16 September 2016

bibelot

[bib-loh; French beebuh-loh]

noun, plural bibelots [bib-lohz; French beebuh-loh] (Show IPA)

1. a small object of curiosity, beauty, or rarity.

Origin of bibelot

1870-1875; < French, equivalent to bibel- (expressive formation akin to bauble ) + -ot noun suffix

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for bibelot

Historical Examples

She was terribly hurt; in her heart she had always feared her husband regarded her as a bibelot.
The Twelfth Hour
Ada Leverson

I set to work at once, and in a very little while my bibelot was selected.
Certain Personal Matters
H. G. Wells

Regarded as a bibelot, Mrs. Wigger was, I think, of the first perfection.
Turns about Town
Robert Cortes Holliday

Anagram

to bible
boil bet
tie blob

Today’s quote

Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.

– Unknown

On this day

16 September – International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

16 September 1908 – General Motors is founded by William C. Durrant.

16 September 1920 – The bombing of Wall St, New York, which kills 38 and injures 143. The crime has never been solved, but is believed to have been committed by Italian anarchists known as Galleanists, (after their leader Luigi Galleani), who were protesting against capitalism. The bomb had been placed in a horse wagon.

16 September 1927 – birth of Peter Falk, U.S. actor (Colombo) … ‘therrre ya go‘… (died 23 June 2011.

16 September 1975 – Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australia. PNG National Day.

16 September 1977 – death of Marc Bolan in a car accident. Singer/guitarist for T-Rex. (Born 30 September 1947 as Mark Feld).

16 – 18 September 1982 – Lebanese Christian militia (Phalange) massacres between 765 and 3,500 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut. An inquiry in 1983 held Israeli troops indirectly responsible as they had surrounded the camps, controlling access to them, and were aware a massacre was occurring without taking steps to stop it.

15 September 2016

bagatelle

[bag-uh-tel]

noun

1. something of little value or importance; a trifle.
2. a game played on a board having holes at one end into which balls are to be struck with a cue.
3. pinball.
4. a short and light musical composition, typically for the piano.

Origin of bagatelle

French

1630-1640; French < Upper Italian bagat (t) ella, equivalent to bagatt (a) small possession (perhaps bag (a) berry (< Latin bāca; cf. bay4) + -att (a) diminutive suffix) + -ella < Latin -illa diminutive suffix

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for bagatelle

Historical Examples

This morning I had the “No. 9” towed to the railing of bagatelle by means of its guide rope.
My Airships
Alberto Santos-Dumont

I don’t know that there is much soaring upwards in bagatelle.
Is He Popenjoy?
Anthony Trollope

In the region of bagatelle in the Argonne two German counterattacks were repulsed.
The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII)
Various

But this is a mere trifle, a bagatelle, to the many other infractions of which he is guilty.
The Mystery of Space
Robert T. Browne

I know one to be had a bargain,—a bagatelle,—five hundred naps a-year.
The Parisians, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Anagram

gate label
beat legal
agate bell

Today’s quote

Looking is different from seeing, hearing is different from listening.

– Nikos Lygeros

On this day

15 September – International Day of Democracy.

15 September 1254 – birth of Marco Polo, Italian explorer. Died 9 January 1324.

13 September 2016

wampum

[wom-puh m, wawm-]

noun

1. Also called peag, seawan, sewan. cylindrical beads made from shells, pierced and strung, used by North American Indians as a medium of exchange, for ornaments, and for ceremonial and sometimes spiritual purposes, especially such beads when white but also including the more valuable black or dark-purple varieties.
2. Informal. money.

Origin of wampum

1630-1640; short for wampumpeag

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for wampum

Contemporary Examples

America with lakes of lucre, waves of wampum, a Superstorm Sandy of simoleons, a Hurricane Katrina of cash.
The Federal Government Has Violated My Right to Chainsaw
P. J. O’Rourke
April 26, 2014

Historical Examples

In the old days she used to do it in one plait wound around with wampum.
Indian Child Life
Charles A. Eastman

If you love your women and children, receive the belt of wampum I present you.
Daniel Boone
John S. C. Abbott

It was the wampum which recorded their words and gave their pledge of sincerity.
Wampum
Ashbel Woodward

Sh-me-ks-see, the Wolf; one of the Chiefs; his head curiously ornamented, and numerous strings of wampum on his neck.
Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. I (of 2)
George Catlin

But hides and furs were not the only articles which wampum purchased from the natives.
Wampum
Ashbel Woodward

In the early days the usual fee was ƒ6 in wampum, paid over to the church funds.
Jersey City and its Historic Sites
Harriet Phillips Eaton

Anagram

mum paw

Today’s quote

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

– Lao Tzu

On this day

13 September 1503 – Michelango commences his iconic sculpture, ‘David‘.

13 September 1922 – official highest temperature ever recorded: 57.8oC (138oF) at Azizya, Libya.

13 September 1940 – German Luftwaffe bombs Buckingham Palace, London, while King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) are in residence.

