January 2017
- accretion
- avoirdupois
- black leg
- blag
- braggadocious
- choler
- daguerreotype
- Droste Effect
- duenna
- ecru
- eponymous
- gainsay
- hackneyed
- het up
- lights
- nanobot
- napery
- Naugahyde
- non-U
- Occident
- omnist
- oriel
- palaver
- palooka
- piste
- plinth
- prediliction
- saltire
- seraglio
- spar
- yawp
31 January 2017
accretion
[uh-kree-shuh n]
noun
1. an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent.
2. the result of this process.
3. an added part; addition:
The last part of the legend is a later accretion.
4. the growing together of separate parts into a single whole.
5. Law. increase of property by gradual natural additions, as of land by alluvion.
Origin of accretion
Latin
1605-1615; < Latin accrētiōn- (stem of accrētiō), equivalent to accrēt (us), past participle of accrēscere to grow ( ac- ac- + crē- grow + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
accretive, accretionary, adjective
nonaccretion, noun
nonaccretive, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for accretion
Contemporary
Accretion of incremental, imperceptible changes which can constitute progress and which render our era dramatically different from the past, a contrast obscured by the undramatic nature of gradual transformation punctuated by occasional tumult.
Rebecca Solnit
TED Talk: Danny Dorling: Maps that show us who we are (not just where we are)
The powerful forces of gravity and magnetism channel matter into huge flattened spinning platters known as accretion disks.
The Black Hole Tango
Matthew R. Francis
November 23, 2014
The direction of polarization for a quasar is determined by the accretion disk surrounding it.
The Black Hole Tango
Matthew R. Francis
November 23, 2014
Their gravitational pull can draw in huge amounts of gas, which swirls in a thick donut-shaped pattern known as an accretion disk.
The Supermassive Black Hole Smokescreen
Matthew R. Francis
June 21, 2014
The accretion of interest groups is not a uniquely American problem.
So What Would I Do About China?
David Frum
August 21, 2012
Historical Examples
The appearance greatly improved, and the accretion in seven years after thinning showed 160 per cent.
Garden and Forest Weekly, Volume 1 No. 1, February 29, 1888
Various
With any accretion allowed, the concentration of wealth is irresistible.
Usury
Calvin Elliott
Organisms are not added to by accretion, as in the case of minerals, but by growth.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World
Henry Drummond
The only difficulty in this accretion is to secure debtors that will not die.
Usury
Calvin Elliott
Nor must we despise them when we reflect upon their power of accretion.
Lippincott’s Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XII, No. 28. July, 1873.
Various
She was in a state of rare contentment, an accretion to the gaiety that was hers by nature.
The Intrusions of Peggy
Anthony Hope
Anagram
a necrotic
circa tone
react icon
30 January 2017
Occident
[ok-si-duh nt]
noun
1. the Occident.
the West; the countries of Europe and America.
Western Hemisphere.
2. (lowercase) the west; the western regions.
Origin of Occident
Middle English, Middle French, Latin, Middle English < Middle French < Latin occident- (stem of occidēns) present participle of occidere to fall, (of the sun) to set, equivalent to oc- oc- + cid- (combining form of cadere to fall) + -ent- -ent
Can be confused
accident, Occident.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Occident
Historical Examples
Her affiliation with the Occident is so much the more complete; but her Eastern origin is never in doubt.
Studies of Contemporary Poets
Mary C. Sturgeon
In the Occident, giving to the poor is lending to the devil.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 11 (of 14)
Elbert Hubbard
He established a periodical, “Orient and Occident,” in 1862.
Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
Rev. A. Bernstein, B.D.
Anagram
edict con
29 January 2017
daguerreotype
[duh-gair-uh-tahyp, -ee-uh-tahyp]
noun
1. an obsolete photographic process, invented in 1839, in which a picture made on a silver surface sensitized with iodine was developed by exposure to mercury vapor.
2. a picture made by this process.
verb (used with object), daguerreotyped, daguerreotyping.
3. to photograph by this process.
Origin of daguerreotype
1830-1840; named after L. J. M. Daguerre; see -o-, -type
Related forms
daguerreotyper, daguerreotypist, noun
daguerreotypic [duh-gair-uh-tip-ik, -ee-uh-tip-] (Show IPA), adjective
daguerreotypy, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for daguerreotype
Contemporary Examples
We can feel her sensuality and willfulness in the first daguerreotype we have of Mary, taken in 1846, when she was twenty-seven.
Lincoln in Love
Jerome Charyn
February 13, 2014
Historical Examples
The daguerreotype was followed in 1850 by the present “photograph.”
Invention
Bradley A. Fiske
It was a daguerreotype, faded and silvered; but the features were those of his wife!
The Crusade of the Excelsior
Bret Harte
Anagram
a deeper yogurt
a greedy troupe
a retyped rouge
28 January 2017
hackneyed
[hak-need]
adjective
1. made commonplace or trite; stale; banal:
the hackneyed images of his poetry.
