote

There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.

– William Butler Yeats

On this day

27 May – 3 June – National Reconciliation Week, which is celebrated in Australia every year on these dates. The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the anniversaries of the successful 1967 referendum (27 May) and the High Court Mabo decision (3 June 1992). The 1967 referendum saw over 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census. On 3 June, 1992, the High Court of Australia delivered its landmark Mabo decision which legally recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship to the land—that existed prior to colonalisation and still exists today. This recognition paved the way for land rights called Native Title. 2012 marked the 20th anniversary of the Mabo decision. http://www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw

27 May 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the Russian city of St Petersburg.

27 May 1907 – bubonic plague breaks out in San Francisco.

27 May 1911 – birth of Vincent Price, American actor, starred in a number of horror films, including House of Wax, House of Usher and The Raven. He also acted in the 1960s television series Batman, in which he played the evil mastermind, Egghead; a master criminal with a fixation on eggs. Price provided a voice-over on Alice Cooper’s 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare. In 1976, Price recorded a cover version of Bobby Pickett song, Monster Mash. Died 25 October 1993.

27 May 1922 – birth of Christopher Lee, CBE, English actor and singer. Lee starred in hammer horror movies, including Dracula (in which he played the title character), Dracula has risen from the grave, Taste the Blood of Dracula, and Scars of Dracula. Fearing that he would become type-cast in horror roles as had happened to Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, he went in search of other roles. Lee starred in the 1974 James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun. He played Saruman in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies, and Count Dooku in two of the Star Wars prequel films, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Died 7 June 2015.

26 May 2017

Pareidolia

(/pærᵻˈdoʊliə/ parr-i-doh-lee-ə)

noun

– a psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to a stimulus (an image or a sound) by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists.

Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations, the man in the moon, the moon rabbit, hidden messages within recorded music played in reverse or at higher- or lower-than-normal speeds, and hearing indistinct voices in random noise such as that produced by air conditioners or fans.

Anagram

A Diaper Oil
I laid opera
oil paid era
a radio pile

Today’s quote

Friendship is the shadow of the evening, which increases with the setting sun of life.

– Jean de La Fontaine

On this day

26 May – National Sorry Day. Since 1998, National Sorry Day occurs on 26 May every year to commemorate the maltreatment of Australia’s indigenous population.

26 May 1890 – Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, is released in England.

26 May 1913 – birth of Peter Cushing OBE, English actor who mostly appeared in Hammer Horror films, including The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula (in which he played vampire hunter, Van Helsing). Died 11 August 1994.

26 May 2012 – death of Festus, our beloved and most awesome budgie.

25 May 2017

fulsome

[foo l-suh m, fuhl-]

adjective

1. offensive to good taste, especially as being excessive; overdone or gross:
fulsome praise that embarrassed her deeply; fulsome décor.
2. disgusting; sickening; repulsive:
a table heaped with fulsome mounds of greasy foods.
3. excessively or insincerely lavish:
fulsome admiration.
4. encompassing all aspects; comprehensive:
a fulsome survey of the political situation in Central America.
5. abundant or copious.

Origin of fulsome

Middle English

1200-1250, First recorded in 1200-50, fulsome is from the Middle English word fulsom. See full1, -some1

Related forms

fulsomely, adverb
fulsomeness, noun
unfulsome, adjective

Can be confused

full, fullness, fulsome.
fulsome, noisome (see usage note at the current entry)

Usage note

In the 13th century when it was first used, fulsome meant simply “abundant or copious.” It later developed additional senses of “offensive, gross” and “disgusting, sickening,” probably by association with foul, and still later a sense of excessiveness: a fulsome disease; a fulsome meal, replete with too much of everything.For some centuries fulsome was used exclusively, or nearly so, with these unfavorable meanings.
Today, both fulsome and fulsomely are also used in senses closer to the original one: The sparse language of the new Prayer Book contrasts with the fulsome language of Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer. Later they discussed the topic more fulsomely.These uses are often criticized on the grounds that fulsome must always retain its connotations of “excessive” or “offensive.” The common phrase fulsome praise is thus sometimes ambiguous in modern use.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

sumo elf
some flu

Today’s quote

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair.

– Douglas Adams

On this day

25 May – Towel Day. A tribute to Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, which states that a towel is ‘about the most massively useful thing that an interstellar hitchhiker can have‘. First held in 2001, two weeks after the death of Adams. Fans carry a towel with them on this day in appreciation of Adams and his work.

25 May 1999 – Bill Morgan, who had been resuscitated after spending 14 minutes clinically dead following a heart-attack, wins a $27,000 car from a Tatts Scratch lotto ticket. During a reenactment of the event for a Melbourne TV station, Bill won $250,000 from a Scratch-It ticket. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBYuxQBSc0o

24 May 2017

journeyman

[jur-nee-muh n]

noun, plural journeymen.

1. a person who has served an apprenticeship at a trade or handicraft and is certified to work at it assisting or under another person.
2. any experienced, competent but routine worker or performer.
3. a person hired to do work for another, usually for a day at a time.