11 September 2016

quittance

[kwit-ns]

noun

1. recompense or requital.
2. discharge from a debt or obligation.
3. a document certifying discharge from debt or obligation, as a receipt.

Origin of quittance

Middle English, Old French

1175-1225; Middle English quitaunce; Old French quitance, equivalent to quit (er) to quit1+ -ance -ance

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for quittance

Historical Examples

Hereat the brewer did wonder, and desired to see the quittance.
The Sources and Analogues of ‘A Midsummer-night’s Dream’
Compiled by Frank Sidgwick

The guerdon; the quittance ; could it be possible after all, the end was not far?
Under the Rose
Frederic Stewart Isham

The portrait has the look of being designed as a quittance in full of old scores.
Atlantic Monthly, Volume 2, Issue 10, August, 1858
Various

I’ve sent him his quittance papers, and he’s your enemy for all time.
A Captain in the Ranks
George Cary Eggleston

The man was a bankrupt; but still he had given her all he had to give, a quittance.
The Talk of the Town, Volume 2 (of 2)
James Payn

In a few minutes I should receive a quittance, and be free to think only of myself.
A Gentleman of France
Stanley Weyman

The deputy turned over his charge to him, received his quittance, and went away.
Robert Tournay
William Sage

Anagram

enact quit
quiet cant
acquit ten

Today’s quote

Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.

– Fyodor Dostoyevsky

On this day

11 September 1297 – William Wallace leads Scottish forces to victory against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

11 September 1941 – construction of the Pentagon commences in Washington DC. (Completed on 15 January 1943).

11 September 1948 – death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan. Leader of the Muslim League calling for the creation of Pakistan. Served as Pakistan’s first Governor-General from 15 August 1947 until his death. In Pakistan, his birthday is a national holiday. Born 25 December 1876.

11 September 1972 – Democratically elected President Salvador Allende of Chilé, is overthrown in a U.S. sponsored coup which brings to power General Augusto Pinochet. The Church Committee, commissioned by the U.S. Department of State to investigate covert C.I.A. operations in Chilé, found that Henry Kissinger had directed the C.I.A. to prevent the socialist Allende from being elected, then to undermine his presidency, before supplying arms to a military junta which succeeded in overthrowing Allendé. Thousands of people died or disappeared under Pinochet’s rule, with approximately 40,000 suffering human rights violations, including torture.

11 September 1987 – death of Peter Tosh, Jamaican reggae singer and musician. From 1963 to 1974, Tosh was a member of Bob Marley and Wailers until going solo. His most famous song is ‘Legalize It’, about legalising marijuana. Tosh’s album, ‘Bush Doctor’, included a duet with Mick Jagger in the song, ‘Don’t Look Back’. Tosh was a Rastafarian. He campaigned against apartheid, which he sang about on his album ‘Equal Rights’. Tosh was murdered on 11 September 1987, after three men broke into his house and tortured him in an effort to extort money. After several hours, one of the men shot Tosh in the head, killing him. Two other friends of Tosh’s were also killed. Born 19 October 1944.

11 September 2001 – 9/11 Terrorist Attacks in which four commercial airliners were hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists. Two planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, one plane hit the Pentagon in Washington DC and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought with the hijackers. Approximately, 3,000 people died in the attacks.

10 September 2016

proscenium

[proh-see-nee-uh m, pruh-]

noun, plural proscenia [proh-see-nee-uh, pruh-] (Show IPA). Theater.

1. Also called proscenium arch. the arch that separates a stage from the auditorium.
Abbreviation: pros.
2. (formerly) the apron or, especially in ancient theater, the stage itself.