Origin of hackneyed
1740-1750; hackney + -ed2
Related forms
nonhackneyed, adjective
unhackneyed, adjective
Synonyms
overdone, overused. See commonplace.
hackney
[hak-nee]
noun, plural hackneys.
1. Also called hackney coach. a carriage or coach for hire; cab.
2. a trotting horse used for drawing a light carriage or the like.
3. a horse used for ordinary riding or driving.
4. (initial capital letter) one of an English breed of horses having a high-stepping gait.
adjective
5. let out, employed, or done for hire.
verb (used with object)
6. to make trite, common, or stale by frequent use.
7. to use as a hackney.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English hakeney, special use of placename Hackney, Middlesex, England
Related forms
hackneyism, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for hackneyed
Contemporary Examples
Sometimes Allen retools a hackneyed plot and the bones show through—not this time.
Woody Allen’s Best & Worst Movies: ‘Annie Hall’ ‘Match Point’ & More (Video)
Malcolm Jones
July 25, 2013
It was slit-your-wrists dull, but in a hackneyed avant-garde manner.
Whitney Museum’s Biennial: A Big Yawn
Blake Gopnik
February 29, 2012
Even the harmonized choral accents are hackneyed, ripped straight from her previous mega-hit “You Belong with Me.”
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’: Country’s Prodigal Daughter Creates the Best Pop Album of the Year
Marlow Stern
October 24, 2014
hackneyed chestnuts like that are reserved for old toastmasters, and yet, there we were.
From Moscow to Queens, Down Sergei Dovlatov Way
Daniel Genis
September 14, 2014
Under normal circumstances, a politician being grilled by fifth-graders is hackneyed political theater.
Biden Grilled by Fifth-Graders
Alex Pasternack
May 10, 2009
Historical Examples
We can only refer the reader’s imagination to the one old, hackneyed but expressive, word—fairyland!
Blown to Bits
Robert Michael Ballantyne
Reason three, a hackneyed but very present trouble was the weather.
A harum-scarum schoolgirl
Angela Brazil
The hackneyed simile of the cat and the mouse seemed to me to be especially applicable in the present instance.
Princess Zara
Ross Beeckman
His anger thrilled out in a feeble stream of hackneyed profanities.
The Wonder
J. D. Beresford
Such was the creation of Scott’s Abbotsford, a real ‘romance in stone and lime,’ to use the Frenchman’s hackneyed phrase.
Abbotsford
Anonymous
Anagram
hacked yen
needy hack
27 January 2017
ecru
[ek-roo, ey-kroo]
adjective
1. very light brown in color, as raw silk, unbleached linen, etc.
noun
2. an ecru color.
Also, écru [French ey-kry]
Origin of ecru
1865-1870; French, equivalent to é- completely (< Latin ex- ex-1) + cru raw (< Latin crūdus; see crude )
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for ecru
Historical Examples
You can take my ecru lace scarf, if you wish, and that will cover most of the spots.
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume II. (of X.)
Various
In giving a brownish hue to such light colors as beige, ecru, etc., it is invaluable.
The Practical Ostrich Feather Dyer
Alexander Paul
ecru : Continue the foregoing operation for blue by passing the goods through a solution of prussiate of potash.
Burroughs’ Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information, 1889
Barkham Burroughs
A nervous tug-of-war was taking place between her right and left hand, with a twisted-up pair of ecru gloves for the cable.
The Shadow
Arthur Stringer
In color it runs from ecru drab to hair-brown with streaks of the latter, and it is very viscid when moist.
Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc.
George Francis Atkinson
He was slightly smaller than a load of hay in his belted suit of ecru pongee; he wore a satisfied air and a pleased mustache.
The Sin of Monsieur Pettipon
Richard Connell
Madame had, cried madame’s maid, running to fetch one with little pink flowers and green leaves on an ecru ground.
A Modern Chronicle, Complete
Winston Churchill
If they are of an ecru shade, put a little coffee in the water and they will look like new.
Guide to Hotel Housekeeping
Mary E. Palmer
And the curtains are just simple cotton voiles, ecru in the living and dining rooms, and white in the bedrooms.
A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband
Louise Bennett Weaver
The chief end of man is to witness an ecru coyote and a few absolute human failures like you and me.
Heart’s Desire
Emerson Hough
Anagram
cure
26 January 2017
non-U
[non-yoo]
adjective
1. not characteristic of or appropriate to the upper class, common, especially of Great Britain:
For example: certain words and phrases are considered absolutely non-U.
Origin of non-U
non- + U(Upper) (adj.)
Dictionary.com
anagram
noun
25 January 2017
het up
[het]
adjective, Informal.
1. indignant; irate; upset:
She was really het up about the new city tax.
2. enthusiastic:
John is suddenly het up about racing cars.
