5 June 2018

Tantalus

[tan-tl-uh s]

noun, plural Tantaluses for 2.

1. Classical Mythology. a Phrygian king who was condemned to remain in Tartarus, chin deep in water, with fruit-laden branches hanging above his head: whenever he tried to drink or eat, the water and fruit receded out of reach.
2. (lowercase) Chiefly British. a stand or rack containing visible decanters, especially of wines or liquors, secured by a lock.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Tantalus

Historical Examples

I shall probably have to bear the pains of Tantalus three months longer.
Erdgeist (Earth-Spirit)
Frank Wedekind

Is there, in Tantalus ‘ dim cup, The shadow of water, nought beside?
Silhouettes
Arthur Symons

But in this emergency Poseidon came to the aid of the son of Tantalus.
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
E.M. Berens

A man in such a situation is somewhat like Tantalus reversed.
Notes and Queries, No. 179. Saturday, April 2, 1853.
Various

Boundary unlocked his Tantalus and took out a full decanter of whisky.
Jack O’ Judgment
Edgar Wallace

The next two forms, Tantalus and Sisyphus, have also a kinship.
Homer’s Odyssey
Denton J. Snider

Who cannot attain the latter is a Tantalus, seeking but never reaching the fruit.
Homer’s Odyssey
Denton J. Snider

“That would have been a Tantalus draught indeed,” he remarked.
The Indifference of Juliet
Grace S. Richmond

“Give me the key of the Tantalus,” said Carrington promptly.
Simon
J. Storer Clouston

It was now to me as to Tantalus the crystal waters, never to be tasted.
The War Trail
Mayne Reid

Anagram

Atlas nut
tuna salt

Today’s quote

Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.

– Henry James (1843-1916) Author

On this day

5 June 1967 – start of the Six Day War, when Israel attacked Egypt and Syria. During the six days of the War, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, West Bank and East Jerusalem, effectively doubling its size. Although Israel eventually withdrew from the Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula, it continues to controversially occupy Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem.

5 June 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, Presidential candidate and brother of JFK, shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian-born, Jordanian citizen. Kennedy died the following day. In an interview with David Frost in 1989, Sirhan stated that he opposed Kennedy’s support of Israel and plan to send 50 bombers to Israel to ‘obviously do harm to the Palestinians’. Sirhan was initially sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted to life in prison.

5 June 1989 – the ‘Tank Man’ halts a column of Chinese tanks in Beijing for more than half an hour, following protests in Tiananmen Square.

5 June 2000 – start of the Six Day War in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Ugandan and Rwandan forces, destroying a large part of the city.

5 June 2012 – death of Ray Bradbury, American fantasy, science-fiction, horror and mystery fiction writer. Author of Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustratred Man, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The movie Butterfly Effect uses a similar theory to that described in Bradbury’s short-story A Sound of Thunder. In one scene, a Sound of Thunder pennant is hanging on the dormitory door of the main character, Evan. Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11 was named after Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury was not happy with this and pressured Moore to change the title, which Moore refused to do. Born 22 August 1920.

4 June 2018

shaman

[shah-muh n, shey-, sham-uh n]

noun

1. (especially among certain tribal peoples) a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc.

Origin of shaman

German Evenki
1690-1700; < German Schamane < Russian shamán, probably < Evenki šamān, samān

Related forms

shamanic [shuh-man-ik], adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for shaman

Contemporary Examples

To hear 26-year-old Jillian Banks talk about her music is like listening to a shaman explain the mechanics of a complex spell.
The Mesmerizing Mystique of BANKS
Melissa Leon
October 8, 2014

As the Cofán shaman blew strongly over the cup, I took those few seconds to contemplate how I had managed to find myself here.
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans
Chris Allbritton
August 24, 2014

Let a shaman wave vine leaves over her and enforce a little semi-public shaming.
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans
Chris Allbritton
August 24, 2014

Don’t listen to urban people scared of their own shadow, it will be fantastic, and with a Taita [ shaman ].
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans
Chris Allbritton
August 24, 2014

Historical Examples

He had never forgiven the shaman, you see, for that old story about the Corn Maiden.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

She put on her shaman ‘s dress and about the middle of the day the Cacique of the Sun sent for them.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

He was older than I, but he was also fat, and for all his shaman ‘s dress I was not frightened.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

I had the power of a shaman, though the Holder of the Heavens had not yet spoken to me.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

All this, and a great deal more, passed through the mind of the shaman.
The Trail of a Sourdough
May Kellogg Sullivan

Thus the shaman planned before the start was made for Midas.
The Trail of a Sourdough
May Kellogg Sullivan

Anagram

ash man
an mash

Today’s quote

Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.

