April 2017 WOTDs
30 April 2017
poplin
[pop-lin]
noun
1. a finely corded fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool, for dresses, draperies, etc.
Origin of poplin
French, Italian
1700-1710; < French popeline, earlier papeline < Italian papalina, feminine of papalino papal; so called from being made at the papal city of Avignon. See papal, -ine1
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for poplin
Historical Examples
She put her hand on Lucy Ann’s shoulder, to give her a little shake; but, feeling mother’s poplin, she forbore.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
Even in the shade one is grateful for white duck instead of woolens, so before long I had acquired an Irish poplin coat.
The Pacific Triangle
Sydney Greenbie
Perhaps it was the royalty of the poplin that enwrapped her; but Lucy Ann looked very capable of holding her own.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
Rob, foreseeing this question, had been engaged in a hasty mental estimate of the original cost of the poplin and the silk.
The Little Grey House
Marion Ames Taggart
The walls were hung with the finest Irish poplin and decorated by the most noted artists of the time.
One Irish Summer
William Eleroy Curtis
poplin or popeline is a name given to a class of goods distinguished by a rib or cord effect running width way of the piece.
Textiles
William H. Dooley
She wore a pink silk dress of Irish poplin, and on her head was a diamond tiara.
In the Days of Queen Victoria
Eva March Tappan
Anagram
nil pop
pin lop
29 April 2017
kris, creese or crease
[krees]
noun
1. a short sword or heavy dagger with a wavy blade, used by the Malays.
Origin of creese
Malay
1570-1580; < Malay kəris (spelling keris)
Dictionary.com
Historical Examples
To wait till to-night, and then lead you out of the jungle if you did not want to go, and stab you with my kris.
Middy and Ensign
G. Manville Fenn
I am only armed with a kris, and have no spear as thou hast,’ he said.
In Court and Kampong
Hugh Clifford
Besides that weapon the Mindanao uses lance, kris, and shield, as do the other nations.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 – Volume 40 of 55
Francisco Colin
The kris as a weapon of offence and defence is now almost a thing of the past.
Tales of the Malayan Coast
Rounsevelle Wildman
Anagram
risk
28 April 2017
lees
[leez]
noun
1. protective shelter:
The lee of the rock gave us some protection against the storm.
2. the side or part that is sheltered or turned away from the wind:
We erected our huts under the lee of the mountain.
3. Chiefly Nautical. the quarter or region toward which the wind blows.
adjective
4. pertaining to, situated in, or moving toward the lee.
Idioms
5. by the lee, Nautical. accidentally against what should be the lee side of a sail:
Careless steering brought the wind by the lee.
6. under the lee, Nautical. to leeward.
Origin of lee(1)
Middle English, Old English
900, before 900; Middle English; Old English hlēo (w) shelter, cognate with Old Frisian hli, hly, Old Saxon hleo, Old Norse hlé
lee(2)
[lee]
noun
1. Usually, lees. the insoluble matter that settles from a liquid, especially from wine; sediment; dregs.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English lie; Middle French; Medieval Latin lia, probably; Gaulish *lig (j) a; compare Old Irish lige bed, akin to Old English gelege bed. See lie(2)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for lees
Contemporary Examples
She sent at once for lees and a séance was held in the Palace.
How Queen Victoria’s Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert’s Shade
Tom Sykes
June 12, 2013
The lees were the 1st Black Family to move into the predominantly Italian-American Brooklyn Neighborhood of Cobble Hill.
Spike Lee Blasts The New York Times’ Story on Brooklyn Gentrification in Fiery Op-Ed
Marlow Stern
March 30, 2014
The voice phenomenon produced by lees was instantly recognisable as that of the late Consort.
How Queen Victoria’s Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert’s Shade
Tom Sykes
June 12, 2013
Historical Examples
Only a short while; then the thought comes to them in the shape of a dilemma—Miss lees being the first to perceive it.
Gwen Wynn
Mayne Reid
Deuce of a straight line she had taken about Mrs. lees Noel!
The Patrician
John Galsworthy
This year, the entire company of Johnson and lees theatre was engaged for the Marylebone.
The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs
Thomas Frost
What work would they make with your Shakespears, Otways, and lees ?
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2
Henry Fielding
When my brother was sick there was nothing to give him to drink but lees that we’d been putting water to for a year.
Germinie Lacerteux
Edmond and Jules de Goncourt
Anagram
else
27 April 2017
skint
[skint]
adjective, British Slang.
1. having no money; penniless.
Origin of skint
1930-1935; probably orig. representing dial. pronunciation of skinned; see skin (v.), -ed2
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for skint
Historical Examples
“If you would have gone to Mr. skint, sir—,” suggested Bozzle.
He Knew He Was Right
Anthony Trollope
Why didn’t he go to skint, as I told him, when his own lawyer was too dainty for the job?
He Knew He Was Right
Anthony Trollope
There ain’t no smarter gent in all the profession, sir, than Mr. skint.