Origin of het up
1920-1925; het, archaic or dial. past participle of heat + up
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for het up
Contemporary Examples
Elsewhere in the post, Silver explains, as he has many times, why no one should get too het up over one single poll.
Silver on Gallup’s Galloping Numbers
Michael Tomasky
October 18, 2012
Historical Examples
It was by standin’ out all het up where she had hitched me after she’d rid’ me to one of the witch conventions.
The Skipper and the Skipped
Holman Day
Why would your grandfather get all het up if he heard about it?
David Lannarck, Midget
George S. Harney
Anagram
he put
24 January 2017
braggadocious
[brag-uh-doh-shuhs]
adjective
1. (US, informal) boastful
Word Origin
from braggadocio
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons& Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Contemporary definitions for braggadocious
adjective
overly proud, bragging in excess
Word Origin
derivative of the mock-Italian braggadocio meaning ‘idle boaster’
Dictionary.com’s 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2014 Dictionary.com, LLC
Anagram
Airbag Scud Goo
23 January 2017
Naugahyde
[naw-guh-hahyd]
Trademark.
1. a brand of strong vinyl-coated fabric made to look like leather and used for upholstery, luggage, etc.
Dictionary.com
Word Origin and History for Naugahyde
trademark name patented (U.S.) Dec. 7, 1937, by United States Rubber Products Inc., for an artificial leather made from fabric base treated with rubber, etc. From Naugatuk, rubber-making town in Connecticut, + hyde, an arbitrary variant of hide (n.). The town name is Southern New England Algonquian *neguttuck “one tree,” from *negut- “one” + *-tugk “tree.”
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Anagram
handy ague
Hey Uganda
22 January 2017
palooka
[puh-loo-kuh]
noun, Slang.
1. an athlete, especially a boxer, lacking in ability, experience, or competitive spirit.
2. a stupid, clumsy person.
Origin of palooka
1920-1925, Americanism; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com
Contemporary example
Butch: You lookin’ at something, friend?
Vincent: You ain’t my friend, Palooka.
Butch: What’s that?
Vincent: I think you heard me just fine, Punchy.
– Pulp Fiction screenplay
Anagram
oak opal
21 January 2017
lights(1)
[lahyts]
plural noun
1. a person’s ideas, knowledge, or understanding: he did it according to his lights
lights(2)
plural noun
1. the lungs, esp of sheep, bullocks, and pigs, used for feeding pets and occasionally in human food
Word Origin
C13: plural noun use of light ², referring to the light weight of the lungs
Anagram
slight
20 January 2017
nanobot
[nan-uh-bot]
noun
1. a machine or robot built on the nanoscale, still in the research-and-development stage, with potential applications in medicine and industry.
2. a machine or robot that can manipulate nanoscale objects with great precision.
Also called nanorobot [nan-uh-roh-buh t, -bot], nanite, nanomachine.
Origin of nanobot
1990-1995; nano- + (ro)bot
Dictionary.com
Contemporary definitions for nanobot
noun
a microscopic robot used in nanotechnology, a nano-robot; an extremely small autonomous self-propelled machine that may reproduce
Word Origin
1989
Dictionary.com
Anagram
ban onto
no baton
bat noon
19 January 2017
spar(1)
[spahr]
noun
1. Nautical. a stout pole such as those used for masts, etc.; a mast, yard, boom, gaff, or the like.
2. Aeronautics. a principal lateral member of the framework of a wing of an airplane.
verb (used with object), sparred, sparring.
3. to provide or make with spars.
Origin of spar(1)
Middle English
1250-1300; Middle English sparre (noun); cognate with German Sparren, Dutch spar, Old Norse sparri
Related forms
sparlike, adjective
spar(2)
[spahr]
verb (used without object), sparred, sparring.
1. (of boxers) to make the motions of attack and defense with the arms and fists, especially as a part of training.
2. to box, especially with light blows.
3. to strike or attack with the feet or spurs, as gamecocks do.
4. to bandy words; dispute.
noun
5. a motion of sparring.
6. a boxing match.
7. a dispute.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English: orig., thrust (noun and v.); perhaps akin to spur1
spar(3)
[spahr]
noun
1. any of various more or less lustrous crystalline minerals:
fluorspar.
Origin
1575-85; back formation from sparstone spar, Old English spærstān gypsum; compare Middle Low German spar
Related forms
sparlike, adjective
SPAR or Spar
[spahr]
Spell Syllables
noun
1. (during World War II) a woman enlisted in the women’s reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard (disbanded in 1946).
Origin
1942; Latin S (emper) par (ātus) “Always ready” the Coast Guard motto
SpAr
1. Spanish Arabic.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for spar
Contemporary Examples
spar comes from the co-ed world, a seemingly plain credential but one that will give her an enormous advantage at Barnard.
Big Woman on Campus
Kate Taylor
October 21, 2008
spar has a new book titled The Baby Business: How Money, Science and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception.