Origin of journeyman

late Middle English

1425-1475 late Middle English journeman, equivalent to journee a day’s work (see journey ) + man man1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for journeyman

Contemporary Examples

And journeyman Swedish golfer Johan Edfors, who attended the University of Texas San Antonio, is really no match here.
March Madness: Which Celebrity Alumni Will Win?
Michael Solomon
March 16, 2011

He’ll be played by Grahame Fox, a journeyman Welsh actor who’s appeared on the U.K. soap EastEnders and the TV series Casualty.
Meet Game of Thrones’ Sexy New Season 4 Cast: The Red Viper, Porn Stars, and More
Marlow Stern
April 3, 2014

To play the character, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss cast Pedro Pascal, a journeyman Chilean-American actor.
Meet the Red Viper: Pedro Pascal on Game of Thrones’ Kinky, Bisexual Hellraiser
Marlow Stern
March 25, 2014

“I was a journeyman chef of middling abilities,” Bourdain admits.
America’s Bad Boy Chef
Jacob Bernstein
June 12, 2010

journeyman players whose only skill is total disregard for their bodies become legends, albeit short-term ones.
Buzz Bissinger on the NFL’s No Good, Very Bad Season
Buzz Bissinger
January 1, 2013

Historical Examples

At first he had no journeyman or apprentice, and he cut the tree for his own timber.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6
E. Rameur

To-morrow—that is to say, when I am a journeyman—I will go my own way.
The Sand-Hills of Jutland
Hans Christian Andersen

I will not allow myself to be used by these lords of the earth as a journeyman, to whom the masters assign work for scanty pay.
Louisa Of Prussia and Her Times
Louise Muhlbach

He came to the neighbourhood of Kingston first, and worked as a journeyman.
The Log House by the Lake
William H. G. Kingston

There can be no becoming friendship between the future Lady Lovel and a journeyman tailor.
Lady Anna
Anthony Trollope

Anagram

Jenny amour
A jurymen no
run joy amen

Today’s quote

It is the artist who realizes that there is a supreme force above him and works gladly away as a small apprentice under God’s heaven.

– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

On this day

24 May 1930 – Amy Johnson, flying a Gypsy Moth, lands in Darwin. She is the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.

24 May 2012 – Tens of thousands of Norwegian public servants go on strike demanding pay rises and improvements in working conditions. It is the first such strike in Norway since 1984.

23 May 2017

heuristic

[hyoo-ris-tik or, often, yoo-]

adjective

1. serving to indicate or point out; stimulating interest as a means of furthering investigation.
2. encouraging a person to learn, discover, understand, or solve problems on his or her own, as by experimenting, evaluating possible answers or solutions, or by trial and error:
a heuristic teaching method.
3.of, relating to, or based on experimentation, evaluation, or trial-and-error methods.
4. Computers, Mathematics. pertaining to a trial-and-error method of problem solving used when an algorithmic approach is impractical.
noun
5. a heuristic method of argument.
6. the study of heuristic procedure.

Origin of heuristic

1815-1825; New Latin heuristicus, equivalent to Greek heur(ískein) to find out, discover + Latin -isticus -istic

Related forms

heuristically, adverb
nonheuristic, adjective
unheuristic, adjective
unheuristically, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for heuristic

Contemporary Examples

He developed a heuristic for betting on Daily Doubles (which resulted in a wager of $5, the minimum allowed).
How I Taught Arthur Chu to Be the ‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Everyone Loves to Hate
Keith Williams
February 20, 2014

Historical Examples

My standpoint, moreover, requires me to admit the validity of the hypothesis of Descent as an heuristic maxim of natural science.
At the Deathbed of Darwinism
Eberhard Dennert

Is there any need to prove the capital importance of heuristic?
Introduction to the Study of History
Charles V. Langlois

And the aim is heuristic, though often enough the search ends in no overt positive conclusion.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8
Various

In all other cases, as we have already pointed out, assumption and probability have only a heuristic value for us lawyers.
Criminal Psychology
Hans Gross

Over time, actions became simpler while languages acquired the complexity of the heuristic experience.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

The heuristic attempt to establish new patterns of human interaction through art reflects the uncertainty.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

A general hypothesis serves every special hypothesis as a heuristic principle.
International Congress of Arts and Science, Volume I
Various

Sensualism, therefore, at least as regulative hypothesis, if not as heuristic principle.
Beyond Good and Evil
Friedrich Nietzsche

The teaching, which follows the so-called “heuristic” method, and the equipment of schools of every description, are admirable.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 5
Various

Anagram

itchier us
icier huts

Today’s quote

Everyone’s quick to blame the alien.

– Aeschylus

On this day

23 May 1568 – the Netherlands declares independence from Spain.

23 May 1934 – notorious bank robbers, Bonny Parker and Clyde Barrow, are killed in a shoot-out with police in Black Lake, Louisiana. Bonny and Clyde have been immortalised in songs and movies.

23 May 1944 – birth of John Newcombe, Australian tennis player.

22 May 2017

scrump

/skrʌmp/

verb

1. (dialect) to steal (apples) from an orchard or garden

2. something shrivelled or cooked to a crisp

Word Origin

dialect variant of scrimp

Collins English Dictionary

scrumpy
/ˈskrʌmpɪ/

noun

1. a rough dry cider, brewed esp in the West Country

Word Origin

from scrump, variant of scrimp (in obsolete sense: withered), referring to the apples used
Collins English Dictionary

Examples from the Web for scrumpy

I remember Gordon scrumping apples from the orchard next door.

Historical Examples

My doggie wagged his scrumpy tail, cocked his expressive ears, and glanced from me to his mistress, but did not rise.
My Doggie and I
R.M. Ballantyne

Anagram

Mr cups

Today’s quote

Biodiversity starts in the distant past and it points toward the future.

– Frans Lanting

On this day

22 May – International Day of Biodiversity

22 May 1927 – A 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits the city of Xining in the Chinese province of Quinghai, killing up to 200,000 people. It is the 5th deadliest earthquake recorded.

22 May 1972 – Ceylon changes its name to Sri Lanka to break away from its colonial past. Ceylon had been the colonial name given by Great Britain to the island. The name itself was derived from Portuguese when part of the island was a colony of Portugal.

22 May 2010 – Jordan Romero, a 13 year old U.S. boy, becomes the youngest person to conquer Mt Everest.