He Knew He Was Right
Anthony Trollope
Anagram
knits
stink
26 April 2017
spear carrier or spear-carrier
noun
1. a supernumerary in a theatrical or operatic production, as one of a group of soldiers or a member of a crowd; extra.
2. any minor member of a group, profession, political party, etc.; subordinate; underling.
Origin of spear carrier
1950-1955
Dictionary.com
spear carrier
noun phrase
An unimportant participant; supernumerary : What helped me most was having been a catcher and a ”spear carrier” definitely not a star/ like last-minute walk-ons in the closing scene, spear-carriers in Valhalla
[1960+; fr the persons who appear on stage, esp in operas, as soldiers in the background]
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Anagram
Racer Repairs
25 April 2017
matelot or matelow
[mat-loh, mat-l-oh]
noun, British Slang.
1. a sailor.
Origin of matelot
French, Middle Dutch
1910-1915; < French ≪ Middle Dutch mattenoot sailor, equivalent to matte mat1+ noot companion ( Dutch genoot)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for matelot
Historical Examples
Finally a matelot advanced—a common sailor—a man before the mast.
Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes
Sylvia Sunshine
The Buccaneers went in pairs, every hunter having his camerade or matelot (sailor), as well as his engags.
The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3)
Walter Thornbury
No excuse was allowed; and if illness prevented the man elected taking the office, his matelot, or companion, took his place.
The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3)
Walter Thornbury
We do not know whether, in peculiar cases, a matelot became his camarade’s heir.
The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3)
Walter Thornbury
I prove to you I am not; but a good, sound, safe, French matelot !
Seven Frozen Sailors
George Manville Fenn
He had been a matelot, he said,—made a long voyage, and once touched at an English port.
Rambles in the Islands of Corsica and Sardinia
Thomas Forester
Anagram
two male
ow metal
late mow
meat owl
24 April 2017
Cathay
[ka-they]
noun, Literary or Archaic.
1. China.
Origin of Cathay
Medieval Latin, Tatar; Medieval Latin Cat (h) aya < Turkic; compare Tatar Kïtai
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Cathay
Contemporary Examples
One airline that has already banned shipments on its passenger flights is Cathay Pacific.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo
Clive Irving
May 4, 2014
This is the story of the Jesuit who more than 500 years ago made himself part of Cathay.
James Fallows: 5 Favorite ‘Outsiders In China’ Books
James Fallows
May 10, 2012
Historical Examples
At last the game was won, the passage to Cathay was discovered.
History of the United Netherlands, 1590-1599, Vol. III. Complete
John Lothrop Motley
Yet if she did, he was sure that it would have been impossible not to use them in defense of the colony of Cathay.
Victory
Lester del Rey
Once more he talked over the finding of Cathay with the priests and the sailors of Palos.
Children’s Literature
Charles Madison Curry
If one of those titans was to be used against Cathay, Earth’s colony was doomed.
Victory
Lester del Rey
Cathay is a country where it is necessary to be very careful.
A Bicycle of Cathay
Frank R. Stockton
The humans of Cathay might try a return raid, but he was unworried.
Victory
Lester del Rey
Our hero and heroine instantly ceased their own discourse, when they found that the subject was the voyage to Cathay.
Mercedes of Castile
J. Fenimore Cooper
He leaned back in his chair, wondering where “ Cathay ” might be.
At the Sign of the Jack O’Lantern
Myrtle Reed
Anagram
cat hay
chat ya
23 April 2017
occult
[uh-kuhlt, ok-uhlt]
adjective
1. of or relating to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies.
2. beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or understanding; mysterious.
3. secret; disclosed or communicated only to the initiated.
4. hidden from view.
5. not apparent on mere inspection but discoverable by experimentation.
of a nature not understood, as physical qualities.
dealing with such qualities; experimental:
occult science.
6. Medicine/Medical. present in amounts too small to be visible:
a chemical test to detect occult blood in the stool.
noun
7. the supernatural or supernatural agencies and affairs considered as a whole (usually preceded by the).
8. occult studies or sciences (usually preceded by the).
verb (used with object)
9. to block or shut off (an object) from view; hide.
10. Astronomy. to hide (a celestial body) by occultation.
verb (used without object)
11. to become hidden or shut off from view.
Origin of occult
Latin
1520-1530; Latin occultus (past participle of occulere to hide from view, cover up), equivalent to oc- oc- + -cul-, akin to cēlāre to conceal + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
occulter, noun
occultly, adverb
occultness, noun
nonoccult, adjective
nonocculting, adjective
Synonyms
2. metaphysical, supernatural. 3. concealed, unrevealed; veiled, shrouded; mystical, cabalistic.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for occult
Contemporary Examples
“ occult ” literally means “hidden from view,” which is why we use it both in astronomy and to refer to secret knowledge.
Chariklo, a Minor Planet Nicknamed a “Centaur,” Discovered to Have Rings
Matthew R. Francis
April 5, 2014
One engineering school is even promoting a fascinating course on the relationship between the occult and technology.
Fall’s Hottest College Courses
Josh Dzieza, Daniel D’Addario
September 5, 2010
tilth
[tilth]
noun
1. the act or operation of tilling land; tillage.