Want Blue Eyes With That Baby?: The Strange New World of Human Reproduction
Eleanor Clift
November 23, 2014
Asked if the ability to reproduce should be a human right, spar said she would leave that for the philosophers to think about.
Want Blue Eyes With That Baby?: The Strange New World of Human Reproduction
Eleanor Clift
November 23, 2014
Anagram
raps
pars
18 January 2017
choler
[kol-er]
noun
1. irascibility; anger; wrath; irritability.
2. Old Physiology. yellow bile.
3. Obsolete. biliousness.
Origin of choler
Middle English, Latin, Greek
1350-1400; Middle English colera; Medieval Latin, Latin cholera; Greek choléra cholera
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for choler
Historical Examples
The king felt the blow; Dumouriez saw through the perfidy, and could not repress his choler against Servan in the council-chamber.
History of the Girondists, Volume I
Alphonse de Lamartine
“What an unfounded assertion,” exclaimed that gentleman in choler.
The Shadow of Ashlydyat
Mrs. Henry Wood
choler cooled into surprise, and surprise exploded into a vapid, grinning “Huh!”
The Court of Boyville
William Allen White
They aunswer againe in choler : “Let him come feele my pulse.”
A Renaissance Courtesy-book
Giovanni Della Casa
The thought that another should challenge his right or traverse his desire galled him to a choler little short of madness.
The God of Love
Justin Huntly McCarthy
It was evident that his choler against Mackwith had risen again.
A Case in Camera
Oliver Onions
But this opinion I kept carefully to myself, as my uncle’s choler was not pleasant to bear.
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Jules Verne
Let melancholy rule supreme, choler preside, or blood, or phlegm.
The Battle of the Books
Jonathan Swift
The Baron’s choler having subsided, he was the first to break the ice of silence.
Jorrocks’ Jaunts and Jollities
Robert Smith Surtees
I damned the thickness of his hide, but swallowed my choler.
In Accordance with the Evidence
Oliver Onions
17 January 2017
gainsay
[geyn-sey, geyn-sey]
verb (used with object), gainsaid, gainsaying.
1. to deny, dispute, or contradict.
2. to speak or act against; oppose.
Origin of gainsay
Middle English
1250-1300; Middle English gainsaien. See again, say1
Related forms
gainsayer, noun
ungainsaid, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for gainsay
Contemporary Examples
But it will be a cost, and it will be large — nobody can gainsay that.
You Still Can’t Wish Away the Facts on Immigration Amnesty
David Frum
May 12, 2013
As long as the United States was the economic primus inter pares, those arguments were hard to gainsay.
Obama’s G-20 Misfire
Zachary Karabell
November 10, 2010
Historical Examples
Victor was vexed by the stranger’s intrusion, but could not gainsay Mrs. Joyce.
Victor Ollnee’s Discipline
Hamlin Garland
No one who knows half these facts can dispute or gainsay them.
The New Avatar and The Destiny of the Soul
Jirah D. Buck
By some such reasoning as this Lady Dorothea persuaded herself to this course; and who should gainsay her?
The Martins Of Cro’ Martin, Vol. I (of II)
Charles James Lever
The title of Watt the Inventor is world-wide, and is so just and striking that there is none to gainsay.
James Watt
Andrew Carnegie
After the invading army had retired, no one will gainsay the sound sense of his behaviour.
Agesilaus
Xenophon
But no one could gainsay his eagerness and devotion to the cause.
A Tame Surrender, A Story of The Chicago Strike
Charles King
Anagram
as in gay
a saying
a gas yin
is a yang
16 January 2017
avoirdupois
[av-er-duh-poiz]
noun
1. avoirdupois weight.
2. Informal. bodily weight:
He carries around a lot of excess avoirdupois.
Origin of avoirdupois
Middle English
1250-1300; Middle English avoir de pois literally, property of weight < Old French, equivalent to avoir (earlier aveir < Latin habēre to have) + de (< Latin dē) + pois (earlier peis < Latin pēnsum)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for avoirdupois
Contemporary Examples
Its owner seems to take as much pride in her bones as the big girls of Rubens could take in their avoirdupois.
Skin, Bones and Beauty
Blake Gopnik
August 14, 2012
Historical Examples
She had so far successfully fought down an hereditary tendency to avoirdupois.
By the Light of the Soul
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
A single pair has been known to weigh as much as 60 pounds avoirdupois !
The Hunters’ Feast
Mayne Reid
avoirdupois weight
Word Origin
noun
1. a system of weight measurement based on a pound of 16 ounces or 7,000 grains, in wide use in English-speaking countries; the system is used for goods other than gems, precious metals, and drugs: 27 11/32 grains = 1 dram; 16 drams = 1 ounce; 16 ounces = 1 pound; 112 pounds (Brit.) or 100 pounds (U.S.) = 1 hundredweight; 20 hundredweight = 1 ton. The pound contains 7000 grains.