Origin of proscenium

Latin, Greek
1600-1610; < Latin proscēnium, proscaenium < Greek proskḗnion entrance to a tent, porch, stage ( Late Greek: stage curtain), equivalent to pro- pro-2+ skēn (ḗ) (see scene ) + -ion neuter noun suffix

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for proscenium

Historical Examples

The proscenium Arch is the arch or frame extending around the front of the stage of a theatre.
The Boy Craftsman
A. Neely Hall

Anyway, I’m going to propose, him for the Stuyvesant and the proscenium.
The Younger Set
Robert W. Chambers

The chief feat however is not yet performed, that which is to be acted in front of the proscenium!
Beethoven’s Letters 1790-1826 Vol. 2
Lady Wallace

Anagram

income spur
upon crimes
Sumo prince

Today’s quote

When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.

– Thomas Edison

On this day

10 September – World Suicide Prevention Day.

10 September 1945 – birth of José Feliciano, Puerto Rican singer/musician.

9 September 2016

allonym

[al-uh-nim]

noun

1. the name of another person taken by an author as a pen name.
Compare pseudonym.
2. a work published under a name that is not that of the author.

Origin of allonym

1865-1870; all- + -onym; cf. pseudonym

Related forms

allonymous [uh-lon-uh-muh s], adjective
allonymously, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples

Some people believe that Shakespeare’s works were written by various authors who used his allonym.

(wordsmith.org)

‘Her name was Diane and I had known her intermittently for about a year. I had never flown with her, having met her in the Atlanta airport terminal, and she knew me under the alias Robert F. Conrad, a Pan-Am first officer, an allonym I used on occasion’.
Frank W. Abagnale and Stan Redding
Catch Me If You Can.
Random House, 2000

Anagram

yon mall
lo manly

Today’s quote

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

– Leo Tolstoy

On this day

9 September 1543 – Mary Stuart crowned ‘Queen of Scots’. She was 9 months old.

9 September 1828 – birth of Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer, (‘Anna Karenina‘, ‘War and Peace‘). Died 20 November 1910.

9 September 1890 – birth of Harlan Sanders who eventually becomes a Colonel and chickens throughout Kentucky, and ultimately the rest of the world, are never the same again as he invents Kentucky Fried Chicken. Died 16 December 1980.

9 September 2004 – Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, bombed. 10 people killed.

8 September 2016

baksheesh or bakshish, bakshis
[bak-sheesh, bak-sheesh] (in the Near and Middle East)

noun

1. a tip, present, or gratuity.
verb (used with or without object)
2. to give a tip.

Origin of baksheesh

Persian

1615-1625; Persian bakhshish gift

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for baksheesh

Historical Examples

Still, I am sorry now I didn’t contribute the baksheesh he expected.
The Ship Dwellers
Albert Bigelow Paine

The next best thing to do is to forget the wish, pay two-pence in baksheesh and ride away to get the most of a glorious view.
The Walls of Constantinople
Bernard Granville Baker

For the first two years of war he kept out of the army by means of baksheesh.
Eastern Nights – and Flights
Alan Bott

In common with the rest of the world I had heard of baksheesh, but until then I never understood its magic power.
The Making Of A Novelist
David Christie Murray

Mounted men were racing off full speed to Kabul and the other big towns; those who got in first received the baksheesh.
At the Court of the Amr
John Alfred Gray

Anagram

he she bask

Today’s quote

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.

– George Sand

On this day

8 September – International Day of Literacy.

8 September 1504 – Michelangelo unveils his iconic sculpture, ‘David‘.

8 September 1930 – Richard Drew invents ‘scotch’ tape, the world’s first transparent, adhesive tape … otherwise known as ‘sticky tape’.

8 September 1966 – Star Trek premiers on NBC TV in the U.S.

8 September 2006 – death of Peter Brock, Australian car racing legend. Born 26 February 1945.

7 September 2016

indicia

[in-dish-ee-uh]

plural noun, singular indicium.

1. a postal marking used rather than a stamp or a regular cancellation on each item in a large shipment of prepaid mail.
2. Often, indicium.
a printed message or instruction, especially one stamped on a package: an indicium of “bulk mail.”.
an indication or token.

Origin of indicia

1615-1625;Latin, plural of indicium indicium

indicium

[in-dish-ee-uh m]

noun, plural indicia [in-dish-ee-uh], indiciums.

1. indicia (def 2).