2. the state of being tilled or under cultivation.
3.the physical condition of soil in relation to plant growth.
4. land that is tilled or cultivated.
Origin of tilth
1000, before 1000; Middle English, Old English. See till2, -th1
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for tilth
Historical Examples
On a heavy soil it has a bad influence if used repeatedly and in quantity, causing the land to “run,” and making the tilth bad.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 5
Various
The better the land is kept in tilth, the better will be the effect of an application of guano.
Guano
Solon Robinson
You feel in the atmosphere the same tonic, puissant quality that is in the tilth, the same strength and resoluteness.
O Pioneers!
Willa Cather
The vast plains are rich with crops, or are ready to yield to the tilth.
Pictures of Southern Life
William Howard Russell
Some soils are naturally friable, and in these a tilth sufficiently fine can be realized ordinarily with but little labor.
Clovers and How to Grow Them
Thomas Shaw
tilth masters that have corn of their own growing and sell it to others.
The Agrarian Problem in the Sixteenth Century
Richard Henry Tawney
In Sicilian territory too is tilth and town, and famed Acestes himself of Trojan blood.
The Aeneid of Virgil
Virgil
It is the gentry who offer a rich demesne, vineland and tilth, to Meleager, imploring him to take part in their war.
The World of Homer
Andrew Lang
Flowers, perhaps, at all events those of tilth and pasture, will have been all but improved away.
The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft
George Gissing
It had for foreground a stretch of tilth —olive-trees, honeysuckle hedges, and cypresses.
New Italian sketches
John Addington Symonds
21 April 2017
demur
[dih-mur]
verb (used without object), demurred, demurring.
1. to make objection, especially on the grounds of scruples; take exception; object:
They wanted to make him the treasurer, but he demurred.
2. Law. to interpose a demurrer.
3. Archaic. to linger; hesitate.
noun
4. the act of making objection.
5. an objection raised.
6. hesitation.
7. Law. Obsolete. a demurrer.
Origin of demur
Middle English Anglo-French Old French Latin
1175-1225; Middle English demuren < Anglo-French demurer, Old French demorer < Latin dēmorārī to linger, equivalent to dē- de- + morārī to delay, derivative of mora delay
Related forms
demurrable, adjective
undemurring, adjective
Can be confused
demur, demure.
Synonyms
5. scruple, qualm, misgiving.
Antonyms
1. agree, accede.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for demur
Contemporary Examples
And so it goes again: Democrats claim a knockout, Republicans demur.
The Flapdoodle Campaign
Megan McArdle
October 22, 2012
The intelligence officers at the bomb scene do not demur from this assessment.
After Beirut Bombing of Wissan al-Hassan, a Wary Calm in Lebanon
Jamie Dettmer
October 29, 2012
But if another, more prominent name were suggested for the position, Mrs. Clinton may demur.
How Obama Wooed Hillary
Nicholas Wapshott
November 13, 2008
Anagram
ed rum
Mr due
20 April 2017
inveigle
[in-vey-guh l, -vee-]
verb (used with object), inveigled, inveigling.
1. to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements (usually followed by into):
to inveigle a person into playing bridge.
2. to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk or methods (usually followed by from or away):
to inveigle a theater pass from a person.
Anagram
given lie
give lien
19 April 2017
rebus
[ree-buh s]
noun, plural rebuses.
1. a representation of a word or phrase by pictures, symbols, etc., that suggest that word or phrase or its syllables:
Two gates and a head is a rebus for Gateshead.
2. a piece of writing containing many such representations.
Origin of rebus
Latin
1595-1605; < Latin rēbus by things (ablative plural of rēs), in phrase nōn verbīs sed rēbus not by words but by things
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for rebus
Historical Examples
The Major chuckled, and admitted this might be so; his old governor used to say, “Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines.”
Somehow Good
William de Morgan
A cask; the rebus of the final syllable TON in many surnames.
The Handbook to English Heraldry
Charles Boutell
More than three weeks, and rebus Newmarketianis versatus, I have written nothing.
The Greville Memoirs
Charles C. F. Greville
Beckington’s rebus (a beacon and a tun) occurs in the bosses.
The Cathedrals of Great Britain
P. H. Ditchfield
rebus sic stantibus, what’s the use of talking about quantitative and accentual verse, as if they were really two kinds of verse?
The Voice and Spiritual Education
Hiram Corson
The rebus of the master-mason, Hyndeley (a hind lying) occurs in the capitals.
The Cathedrals of Great Britain
P. H. Ditchfield
Ita facillime quae volemus, et privatis in rebus et in re publica consequemur.
De Officiis
Marcus Tullius Cicero
One class was formed as were the canting arms in heraldry, that is, by a rebus.
The Religious Sentiment
Daniel G. Brinton
In the cases of these two gods we got the chiffre, and the rebus is still to seek.
Studies in Central American Picture-Writing
Edward S. Holden
This rebus may be found in various places where the work was due to him.
