17 May 2018

termagant

[tur-muh-guh nt]

noun

1. a violent, turbulent, or brawling woman.
2. (initial capital letter) a mythical deity popularly believed in the Middle Ages to be worshiped by the Muslims and introduced into the morality play as a violent, overbearing personage in long robes.
adjective
3. violent; turbulent; brawling; shrewish.

Origin of termagant

Middle English, Old French

1175-1225; Middle English Termagaunt, earlier Tervagaunt, alteration of Old French Tervagan name of the imaginary deity

Related forms

termagantly, adverb

Synonyms

1. shrew, virago, harridan, scold.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for termagant

Historical Examples

His wife is a shrew, a termagant, who embitters every hour of his existence.
The Lion’s Skin
Rafael Sabatini

The child must not be suffered to grow up into a termagant —you will admit that, I hope?
Brother Copas
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

This bride was a canting hypocrite of sixty-three, covetous, and a termagant.
The Life and Adventures of Baron Trenck
Baron Trenck

She seemed to be a sort of termagant, and she said nobody said that about her unless you told them.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4, 1919
Various

There are two claimants on the Milanese, then; the Spanish termagant, and he?
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XII. (of XXI.)
Thomas Carlyle

Not to a woman; but I’m sometimes forced to do so to a termagant.
The Evil Eye; Or, The Black Spector
William Carleton

And I was the termagant who must have put it there, though I have no memory of doing so.
The Prairie Child
Arthur Stringer

It was as if Elizabeth had put herself into the situation of a termagant wife.
The Town
Leigh Hunt

She may be a fool—she may be a termagant —she may be what you please—but—but she has money.
The Cock and Anchor
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Why, what a bloody-minded, inveterate, termagant strumpet have I been plagued with!
Thomas Otway
Thomas Otway

Anagram

get mantra
rat magnet
anger Matt
a tram gent

Today’s quote

Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.

– William Faulkner

On this day

17 May – International Day Against Homophobia.

17 May 2000 – Thomas Blanton Jr and Bobby Frank Cherry, former Ku Klux Klan members, are arrested and charged with murder for the 1963 bombing of a church in Alabama which killed four girls. The two men were sentenced to life in prison.

17 May 2012 – Disco singer, Donna Summer dies from lung cancer. She was born on 31 December 1948.

16 May 2018

censer

[sen-ser]

noun

1. a container, usually covered, in which incense is burned, especially during religious services; thurible.

Origin of censer

Middle English, Medieval Latin

1200-1250; Middle English < Anglo-French, aphetic variant of ensenser < Medieval Latin incensārium. See incense1, -er2

Can be confused

censer, censor, censure, sensor.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for censer

Historical Examples

The censer was made of iron, and was so large one could not clasp it with both arms.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various

Stole on the winds through the woodland aisles like the breath of a censer.
Poems
William D. Howells

He had a big can of water, which he swung like a censer as he danced.
Despair’s Last Journey
David Christie Murray

He stood in the middle of the room, staring from Venus to altar-cloth, from altar-cloth to censer.
Peak and Prairie
Anna Fuller

This Absolon, that jolif was and gay, Gooth with a sencer ( censer) on the haliday.
The Romance of Names
Ernest Weekley

Or sometimes the incense is lighted and put in the censer by one of the priests employed.
Moon Lore
Timothy Harley

The gods must have their incense from the right kind of censer.
Visions and Revisions
John Cowper Powys

The most elaborate is the censer, which has been already given.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 5. (of 7): Persia
George Rawlinson

Their religion stops with the altar and the censer —the material things.
In League with Israel
Annie F. Johnston

Among the uses suggested are those of a censer and a lantern.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume IV
Hubert Howe Bancroft

Anagram

screen

Today’s quote

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

– Rumi

On this day

16 May 1920 – Joan of Arc is canonised (declared a saint) by the Catholic Church. In 1431, the Catholic Church accused her of heresy. She was subsequently ex-communicated and burnt at the stake. The church later nullified her ex-communication, declaring her a matyr who was unjustly executed because of a vendetta by the English (who controlled the Inquisitorial Court in occupied France). She was beatified (given the title of Blessed and the ability to intercede on behalf of those who pray to her) in 1909 prior to her canonisation in 1920.