– C.S. Lewis

On this day

4 June 1988 – death of Sir Douglas Nichols KCVO, OBE. Aboriginal activist, raising awareness of aboriginal issues, including treating aborigines with dignity and as people. He played for Carlton football club in the A-grade Victorian Football League (VFL), leaving after racist treatment and joining the Northcote football club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Nicholls became a minister and social worker. In 1957, he was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 1972 he was the first aborigine to be knighted. In 1976, he became the 28th governor of South Australia, the first aborigine to be appointed to a vice-regal position. He was born on 9 December 1906.

4 June 1989 – Tiananmen Square massacre, Beijing, China. Around a million people had flooded into Tiananmen Square over the past few days, protesting for democracy. On 4 June, the Chinese Army stormed the Square with tanks and armoured cars, killing hundreds of protestors, while arresting thousands of others.

3 June 2018

curandero

[koo-rahn-de-raw; English koo r-uh n-dair-oh]

noun, plural curanderos [koo-rahn-de-raws; English koo r-uh n-dair-ohz]. Spanish.

1. a folk healer or medicine man who uses herbs or hallucinogenic plants, magic, and spiritualism to treat illness, induce visions, impart traditional wisdom, etc.

Dictionary.com

or uncared
or durance
coda rerun
our dancer

Today’s quote

Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. And we find that we cannot. For all darkness in the world stems from darkness in the heart. And it is there that we must do our work.

– Marianne Williamson

On this day

3 June 1924 – Death of Franz Kafka, Austrian novelist, who wrote in German. Two of his books (‘The Trial’ and ‘The Castle’) were published posthumously against his wishes. He wrote of a dehumanised world in which he explored paranoia, isolation, fear and bewilderment, from which the term ‘Kafka-esque’ has been coined. Born 3 July 1883.

3 June 1926 – birth of Allen Ginsberg, leading American beat-generation writer and poet. Died 5 April 1997.

3 June 1937 – Following his abdication in December 1936, former King Edward VIII of Britain, marries American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.

3 June 1968 – Andy Warhol, pop-artist, is shot by feminist Valerie Solanas, founder of the Society for Cutting Up Men (S.C.U.M.) because she felt that Warhol had too much control over her life. Warhol was seriously injured in the shooting. Doctors had to cut his chest open and massage his heart to keep him alive. Warhol survived the shooting, but suffered permanent physical effects. The shooting had a profound effect on the direction his life and art took.

3 June 1992 – Mabo Day: The High Court of Australia found in favour of Eddie Koiki Mabo who had challenged the principle of ‘terra nullius’ (or ‘uninhabited land’). Terra nullius had allowed the Commonwealth Government of Australia to legally take over and own land that had previously belonged to the indigenous people. Unfortunately, Eddie Mabo had died 3 months before the decision was handed down. The ‘Mabo Decision’ was a significant turning point in the history of Australia’s indigenous people, giving legal recognition of indigenous rights to native land title.

3 June 2016 – death of Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr), American professional boxer (former world heavy-weight champion), philanthropist, social activist. Born 17 January 1942.

2 June 2018

distaff

[dis-taf, -tahf]

noun

1. a staff with a cleft end for holding wool, flax, etc., from which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand.
2. a similar attachment on a spinning wheel.
3. Archaic.
a woman or women collectively.
women’s work.
adjective
4. Sometimes Offensive. noting, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable for a female.
See also distaff side.

Origin of distaff

Middle English, Old English

1000, before 1000; Middle English distaf, Old English distæf, equivalent to dis- (cognate with Low German diesse bunch of flax on a distaff; cf. dizen ) + stæf staff1

Usage note

A distaff is the stick onto which wool or flax is wound in spinning. Since spinning was traditionally done by females, distaff took on figurative meanings relating to women or women’s work. In the sense of “female,” the noun distaff is archaic, but the adjective is in current use: distaff chores, a distaff point of view; the distaff side of the family. Women who find the term offensive are probably aware of its origin in female stereotypes. Another current use of the adjective is in reference to horses: a distaff race is for fillies or mares.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for distaff

Contemporary Examples

Indeed, the distaff vote may yet again break Republican this cycle—as it did in 2010—if the polls are to be believed.
The 2014 Election Is Yet Another Scrum in the Culture Wars
Lloyd Green
October 27, 2014

As Maggie in a 1990 production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof she was more than just a slip of distaff Mississippi flesh.
Kathleen Turner’s New Broadway High
Kevin Sessums
April 17, 2011

Historical Examples

They may find they have more tow on their distaff than they know how to spin.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle

Anagram

stiff ad
daft ifs
sad tiff
fit fads

Today’s quote

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

– Albert Camus

On this day

2 June 1951 – birth of Gilbert Baker, American artist and gay rights activist, who designed the ‘rainbow flag’ in 1978 which came to symbolise the gay rights movement. Died 31 March 2017.

2 June 1953 – Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, England.

2 June 1965 – the first contingent of Australian combat troops arrives in Saigon to assist the American military in the Vietnam War.