Bell’s Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Saint Albans
Thomas Perkins
Anagram
rubes
18 April 2017
ruminate
[roo-muh-neyt]
verb (used without object), ruminated, ruminating.
1. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.
2. to meditate or muse; ponder.
verb (used with object), ruminated, ruminating.
3. to chew again or over and over.
4. to meditate on; ponder.
Origin of ruminate
Latin
1525-1535; Latin rūminātus (past participle of rūminārī, rūmināre to ruminate), equivalent to rūmin- (stem of rūmen rumen ) + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
ruminatingly, adverb
rumination, noun
ruminative, adjective
ruminatively, adverb
ruminator, noun
Synonyms
2. think, reflect.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for ruminate
Contemporary Examples
What is it about all the rumination, all the anxiety that makes it so hard to sort of stand up for yourself, to yourself?
A Q&A with Scott Stossel, Author of ‘My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind’
Jesse Singal
February 19, 2014
The images feel like a yearbook of sorts, a rumination on the decade, and on three girls growing up.
Craig McDean’s Fashion Muses: Amber Valletta, Kate Moss, and More
Isabel Wilkinson
October 21, 2013
Published in 2006, the novel is violent and spooky, a rumination on madness and creativity.
Remedial Reader: The Essential Stephen King Back List
Jessica Ferri
April 24, 2012
Historical Examples
But Barbara did not flinch; and her mother relapsed into rumination.
The Patrician
John Galsworthy
A shiver, and a return beneath the blankets for five minutes’ rumination.
Cavalry of the Clouds
Alan Bott
Andy recalled himself with a start from his rumination over a possible speech.
Second String
Anthony Hope
His also was a “melancholy of his own,” a “humorous sadness in which his often rumination wrapt him.”
The Three Devils: Luther’s, Milton’s, and Goethe’s
David Masson
This a mass of foam from the rumination of deer, darkened by the juice of mouthfuls of grass just eaten!
The Kadambari of Bana
Bana
Complete dilatation is sometimes indicated by long addiction to habits of rumination.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various
Thus you find that all animals having horns, have also a structure of stomach fit for rumination, and teeth upon one jaw only.
Aristotle
George Grote
Anagram
emu train
I rum neat
ruin team
Mr Auntie
manure it
ream unit
17 April 2017
purvey
[per-vey]
verb (used with object)
1. to provide, furnish, or supply (especially food or provisions) usually as a business or service.
Origin of purvey
Latin Middle English Anglo-French
1250-1300Middle English purveien < Anglo-French purveier < Latin prōvidēre to foresee, provide for. See provide
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for purvey
Historical Examples
So this feast was ended, and the Constable, by the advice of Anglides, let purvey that Alisander was well horsed and harnessed.
Le Morte D’Arthur, Volume II (of II)
Thomas Malory
Garland, will you purvey another psychic and conduct the pursuit?
The Shadow World
Hamlin Garland
Their rest they had given over for toil, that they might purvey the guests good cheer.
The Nibelungenlied
Unknown
In the vile companions who purvey to his baser appetites he finds no charm.
Revolution and Other Essays
Jack London
Now, why should not the Commissariat purvey the Hospital with food?
The Life of Florence Nightingale vol. 1 of 2
Edward Tyas Cook
This he could not purvey, nor was his business management a success.
The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. IV
Various
As night drew on, the others came trooping in, ready to do justice to anything eatable the chef could purvey.
Trusia
Davis Brinton
The cellaress had to purvey 22 “gud oxen” by the year for the convent.
Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535
Eileen Edna Power
From Rousseau’s “Confessions,” we have not room to purvey further.
Classic French Course in English
William Cleaver Wilkinson
The next matter was to purvey me three horses of the fleetest.
A Monk of Fife
Andrew Lang
16 April 2017
essay
[noun es-ey for 1, 2; es-ey, e-sey for 3–5; verb e-sey]
noun
1. a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
2. anything resembling such a composition:
a picture essay.
3. an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
4. Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
5. Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.
verb (used with object)
6. to try; attempt.
7. to put to the test; make trial of.
Origin of essay
Middle French
1475-1485 Middle French essayer, cognate with Anglo-French assayer to assay < Late Latin exagium a weighing, equivalent to *exag (ere), for Latin exigere to examine, test, literally, to drive out (see exact ) + -ium -ium
Related forms
essayer, noun
preessay, verb (used without object)
unessayed, adjective
well-essayed, adjective
Can be confused
assay, essay.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for essay
Contemporary Examples
David Foster Wallace touched on this risk in his essay on television and fiction.
Boys Don’t Cry: In Praise of Sentiment
Andrew Sean Greer
June 25, 2013
Teles’ essay is important – even if its own argument explains why its powerful message is likely to go unheeded.
America’s Kludgeocracy Democracy
David Frum
December 10, 2012
There is, as he mentioned in a brilliant 1973 essay on bestselling novels, a Russian phrase that describes this condition.
Remembering Gore Vidal: He Was a Mortal After All
Nathaniel Rich
July 31, 2012
Former Artforum critic Thomas Lawson, also profiled in the essay, felt like he got off the hook.