Abbreviation: av.; avdp.; avoir.
Origin of avoirdupois weight
1610-1620
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for avoirdupois weight
Contemporary example
In the avoirdupois measuring system, a dram is defined as 1/16 of an ounce which is exactly 1.7718451953125 grams.
Dramming.com
Historical Examples
A gallon contains 8.33 pounds avoirdupois weight of distilled water. Now we don’t want to sell our whisky by the pound by weight, but luckily there is also a liquid version of the dram, called the fluid dram. For some strange reason this is defined as 1/8 of a fluid ounce.
Practical Mechanics for Boys
J. S. Zerbe
One felt that each had measured the other by avoirdupois weight, and had found the balance even.
The Lowest Rung
Mary Cholmondeley
Most people give gratitude in grains for whole ounces of avoirdupois weight ; what a grateful soul yours is, Miss Lambert.’
Heriot’s Choice
Rosa Nouchette Carey
Throughout this book, the pound is avoirdupois weight —sixteen ounces.
Miss Leslie’s Lady’s New Receipt-Book
Eliza Leslie
One must weigh men by avoirdupois weight, and not by the jeweller’s scales.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood
Anagram
I pour avoids
saviour i pod
15 January 2017
yawp or yaup
[yawp, yahp]
verb (used without object)
1. to utter a loud, harsh cry; to yelp, squawk, or bawl.
2. Slang. to talk noisily and foolishly or complainingly.
noun
3. a harsh cry.
4. Slang.
raucous or querulous speech.
a noisy, foolish utterance.
Origin of yawp
Middle English
1300-1350; Middle English yolpen; akin to yelp
Related forms
yawper, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for yawp
Contemporary Examples
Students moan and growl and shriek and yawp, as if exorcising demons in a ritualistic ceremony.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze
Lizzie Crocker
January 8, 2015
Historical Examples
Hear him for his cause, and ‘hold your yawp,’ till he has said what he has got to say.
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 57, No. 1, January 1861
Various
Dont let me hear of you opening your yawp the way you did just now.
The Heart of Canyon Pass
Thomas K. Holmes
14 January 2017
blackleg
[blak-leg]
noun
1. Also called black quarter, symptomatic anthrax. Veterinary Pathology. an infectious, often fatal disease of cattle and sheep, caused by the soil bacterium Clostridium chauvoei and characterized by painful, gaseous swellings in the muscles, usually of the upper parts of the legs.
2. Plant Pathology.
a disease of cabbage and other cruciferous plants, characterized by dry, black lesions on the base of the stem, caused by a fungus, Phoma lingam.
a disease of potatoes, characterized by wet, black lesions on the base of the stem, caused by a bacterium, Erwinia atroseptica.
3. a swindler, especially in racing or gambling.
4. British Informal. a strikebreaker; scab.
verb (used with object), blacklegged, blacklegging. British Informal.
5. to replace (a worker) who is on strike.
6. to refuse to support (a union, union workers, or a strike).
7. to betray or deceive (a person or cause).
verb (used without object), blacklegged, blacklegging.
8. British Informal. to return to work before a strike is settled.
Origin of blackleg
1715-1725; black + leg; orig. of nonliteral senses unclear; cf. jackleg
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for blackleg
Historical Examples
That is to say, the assassin merely desires to remove one blackleg in order to make a place for some other blackleg.
The American Credo
George Jean Nathan
Knave he was,—cheat at cards, blackleg on the turf,—but forgery!
What Will He Do With It, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Her first husband—my poor boy, I am sorry for you—was a scoundrel, a thief, a blackleg.
The Honorable Miss
L. T. Meade
I released the blackleg, and he sat helpless in his chair, and glared at us.
Great Porter Square, v. 2
Benjamin Leopold Farjeon
In returning to my boarding-house I was met by the blackleg pettifogger, who treated me with great coldness.
Secret Band of Brothers
Jonathan Harrington Green
Could I think of treading in the boots of a blackleg, albeit they never were his own?
George Cruikshank’s Omnibus
George Cruikshank
So this gambler and blackleg was the gentlemanly Mr. Hawley, was he; well, what could be his little game?
Keith of the Border
Randall Parrish
Do you suppose any boy would be so mean as to be a blackleg ?
Pelle the Conqueror, Complete
Martin Anderson Nexo
It wad be awfu’ to hear folk cryin’ ‘ blackleg ‘ after yir faither, wadna’ it, Mysie?
The Underworld
James C. Welsh
You and your master are cheats, he says, and your master is a blackleg besides, he says.
The Inspector-General
Nicolay Gogol
Anagram
black gel
ball beck
13 January 2017
oriel
[awr-ee-uh l, ohr‐]
noun
1. a bay window, especially one cantilevered or corbeled out from a wall.
2. (in medieval architecture) a large bay window of a hall or chamber.