Origin

1615-25; Latin: disclosure, sign, indication, equivalent to indic (āre) to make known (see indicate ) + -ium -ium

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for indicia

Historical Examples

They form the indicia to a people’s mission, and are our best guides to God’s purpose in creating us.
The Negro Problem
Booker T. Washington, et al.

Averages may be indicia of causation, but they are not themselves causes.
The Value of Money
Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.

He next tried to bring forward what might be called a number of indicia supporting his view.
The Science and Philosophy of the Organism
Hans Driesch

Anagram

I in acid

Today’s quote

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.

– Richard Bach

On this day

7 September 1876 – birth of C.J. Dennis, Australian poet (Songs of a Sentimental Bloke). Died 22 June 1938.

7 September 1936 – birth of Charles Hardin Holley, otherwise known as Buddy Holly. 1950s rock star, famous for songs such as ‘Peggy Sue’ and ‘That’ll be the day’. Died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959 with other musicians, Richie Valens, J.P. ‘Big Bopper’ Richardson and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Their deaths were immortalised in the Don McLean song, ‘American Pie’, when he sang about the day the music died.

7 September 1978 – death of Keith Moon, British musician, drummer for ‘The Who’. Born 23 August 1946.

6 September 2016

titular

[tich-uh-ler, tit-yuh-]

adjective

1. existing or being such in title only; nominal; having the title but none of the associated duties, powers, etc.:
the titular head of the company.
2. from whom or which a title or name is taken:
His titular Saint is Michael.
3. of, relating to, or of the nature of a title.
4. having a title, especially of rank.
5. designating any of the Roman Catholic churches in Rome whose nominal incumbents are cardinals.
noun
6. a person who bears a title.
7. a person from whom or thing from which a title or name is taken.
8. Ecclesiastical. a person entitled to a benefice but not required to perform its duties.

Origin of titular

Latin

1585-1595; < Latin titul (us) title + -ar1

Related forms

titularity [tich-uh-lar-i-tee, tit-yuh-] (Show IPA), noun
titularly, adverb
multititular, adjective
nontitular, adjective
nontitularly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for titular

Contemporary Examples

But House Speaker John Boehner, while he is the titular leader of the Congressional Republicans, is nothing like a CEO.
Fiscal Cliff Vote Fails Due to Republican Theology on Taxes
Daniel Gross
December 20, 2012

George Soros, also 83, is titular chairman of Soros Fund Management.
Don’t Count Rupert Murdoch Out Yet: Why The Magnate Hasn’t Given Up on Time Warner
Daniel Gross
July 15, 2014

There are the titular detectives, Rust Cohle and Marty Hart.
Sasha Grey on Her Secret ‘True Detective’ Cameo, ‘Open Windows,’ and the Duke Porn Star Backlash
Marlow Stern
March 11, 2014

In Shantytown, the titular slum of Buenos Aires is the backdrop for a series of killings that threaten the entire community.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Nov. 18, 2013
Thomas Flynn
November 17, 2013

Historical Examples

Such are the titular archbishops in partibus, and certain archbishops of Italian sees who have no bishops under them.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4
Various

He reviewed his information on Dovenilid titular systems while he touched the switch.
Citadel
Algirdas Jonas Budrys

On each side of the altar is the figure of a youth, the titular deities; and at the back a crown.
Rambles in Rome
S. Russell Forbes

In 1855 the third of the titular Nawabs died without any son to succeed him.
The Story of Madras
Glyn Barlow

Anagram

rail tut
tail rut
it ultra

Today’s quote

We meet aliens every day who have something to give us. They come in the form of people with different opinions.

– William Shatner

On this day

6 September 1819 – the lathe patented by Thomas Blanchard.

6 September 1919 – death of Worm Pander, sculptor. (Born 20 June 1864).

6 September 1930 – Democratically elected Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen overthrown by fascist and conservative forces. Hipólito was affectionately known as ‘el peludo‘ (the Hairy Armadillo) because of his introverted character. A revolutionary, left-wing politician, Hipólito was also known as the ‘Father of the Poor’. He was twice president (1916-1922 and 1928-1930). He introduced numerous important social reforms, becoming a hero to the working class, including compulsory male suffrage, a rise in the standard of living for Argentina’s working class, improvements in factory conditions, regulation of working hours, compulsory pensions and universally accessible public education system.

6 September 1943 – birth of Roger Waters, bassist and vocalist for Pink Floyd.