16 May 1990 – death of Jim Henson, American muppeteer (Sesame Street, the Muppet Show). Born 24 September 1936.

16 May 1944 – birth of Danny Trejo, American actor (Desperado, Machete, Con-Air).

16 May 1945 – birth of Nicky Chinn, British songwriter and record producer. In conjunction with Queensland-born Mike Chapman, he wrote hit singles for Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Racey, Smokie and Tina Turner.

16 May 2010 – death of Ronald James Padavona, otherwise known as Ronny James Dio, heavy metal singer. Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer of Black Sabbath, for two years before leaving after disagreements with other band members. Dio was also associated with Rainbow, Dio, and Elf. Born 12 July 1942.

15 May 2018

spinet

[spin-it]

noun

1. a small upright piano.
2. a small, square piano.
3. any of various small harpsichords.
4. Also called spinet organ. a small electric organ.

Origin of spinet

French, Italian

1655-1665; aphetic variant of obsolete espinette < French < Italian spinetta, probably equivalent to spin(a) thorn (see spine ) + -etta diminutive suffix; the existence of an instrument-maker named Spinetti is unverified

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for spinet

Contemporary Examples

I went into the smoking-room and sat down before the spinet.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers

February 20, 2014

Historical Examples

There are two theories as to the origin of the name ” spinet.”
How the Piano Came to Be
Ellye Howell Glover

There are interesting old books on the virginals, harpsichord, and spinet.
The Book-Hunter at Home
P. B. M. Allan

She had been taking lessons on the spinet, but the painting was a great rival.
A Little Girl in Old Salem
Amanda Minnie Douglas

Her laugh was sweet and tinkly, like the upper notes of a spinet.
IT and Other Stories
Gouverneur Morris

Do you think that you could learn to play the spinet, Jenny?
True to His Home
Hezekiah Butterworth

Now I know it is a spinet I heard humming—I told you about it, mother.
True to His Home
Hezekiah Butterworth

Breathing hard, Groverzb rose and gingerly lifted the spinet ‘s lid.
Quiet, Please
Kevin Scott

Then the order was given, ” spinet, be silent,” and all was quiet.
Harper’s Young People, May 11, 1880
Various

This spinet remained one of Verdi’s most treasured possessions.
Verdi: Man and Musician
Frederick James Crowest

Anagram

I spent
its pen

Today’s quote

Great anger and violence can never build a nation.

– Nelson Mandela

On this day

15 May – The Nakba (Day of the Catastrophe), Palestine – commemoration of the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians and the depopulation and destruction of at least 400 villages during the establishment of Israel in 1948.

15 May 1970 – At Jackson State University in Mississippi, police open fire on students who were protesting against the Vietnam and Cambodian Wars, killing two and injuring twelve.

14 May 2018

torrid

[tawr-id, tor-]

adjective

1. subject to parching or burning heat, especially of the sun, as a geographical area:
the torrid sands of the Sahara.
2. oppressively hot, parching, or burning, as climate, weather, or air.
3. ardent; passionate:
a torrid love story.

Origin of torrid

Latin

1580-1590; < Latin torridus dried up, parched, equivalent to torr(ēre) to parch, burn (see torrent, thirst ) + -idus -id4

Related forms

torridity, torridness, noun
torridly, adverb
hypertorrid, adjective
hypertorridly, adverb
hypertorridness, noun

Synonyms

1. tropical. 2. scorching, fiery.