The Artist Formerly Known as Janet Malcolm
Lauren Du Graf
June 5, 2013
In the essay, Havel imagines a grocer hanging a “Workers of the World, Unite!”
John Avlon: Vaclav Havel’s Heroic Politics of Truth and Responsibility
John Avlon
December 18, 2011
Historical Examples
Everybody read and admired an essay the style of which was new and striking.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume XIII
John Lord
With these precautions, in 1733, was published the first part of the essay on Man.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes
Samuel Johnson
By returning safely with that, you may enable us to renew the essay with better calculated means.
History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Why did you say, Diana, that you knew something about the essay?
A harum-scarum schoolgirl
Angela Brazil
The wonder of Du Maurier’s essay, the astounding spectacle of his success, cannot be diminished by any such explanation of it.
English Society
George Du Maurier
15 April 2017
nowt(1)
[nout]
noun
1. an ox.
2. a herd of cattle.
Origin of nowt(1)
Middle English, Old Norse
1150-1200; Middle English < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse naut, neat2
nowt(2)
[noht]
noun, British Dialect.
1. naught; nothing.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for nowt
Historical Examples
I guv her your message, Jack, and she said nowt, but there she be a crying still.
Facing Death
G. A. Henty
“‘Appen ’twas nowt,” the postman at length allowed, peering cautiously about.
Bob, Son of Battle
Alfred Ollivant
An’ I remembered as he sat still after it and said nowt for a minute or so, same as if he was thinkin’ things over.
T. Tembarom
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Anagram
town
14 April 2017
rood
[rood]
noun
1. a crucifix, especially a large one at the entrance to the choir or chancel of a medieval church, often supported on a rood beam or rood screen.
2. a cross as used in crucifixion.
3. a unit of length varying locally from 5½ to 8 yards (5 to 7 meters).
4. a unit of land measure equal to 40 square rods or ¼ acre (0.10117 hectare).
5. a unit of 1 square rod (25.29 sq. m).
6. Archaic. the cross on which Christ died.
Origin of rood
Middle English Old English
900 before 900; Middle English; Old English rōd pole, crucifix; cognate with German Rute rod, twig
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for rood
Historical Examples
And therewith he swore upon the rood, and then came round the table, and knelt before Birdalone, and kissed her hands.
The Water of the Wondrous Isles
William Morris
Then lifting again the rood, he turned away, and with him went the Norman.
Harold, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
He may have been the author of the Dream of the rood ; he was probably a Northumbrian.
Medieval English Literature
William Paton Ker
Anagram
door
11 April 2017
lumpenproletariat
[luhm-puh n-proh-li-tair-ee-uh t]
noun, ( sometimes initial capital letter) (esp. in Marxist theory)
1. the lowest level of the proletariat comprising unskilled workers, vagrants, and criminals and characterized by a lack of class identification and solidarity. (esp in Marxist theory) the amorphous urban social group below the proletariat, consisting of criminals, tramps, etc
Origin of lumpenproletariat
German
1920-1925; < German (Marx, 1850), equivalent to Lumpen rag or Lumpen-, combining form of Lump ragamuffin + Proletariat proletariat
Dictionary.com
Example
Insane, but internally consistent and well pitched to a growing lumpenproletariat.
‘Bernardi watched Trump thump the establishment up close and learnt nothing’
John Birmingham
6 February 2017
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/blunt-instrument/bernardi-watched-trump-thump-the-establishment-up-close-and-learnt-nothing-20170206-gu6um6.html
Anagram
a prenuptial molter
a materiel torn pulp
a altimeter plop run
a literate norm pulp
put a repairmen toll
12 April 2017
torsion
[tawr-shuh n]
noun
1. the act of twisting.
2. the state of being twisted.
3. Mechanics.
the twisting of a body by two equal and opposite torques.
the internal torque so produced.
4. Mathematics.
the degree of departure of a curve from a plane.
a number measuring this.
Origin of torsion
late Middle English Old French Late Latin
1375-1425; 1535-45 for def 1; late Middle English torcion wringing one’s bowels < Old French torsion < Late Latin torsiōn- (stem of torsiō) torment, equivalent to tors (us) twisted (see torse ) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
torsional, adjective
torsionally, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for torsion
Historical Examples
Coulomb was the maker of the first instrument for measuring a current, which was known as the torsion balance.
Steam Steel and Electricity
James W. Steele
In the b-position, on the other hand, the torsion is against the hands of a clock.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919
Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
The torsion rod mirror reflected a distant scale by which the deflection could be read.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 4
Various
Even if it is only halved, the torsion is reduced sixteenfold.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September
Anagram
in torso
sin root
son riot
11 April 2017
Manichean or Manichaean
[man-i-kee-uh n]
noun
1. Also, Manichee [man-i-kee] (Show IPA). an adherent of the dualistic religious system of Manes, a combination of Gnostic Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and various other elements, with a basic doctrine of a conflict between light and dark, matter being regarded as dark and evil.
adjective
2. of or relating to the Manicheans or their doctrines.