Origin of oriel
Latin, Middle English, Anglo-French
1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-French oriol porch, passage, gallery, perhaps ≪ Latin aureolus “gilded”
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for oriel
Historical Examples
“That young gentleman is my most esteemed and intimate friend;” replied oriel.
Lady Eureka, v. 1 (of 3)
Robert Folkestone Williams
And she hurried forth to the oriel window, where Jack was already perched.
In Convent Walls
Emily Sarah Holt
“But Macbeth merely imagined that he beheld such a weapon,” observed oriel, amused at the credulity of his host.
Lady Eureka, v. 2 (of 3)
Robert Folkestone Williams
Again was Baker at sea, and again did his glance seek the chandelier and the oriel.
The Ape, the Idiot & Other People
W. C. Morrow
Anagram
I lore
re oil
or lie
12 January 2017
seraglio
[si-ral-yoh, -rahl-]
noun, plural seraglios.
1. the part of a Muslim house or palace in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.
2. a Turkish palace, especially of the sultan.
Also called serail [suh-rahy, -rahyl, -reyl] (Show IPA).
Origin of seraglio
Italian, Persian
1575-1585; < Italian serraglio < Persian sarāy palace; sense development in Italian perhaps influenced by serrare to lock up
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for seraglio
Historical Examples
Their joy is such as that of the pasha of a seraglio ; they revel with ideas, they get drunk at the founts of intellect.
Cousin Betty
Honore de Balzac
Woman was no longer the captive of the seraglio, nor the chronicler of small beer.
Hopes and Fears
Charlotte M. Yonge
If you wish to understand something of the curious indifference that hangs, like moss, about the Turk, visit seraglio Point.
The Near East
Robert Hichens
So Quasimodo had fifteen bells in his seraglio ; but big Marie was his favorite.
Notre-Dame de Paris
Victor Hugo
The ministry of the Ottoman Porte was distracted by factions, and the seraglio threatened with tumults.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.II.
Tobias Smollett
He led the way until they came to a gallery that overlooked the seraglio.
Jack Harkaway’s Boy Tinker Among The Turks
Bracebridge Hemyng
The angel of sleep had spread her wings over the seraglio of Moley Pasha.
Jack Harkaway’s Boy Tinker Among The Turks
Bracebridge Hemyng
What cry was that which startles the seraglio from its siesta?
Jack Harkaway’s Boy Tinker Among The Turks
Bracebridge Hemyng
Just at this time the artillery arrived under the walls of the seraglio.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, December 1879
Various
But the ladies of the king’s seraglio were his principal customers.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan
James Morier
Anagram
goal rise
la orgies
oil rages
sage roil
gas oriel
11 January 2017
plinth
[plinth]
noun, Architecture.
1. a slablike member beneath the base of a column or pier.
2. a square base or a lower block, as of a pedestal.
3. Also called plinth course. a projecting course of stones at the base of a wall; earth table.
4. (in joinery) a flat member at the bottom of an architrave, dado, baseboard, or the like.
Origin of plinth
Latin, Greek
1555-1565; earlier plinthus < Latin < Greek plínthos plinth, squared stone, brick, tile
Related forms
plinthless, adjective
plinthlike, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for plinth
Contemporary Examples
A giant toy duck was waddling on top of the fourth plinth when I arrived in Trafalgar Square mid-morning.
London’s Living Sculptures
Anthony Haden-Guest
August 5, 2009
Historical Examples
The walls are divided by many vertical lines of pilasters which rise from the plinth to the eaves-cornice.
Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages
George Edmund Street
Mrs. plinth enquired, still distrustful of Mrs. Roby’s thoroughness.
Xingu
Edith Wharton
Moreover, the contrast between the plinth and the white wall above it must have had a certain decorative effect.
A History of Art in Chalda & Assyria, v. 1
Georges Perrot
10 January 2017
blag
/blæɡ/
noun
1. a robbery, esp with violence
verb (transitive) blags, blagging, blagged
2. to obtain by wheedling or cadging: she blagged free tickets from her mate
3. to snatch (wages, someone’s handbag, etc); steal
4. to rob (esp a bank or post office)
Derived Forms
blagger, noun
Word Origin
C19: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary
Examples from the Web for blag
Contemporary Examples
He tried to blag flights from British Airways but they said they would have needed six months notice.
How to Hustle Your Way to the Oscars
Nico Hines
February 14, 2014
Contemporary definitions for blag
noun
robbery or theft, often a con or scam
Usage Note
British slang
Dictionary.com
9 January 2017
saltire
[sal-teer, -tahyuh r, sawl-]
noun, Heraldry.
1. an ordinary in the form of a cross with arms running diagonally from the dexter chief to the sinister base and from the sinister chief to the dexter base; St. Andrew’s cross.
Idioms
2. in saltire, (of charges) arranged in the form of a saltire.
3. per saltire, diagonally in both directions:
party per saltire.
Also, saltier.