2 June 1966 – The ‘Surveyor 1’ space probe lands on the moon. It is the first US space probe to do so. The Soviet Union had successfully landed a space probe, the Lunix 9, on the moon 5 months earlier, on 3 February 1966.

1 June 2018

eigenvector

[ahy-guh n-vek-ter]

noun

1. (maths, physics) a vector x satisfying an equation A x = λ x , where A is a square matrix and λ is a constant.
E.g. ‘Eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be complex-valued as well as real-valued. The dimension of the eigenspace corresponding to an eigenvalue is less than or equal to the multiplicity of that eigenvalue’. (https://www.math.hmc.edu/calculus/tutorials/eigenstuff/)

Collins English Dictionary
dictionary.com

Origin of eigenvector

German
1955-1960 First recorded in 1955-60, eigenvector is from the German word Eigenvektor

Anagram

generic vote
vine cortege
greet novice
integer cove

Today’s quote

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

– Helen Keller

On this day

1 June 1926 – Birth of Marilyn Monroe, iconic movie star. Died 5 August 1962.

1 June 1935 – DC Comics publishes the first Superman comic, created by Jerry Siegel.

1 June 1968 – death of Helen Keller, inspirational American author, lecturer and political activist. First deaf-blind person to achieve a Bachelor of Arts degree. Born 27 June 1880.

1 June 2012 – The inaugural ‘Panda’s Word of the Day’ published at www.shaneduran.com. The word was ‘pleonasm‘.

31 May 2018

travail

[truh-veyl, trav-eyl]
noun

1. painfully difficult or burdensome work; toil.
2. pain, anguish or suffering resulting from mental or physical hardship.
3. the pain of childbirth.
verb (used without object)
4. to suffer the pangs of childbirth; be in labor.
5. to toil or exert oneself.

Origin of travail

Middle English, Old French, Late Latin

1200-1250; (v.) Middle English travaillen < Old French travaillier to torment < Vulgar Latin *trepaliāre to torture, derivative of Late Latin trepālium torture chamber, literally, instrument of torture made with three stakes (see tri-, pale2); (noun) Middle English < Old French: suffering, derivative of travailler

Synonyms

1. labor, moil. 2. torment, agony.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for travail

Historical Examples

As he drove he mused over what travail would say when he saw these shells.
Made in Tanganyika
Carl Richard Jacobi

But it could be that travail knew of the value of Sutter’s shell collection.
Made in Tanganyika
Carl Richard Jacobi

“I was looking for my tobacco pouch,” travail replied easily.
Made in Tanganyika
Carl Richard Jacobi

Anagram

larva it
vial art

Today’s quote

I’ve left specific instructions that I do not want to be brought back during a Republican administration.

– Timothy Leary

On this day

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

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

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

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

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

30 May 2018

callow

[kal-oh]

adjective

1. immature or inexperienced:
a callow youth.
2. (of a young bird) featherless; unfledged.
noun
3. a recently hatched worker ant.

Origin of callow

Old English

1000, before 1000; Middle English, Old English calu bald; cognate with Dutch kaal, German kahl bald, OCS golŭ bare

Related forms

callowness, noun

Synonyms

1. untried, green, raw; naive, puerile, jejune.

Antonyms

1. mature, adult, experienced.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for callow

Contemporary Examples

Anyone going through Prozac Nation can certainly find plenty of callow moments when Wurtzel does whine.
Thank You, Elizabeth Wurtzel: ‘Prozac Nation’ Turns 20
Nicolaus Mills
July 31, 2014

But now that veneer is gone, and what remains is a callow man-child at odds with himself.
What’s Happened to Don Draper? Why Everyone’s Favorite ‘Mad Men’ Stud Needs His Mojo Back
Lizzie Crocker
April 16, 2014

This is clearly not a boast; it seems, rather, a shamed admission of petty, callow cruelty.
In Defense of Jonathan Franzen
Michelle Goldberg
September 26, 2013

Anagram

all cow

Today’s quote

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.

– Voltaire

On this day

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

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

29 May 2018

hotspur

[hot-spur]

noun

1. an impetuous or reckless person; a hothead.

Origin of hotspur

late Middle English

1425-1475; late Middle English; after Sir Henry Percy, to whom it was applied as a nickname

Related forms

hotspurred, adjective

Examples from the Web for hotspur

Contemporary Examples

hotspur : 
Why, so can I, or so can any man; 
But will they come when you do call for them?

The Contraception Fight
David Frum
February 9, 2012

Historical Examples

hotspur interrupts her by calling the servant and giving him orders.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris

One condition she insisted on, however, namely, that Arthur should be her hotspur.
Evenings at Donaldson Manor
Maria J. McIntosh

Anagram

posh rut
rush pot

Today’s quote

To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.

– Gilbert K. Chesterton

On this day

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

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

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