Origin of Manichean
Middle English, Late Latin, Late Greek
1300-1350; Middle English Maniche (< Late Latin Manichaeus < Late Greek Manichaîos of Manes) + -an
Related forms
Manicheanism, Manicheism, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Manichean
Contemporary Examples
The attempts to argue it was someone else strike me as a stomach-turning example of how far people will go to force reality to fit into a Manichean worldview.
The Sarin Gas Attack in Context
Louis Proyect
8 April 2017
Now that same Manichean worldview has led the neocons to support an Afghan surge.
How the Surge Hurts Israel
Peter Beinart
December 5, 2009
Historical Examples
We are going to make a party to hear this Manichean of poesy.
Life of Lord Byron, Vol. II
Thomas Moore
His mythology, when he came to paint the world in myths, was Manichean.
Shelley, Godwin and Their Circle
H. N. Brailsford
Anagram
chain mane
China name
each man in
Ace hame inn
a manic hen
10 April 2017
obverse
[noun ob-vurs; adjective ob-vurs, ob-vurs]
noun
1. the side of a coin, medal, flag, etc., that bears the principal design (opposed to reverse ).
2. the front or principal surface of anything.
3. a counterpart.
4. Logic. a proposition obtained from another by obversion.
adjective
5. facing the observer.
6. corresponding to something else as a counterpart.
7. having the base narrower than the top, as a leaf.
Origin of obverse
Latin
1650-1660; < Latin obversus turned toward or against (past participle of obvertere), equivalent to ob- ob- + vert (ere) to turn + -tus past participle suffix, with tt > s
Can be confused
converse, inverse, obverse, reverse.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for obverse
Contemporary Examples
As for the obverse, my liberal allies, this explains why information that seems so obvious to us never gets through.
Bob Woodward and the Rules of Washington Morality
Michael Tomasky
March 2, 2013
The old Kaiser Franz Joseph, faithful and hardworking, was the obverse of the feckless and impetuous German kaiser.
Before the Fall: What Did the World Look Like in 1913?
Jacob Heilbrunn
June 8, 2013
Historical Examples
The piece was struck, with a tin backing applied, and the edges of the obverse were then crimped over.
American Military Insignia 1800-1851
J. Duncan Campbell and Edgar M. Howell.
This name was given them from the legend, on the obverse, iam.
The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6)
John Knox
It has an obverse and a reverse side, but it is always the same medal.
The Recollections of Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis De Tocqueville
The reverse of the sheet contained a will exactly like that on the obverse.
Philo Gubb Correspondence-School Detective
Ellis Parker Butler
In passing from the obverse of our coins to the examination of the opposite side, we do this by inverting the piece.
The New England Magazine Volume 1, No. 6, June, 1886, Bay State Monthly Volume 4, No. 6, June, 1886
Various
Now this lady and her husband were in obverse relative positions.
Evan Harrington, Complete
George Meredith
The obverse has the king’s head in profile, and the reverse the usual fire-altar and supporters.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 7. (of 7): The Sassanian or New Persian Empire
George Rawlinson
I don’t think nature intended to have them the obverse of men.
Evan Harrington, Complete
George Meredith
Anagram
verbose
be servo
9 April 2017
supercilious
[soo-per-sil-ee-uh s]
adjective
1. haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression.
Origin of supercilious
Latin
1520-1530; Latin superciliōsus. See supercilium, -ous
Related forms
superciliously, adverb
superciliousness, noun
unsupercilious, adjective
unsuperciliously, adverb
unsuperciliousness, noun
Synonyms
arrogant, scornful.
Antonyms
humble.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for supercilious
Contemporary Examples
Gore comes off as a supercilious grandstander who gets swatted away dismissively by the brilliant Bill Clinton.
The Quiet General Strikes Back
Lloyd Grove
October 14, 2010
To point that out, of course, will only strengthen her sense of being persecuted by supercilious elites.
How Palin Flunks Feminism
Michelle Goldberg
November 25, 2010
Too often, it’s just our supercilious attitude to this thing called relief.
The Pointlessness of Some Disaster Charity After the Indian Floods
Dilip D’Souza
June 25, 2013
Historical Examples
I replied with, perhaps, some superfluous ardor to this supercilious speech, and a very hot discussion ensued.
Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories
Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen
Her reception of the Currans, while supercilious in expression, was really sincere.
The Art of Disappearing
John Talbot Smith
He never saluted me with other than what I regarded as a supercilious nod of the head.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
There was no concealing the fact, Cecil had meant to be supercilious, and he had succeeded.
A Room With A View
E. M. Forster
He did not care what criticism the supercilious might make, the act was to him spontaneous and natural.
The Candidate
Joseph Alexander Altsheler
My gray thought him a supercilious snob, no doubt, and hated him.
Starlight Ranch
Charles King
The haughtiness which the psalmist disclaims has its seat in the heart and its manifestation in supercilious glances.