Origin of saltire
Middle English, Middle French, Medieval Latin
1350-1400; Middle English sawtire < Middle French sautoir crossed jumping bar < Medieval Latin saltātōrium something pertaining to jumping; see saltant, -tory2
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for saltire
Contemporary Examples
Someone has added a small saltire to one of the wreaths, paying tribute to a shared history that was forged in battle.
Voter Intimidation Grips Scotland as It Votes on Independence
Nico Hines
September 17, 2014
“One extra saltire among a sea of flags seems like a fair way to celebrate,” he said.
Andy Murray Survived Dunblane School Massacre Before Winning Wimbledon
Nico Hines
July 8, 2013
Historical Examples
The Chancellor: Gules, a saltire argent between four crosslets or.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
The Chancellor of France bore two maces in saltire behind his shield.
French Book-plates
Walter Hamilton
The end of this desk displays a shield charged with two keys in saltire, for the see of York.
Bell’s Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ripon
Cecil Walter Charles Hallett
The General of the Galleys: Two anchors in saltire behind the arms.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
The first night at Cottingdean Lord saltire had his writing-desk unpacked, and took therefrom a rusty key.
Ravenshoe
Henry Kingsley
The Precentor: Argent, on a saltire azure a fleur-de-lis or.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
Very shortly after this, good Lord saltire had to retire for a time into the upper chambers; he had a severe attack of gout.
Ravenshoe
Henry Kingsley
The arms attributed to him, and emblazoned on the banner bearing his name, are azure, a saltire argent.
History of the National Flag of the United States of America
Schuyler Hamilton
Anagram
realist
stir ale
laser it
8 January 2017
palaver
[puh-lav-er, ‐lah-ver]
noun
1. a conference or discussion.
2. a long parley, especially one between primitive natives and European traders, explorers, colonial officials, etc.
3. profuse and idle talk; chatter.
4. persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery.
verb (used without object), palavered, palavering.
5. to talk profusely and idly.
6. to parley or confer.
verb (used with object), palavered, palavering.
7. to cajole or persuade.
Origin of palaver
Portuguese, Late Latin
1720-1730; Portuguese palavra word, speech, talk; Late Latin parabola parable
Related forms
palaverer, palaverist, noun
palaverment, noun
palaverous, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for palaver
Contemporary Examples
He seemed at first much pleased of the situation, but after examining the captives closely he called a palaver.
The Story Behind The World’s Greatest Headline
Brandy Zadrozny
January 20, 2014
With North Korea, the palaver is mostly about hoping and waiting.
What the U.S. Government Knows About North Korea’s New Ruler
Leslie H. Gelb
December 19, 2011
Historical Examples
Therefore the house was cleared of all except the two Queens, who may never sequester themselves, and Mr. Hamor began his palaver.
The Story of Pocahantas
Charles Dudley Warner
Anagram
per lava
rave pal
7 January 2017
duenna
[doo-en-uh, dyoo-]
noun
1. (in Spain and Portugal) an older woman serving as escort or chaperon of a young lady.
2. a governess.
Origin of duenna
Spanish, Latin
1660-1670; < Spanish duenna (now dueña) < Latin domina, feminine of dominus master
Related forms
duennaship, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for duenna Expand
Historical Examples
Azrael began merrily putting on her garments, and helped Mariska also to dress; then she sent the duenna with a message to Hassan.
The Slaves of the Padishah
Mr Jkai
The duenna entered, and remained standing before her master.
The Pearl of Lima
Jules Verne
Mary’s duenna ;—the artist who is supposed to be moulding the wife.
Orley Farm
Anthony Trollope
She kept me in sight like a duenna, and strangely ill-treated me.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13
Elbert Hubbard
All the while the Duke and the Duchess were in paroxysms of laughter, so well did the duenna act her part.
The Story of Don Quixote
Arvid Paulson, Clayton Edwards, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
She felt that she had been rather remiss in her duties as duenna, and was angry with herself.
Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon
I think it was her duenna who toppled off the edge of the gangway with one of the Chittagong crew in the push to come aboard.
From Edinburgh to India & Burmah
William G. Burn Murdoch
Then the duenna resumed, and now came the worst of her story.
The Story of Don Quixote
Arvid Paulson, Clayton Edwards, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
If I do not hate that woman it will be well, for she is as much a duenna for me as governess for the children!
Love and Life
Charlotte M. Yonge
The Sisters are the only duenna for you; and back to the convent you shall go to-morrow.
Remember the Alamo
Amelia E. Barr
Anagram
an dune
6 January 2017
Droste Effect
noun
– also known as mise en abyme, is the effect of a picture appearing within itself, in a place where a picture would normally appear. The effect is recursive with each smaller version containing an even smaller version of itself.
wikipedia.org
Example
The cover of Pink Floyd’s 1969 album Ummagumma uses the Droste effect.