The Expositor’s Bible: The Psalms, Volume III
Alexander Maclaren
Anagram
luscious ripe
8 April 2017
vice versa
[vahy-suh vur-suh, vahys, vahy-see]
adverb
1. in reverse order from the way something has been stated; the other way around: She dislikes me, and vice versa.
Copernicus was the first to suggest that the earth revolves around the sun, and not vice versa.
Synonyms: conversely, contrariwise, inversely.
Origin of vice versa
1595-1605; < Latin, equivalent to vice vice3+ versā, ablative singular feminine of versus, past participle of vertere to turn
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for vice versa
Contemporary Examples
McCain has frequently referred to Powell as one of the greatest national servants he has known — and vice versa.
Powell Backs Obama
Steve Clemons
October 18, 2008
On the principle of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, people who hate Muslims should love Jews, and vice versa.
How to Spot an Islamophobe
James Carroll
January 29, 2010
But very few people could replace their trips to Costco with visits to Walmart, or vice versa.
Why Can’t Walmart Be More Like Costco?
Megan McArdle
November 25, 2012
Anagram
vicars eve
vice raves
7 April 2017
peri
[peer-ee]
noun, plural peris.
1. one of a large group of beautiful, fairylike beings of Persian mythology, represented as descended from fallen angels and excluded from paradise until their penance is accomplished.
2. any lovely, graceful person.
Origin of peri
Persian, Middle Persian, Avestan
1770-1780; < Persian perī, variant of parī fairy, Middle Persian parīk, Avestan pairikā witch
Peri
[pe-ree]
noun
1. Jacopo [yah-kaw-paw] (Show IPA), 1561–1633, Italian composer.
peri-
1. a prefix meaning “about” or “around” ( perimeter, periscope), “enclosing” or “surrounding” ( pericardium), and “near” ( perigee, perihelion), appearing in loanwords from Greek ( peripeteia); on this model, used in the formation of compound words ( perimorph).
Origin
< Greek, prefixal use of perí (adv. and preposition)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for peri
Contemporary Examples
peri, the top student in the ninth grade, waved off our translator and made it through most of the interview without help.
Afghan Women’s Uncertain Future
Ann Marlowe
December 2, 2010
peri somehow learned the English keyboard and used the program.
Afghan Women’s Uncertain Future
Ann Marlowe
December 2, 2010
Historical Examples
The very bouquet of flowers—some peri ‘s hand had placed beneath the shrine—withered and faded, was there still.
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.
Various
Anagram
ripe
pier
6 April 2017
primogeniture
[prahy-muh-jen-i-cher, -choo r]
noun
1. the state or fact of being the firstborn of children of the same parents.
2. Law. the system of inheritance or succession by the firstborn, specifically the eldest son.
Origin of primogeniture
Medieval Latin
1585-1595; < Medieval Latin prīmōgenitūra a first birth, equivalent to Latin prīmō at first + genitūra, equivalent to genit (us) (past participle of gignere to beget; see kin ) + -ūra -ure
Related forms
primogenitary, primogenital, adjective
primogenitureship, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for primogeniture
Contemporary Examples
The modern equivalent of primogeniture in the U.S., as Schine sees it, is divorce.
This Week’s Hot Reads
The Daily Beast
February 17, 2010
Historical Examples
Disintegration was greatly increased by the practice of the partition of territories among brothers in place of primogeniture.
The World’s Greatest Books, Vol XI.
Edited by Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton
Here then emerges the historical difficulty of primogeniture.
Ancient Law
Sir Henry James Sumner Maine
Anagram
Timor pureeing
permute origin
premiering out
trio up regimen
5 April 2017
hobble
[hob-uh l]
verb (used without object), hobbled, hobbling.
1. to walk lamely; limp.
2. to proceed irregularly and haltingly:
His verses hobble with their faulty meters.
verb (used with object), hobbled, hobbling.
3. to cause to limp:
His tight shoes hobbled him.
4. to fasten together the legs of (a horse, mule, etc.) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.
5. to impede; hamper the progress of.
noun
6. an act of hobbling; an uneven, halting gait; a limp.
7. a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble an animal.
8. hobbles, a leg harness for controlling the gait of a pacer.
9. Archaic. an awkward or difficult situation.
Origin of hobble
Middle English
1300-1350; Middle English hobelen, apparently akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to Dutch hobbelen, German hoppeln to jolt
Related forms
hobbler, noun
unhobbled, adjective
unhobbling, adjective
Synonyms
5. hinder, restrict, frustrate, cramp.
Antonyms
5. aid, assist, benefit.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for hobble
Contemporary Examples
Hardly able to hobble into the room on his bruised and engorged feet, he sported black eyes.
Despite Pledge, Syrian Rebels Continue to Torture
Jamie Dettmer
August 14, 2012
Just the distraction that this kind of case creates can hobble even the most successful, well-run company.
Antitrust Suit Could Bring Down Google
Dan Lyons
April 26, 2012
This, more than any one scandal, is likely to hobble the party for the next few election cycles.
Paging Rose Mary Woods: Obama’s Unbelievable Missing IRS Emails
James Poulos
June 17, 2014
A few days before, she had managed to stand and hobble around the ward.