Anagram
effected rots
cord fete fest
of secret deft
5 January 2017
Omnist
noun
[om-nyst]
– a person who claims no one particular religion, practice or belief, but finds truth in them all
– a follower of omnism, in which adherents do not ascribe to any particular religion, but believe that all religions hold truth
Example
In partisan religious discussions, he would appear to be compromising between all viewpoints, but would explain that he was an Omnist and believed all ideologies held truth.
Anagram
inmost
so mint
4 January 2017
napery
[ney-puh-ree]
noun
1. table linen, as tablecloths or napkins.
2. any linen for household use.
Origin of napery
Middle English
1350-1400; Middle English naprye < Middle French, equivalent to nape, variant of nappe tablecloth (see napkin ) + -erie -ery
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for napery
Historical Examples
The display of napery and table linen was most ample; and why not?
Those Times And These
Irvin S. Cobb
Its crockery and atmosphere were thick; its soup and napery thin.
The Four Million
O. Henry
They would have all the winter to prepare the napery and crockery and consult about carpets and furniture.
A Singer from the Sea
Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
Anagram
nap rye
pen ray
3 January 2017
piste
[peest]
noun
1. a track or trail, as a downhill ski run or a spoor made by a wild animal.
2. (in fencing) a regulation-size strip, usually 2 meters wide and 14 meters long, on which fencers compete.
Origin of piste
Italian, Latin
1720-1730; French: animal track < Italian pista, pesta, noun derivative of pestare to pound, crush < Vulgar Latin, frequentative of Latin pī (n) sere; cf. pestle
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for piste
Historical Examples
On our return to the piste, or flying field, we usually keep steadily at it until nearly dark.
Don Hale with the Flying Squadron
W. Crispin Sheppard
One just has to drive them in a straight line across the piste.
Don Hale with the Flying Squadron
W. Crispin Sheppard
He looked in the direction of that voice, proceeding from the group of spadassins amid the Blacks across the piste, and he smiled.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
Anagram
I step
spite
2 January 2017
eponymous
[uh-pon-uh-muh s]
adjective
1. giving one’s name to a tribe, place, etc.:
Romulus, the eponymous founder of Rome.
Origin of eponymous
Greek
1840-1850; < Greek epṓnymos giving name. See ep-, -onym, -ous
Related forms
eponymously, adverb
Examples from the Web for eponymous
Contemporary Examples
Martha Stewart, the iconic head of her eponymous lifestyle empire, is 72.
Business Longreads for the Week of August 17, 2013
William O’Connor
August 17, 2013
He later went on to work for Calvin Klein before starting his own eponymous menswear brand in 1978 at the age of 25.
The CFDA Celebrates Black History Month
The Fashion Beast Team
February 17, 2014
Some of you may be departing the corporate world, going freelance, or hanging out an eponymous shingle.
Horoscopes: May 8-14
Starsky + Cox
May 6, 2011
Anagram
money opus
snoopy emu
peony sumo
1 January 2017
predilection
[pred-l-ek-shuh n, preed-]
noun
1. a tendency to think favorably of something in particular; partiality; preference:
a predilection for Bach.
Origin of predilection
Medieval Latin
1735-1745; < Medieval Latin praedīlect (us) beloved, past participle of praedīligere to prefer (see pre-, diligent ) + -ion
Synonyms
bias, inclination, leaning, liking, weakness, predisposition, prepossession.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for predilection
Contemporary Examples
She calls her new post “a red-eye job, given our time difference and the predilection for crisis.”
New Pakistan Ambassador Brings Frank Talk to Washington Relations
Eleanor Clift
February 20, 2012
But if you can get past the predilection for alliteration and the teehee!
Why We Worship Derek Jeter (Even If He Kinda Sucks at Shortstop)
Robert Silverman
February 12, 2014
He has a predilection for qualifiers (“very,” “totally,” “really”), and tends to skew positive on anything.
The Art World’s New Kingpin
Claire Howorth
November 8, 2010
In this, he revealed—and not for the first time—his predilection for political control of the economy.
Obama’s Phony Bank Debate
Tunku Varadarajan
April 21, 2010
Readers who might feel shame about their predilection for tawdry paperbacks can now enjoy them discreetly.
How ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Is Shaking Up the Business of the Romance Genre
Chris Berube
June 5, 2012
Historical Examples
You have a predilection for heroics; it will not be without interest to bring things to the point.
Fantmas
Pierre Souvestre
Nobody ever got any clue to the reason, if there was one, for this predilection of hers.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
Still more probably, one architect may have had a predilection for timber, while another may have preferred clay vaults.
A History of Art in Chalda & Assyria, v. 1
Georges Perrot
I made some success, and the students had a predilection for me.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
I was, perhaps, too scrupulous about seeming officious or jealous of the predilection shown to the Duchess.
The Secret Memoirs of Louis XV./XVI, Complete
Madame du Hausset, an “Unknown English Girl” and the Princess Lamballe
Anagram
penciled riot
elicit ponder