Surviving Syria’s Incendiary Bomb Attacks
Paul Adrian Raymond
December 10, 2013
Historical Examples
Since he had begun to hobble about, he had gradually come to be accepted by the town in general.
Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as the Butterfly Man
Marie Conway Oemler
Johnny started to hobble down the porch steps when Barney stopped him.
Make Mine Homogenized
Rick Raphael
The poor vagabond must hobble through life on one leg, henceforward.
Stories by American Authors, Volume 7
Various
With two sticks, I can hobble about the house and garden; without them, behold me a fixture.
Rita
Laura E. Richards
She objects to modern dancing, especially the hobble skirts.
Ways of War and Peace
Delia Austrian
Is it the first time that I have thrust myself into a hobble?
The International Magazine, Volume 2, No. 3, February, 1851
Various
Anagram
he blob
4 April 2017
c’est la guerre
[se la ger]
French.
1. such is war.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for c’est la guerre
Historical Examples
If you grumble, a clerk will smile and say, ” c’est la guerre.”
Huts in Hell
Daniel A. Poling
I can only murmur with the French shop keepers ” c’est la guerre.”
Over Here
Hector MacQuarrie
To them and to us c’est la guerre had much the significance of “All in the day’s work.”
Average Americans
Theodore Roosevelt
Anagram
treacle urges
recreate lugs
secular greet
lecture rages
3 April 2017
clavier(1)
[kluh-veer, klav-ee-er, kley-vee-]
noun
1. the keyboard of a musical instrument.
Origin of clavier1
1700-1710; < French: keyboard, in Old French, keyholder, equivalent to Latin clāvi (s) key + -ier -ier2
clavier(2) or klavier
[kluh-veer, klav-ee-er, kley-vee-]
noun
1. any musical instrument having a keyboard, especially a stringed keyboard instrument, as a harpsichord, clavichord, or piano.
Origin
1835-45; < German Klavier < French clavier keyboard; see clavier(1)
Related forms
clavierist, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for clavier
Historical Examples
Miss clavier was evidently almost as astonished as her listener, but she had committed herself.
The Dust of Conflict
David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
“Writing a concerto for the clavier,” answered the small boy.
Historic Boyhoods
Rupert Sargent Holland
Weber sang in all thirteen times, and twice played the clavier, which she does very well.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Otto Jahn
In a corner some musicians discoursed on viols and lutes and a clavier.
The Mercenary
W. J. Eccott
The clavier by its very nature tended towards polyphony; the violin towards monody.
The Pianoforte Sonata
J.S. Shedlock
We think that when you get your clavier with your Commencement money, we had better get a piano also.
Basil Everman
Elsie Singmaster
Several tunes with clavier bass, almost foreshadowing the modern song.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1
Various
I wrote to you how she plays the clavier, and why she begged me to assist her.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Otto Jahn
Bach’s piano was the clavier, upon which he was the greatest virtuoso of his time.
A Popular History of the Art of Music
W. S. B. Mathews
It must be remembered that such pieces as these were always accompanied on the clavier.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Otto Jahn
Anagram
live car
evil arc
2 April 2017
runcible
[run-suh-buh l]
noun
1871, a nonsense word coined by Edward Lear; used especially in runcible spoon “spoon with three short tines like a fork,” which first took the name 1926.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Historical Examples
The veritable Pobble who went to fish for his Aunt Jobiska’s runcible cat with crimson whiskers.
The Librarian at Play
Edmund Lester Pearson
The man who greeted me was runcible, with little strands of sickly hair twisted mopwise over his bald head.
Greener Than You Think
Ward Moore
runcible spoon
noun
A fork curved like a spoon, with three broad prongs, one of which has a sharpened outer edge for cutting.
Example sentences
‘After reading last week’s article on the origin of the spoon/fork combo, known as the spork, Nell of Sarasota e-mailed asking whether I was familiar with the runcible spoon used by Owl and Pussycat to eat quince in Edward Lear’s famous poem.’
Origin
Late 19th century: used by Edward Lear, perhaps suggested by late 16th-century rouncival, denoting a large variety of pea.
Oxford English Living Dictionary
Anagram
club rein
lucre bin
1 April 2017
simulacrum
[sim-yuh-ley-kruh m]
noun, plural simulacra [sim-yuh-ley-kruh] (Show IPA)
1. a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.
2. an effigy, image, or representation:
a simulacrum of Aphrodite.
Dictionary.com
Origin of simulacrum
Latin
1590-1600; < Latin simulācrum likeness, image, equivalent to simulā (re) to simulate + -crum instrumental suffix
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for simulacrum
Historical Examples
Morality demands “the good,” and not a simulacrum or make-shift.
Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher
Henry Jones
They radiate from the surface of the skin and reproduce a simulacrum, as it were, of the surface.
The Problems of Psychical Research
Hereward Carrington
Nature is “the omniform image of the omniform God—His great living semblance ( simulacrum).”
Giordano Bruno
James Lewis McIntyre
Anagram
Mural music