Antonyms

1. arctic. 2. frigid. 3. cool.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for torrid

Contemporary Examples

It is tasked with mitigating environmental destruction brought on by three and a half decades of torrid growth.
Why China Won’t Eclipse the United States
Ali Wyne
June 12, 2014

They look at each other meaningfully—and repair to the boiler room for some torrid sex.
‘Halt and Catch Fire’ and AMC’s Push to Reset Dramas
Andrew Romano
May 30, 2014

The pace of fourth quarter growth is nowhere near as torrid – about 2.3 percent according to Macroeconomic Advisers.
Bad News for People Who Like Bad News
Daniel Gross
December 20, 2013

Basil, cucumber, mangoes, the cooing of turtledoves on torrid afternoons, the screech of buses coming to a sudden halt.
André Aciman: How I Write
Noah Charney
November 28, 2012

Michelle Cottle on the ballad of Johnny and Rielle—and the lessons we can all learn from their torrid affair.
What You Can Learn From John Edwards and Rielle Hunter
Michelle Cottle
June 27, 2012

Historical Examples

But in the height of summer the heat is torrid on the Roof of France.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards

Bitter indeed must be the wintry blast, torrid the rays of summer here.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards

Then it entered into a zone of torrid light which the sun threw on the waves.
A Romance of the West Indies
Eugne Sue

We have valleys and we have mountains; we have torrid and we have temperate zones.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America

It seemed as if the torrid days of late summer were harder to bear than July had been.
The Forbidden Trail
Honor Willsie

Anagram

rid rot

Today’s quote

I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity or anything else … Kindness — that simple word. To be kind — it covers everything, to my mind. If you’re kind that’s it.

– Roald Dahl

On this day

14 May 1796 – Edward Jenner gives the first smallpox vaccination.

14 May 1879 – the first group of indentured Indians labourers arrive in Fiji aboard the Leonidas.

14 May 1919 – death of Henry John Heinz, founder of Heinz Company, responsible for canned baked beans. Born 11 October 1844.

14 May 1929 – Wilfred Rhodes takes his 4,000th first-class wicket at Leyton, after bowling 9/39. He played 58 test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. He was the first Englishman to complete both 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test cricket. He went on to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in individual first-class seasons a record 16 times. He retired with first-class totals of 4,204 wickets and 39,969 runs. In Tests he retired with 127 wickets and 2,325 runs.

14 May 1939 – Lina Medina (born 27 September 1933 in Peru) becomes the world’s youngest confirmed mother at the age of five. She gave birth by a caesarean section, to a boy, weighing 2.7kg (6.0lb). He was named Gerardo after the doctor who delivered him. He was raised believing Lina was his sister and was told the truth at the age of 10. Gerardo died in 1979, aged 40, of a bone marrow disease. Following Gerardo’s birth, Lina was diagnosed with extreme ‘precocious puberty’, in which puberty occurs at an unusually early age. It was initially reported that she hit puberty by the age of three, however, a further medical report indicated she had commenced puberty by eight months old. Lina never revealed who the father was or the circumstances of her impregnation. Lina later married and had a second child in 1972, when she was 39. She presently lives in Lima, Peru.

14 May 1948 – the modern nation of Israel is established by proclamation of the Jewish Agency headed by David Ben-Gurion, following the United Nations adoption of Resolution 181 on 29 November 1947.

12 May 2018

onset

[on-set, awn-]

noun

1. a beginning or start:
the onset of winter.
2. an assault or attack:
an onset of the enemy.
3. Phonetics. the segment of a syllable preceding the nucleus, as the gr in great.
Compare coda (def 5), core1(def 14).

Origin of onset

1525-1535; on + set, after the verb phrase set on

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for onset

Contemporary Examples

I was never sure whether this was phlegm or the onset of lunacy.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?
Clive Irving
December 14, 2014

Believe it or not, a break at the onset of mild cramps may let you play in the game for longer.
A Lesson From LeBron James’ Game One Nightmare
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
June 7, 2014

The adults then burn one down but realize drugs are less fun with the onset of parental responsibilities.
‘Silicon Valley’ and the Return of Stoner Television
Rich Goldstein
April 10, 2014

He remembers how confused and scared people were by the onset of AIDS.
Matthew McConaughey In ‘Dallas Buyers Club’: From Bongos to Oscar Contender
Marlow Stern
October 30, 2013

Then there is the argument that there is no clear chain of evidence linking an enemy action to the onset of PTSD.
How The Purple Heart Can Help Heal Veterans with PTSD
Benjamin Tupper
August 23, 2013

Historical Examples

The onset and the issue were like the passage and destruction of a whirlwind.
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper

He met their onset with a firm, steady foot, and fired straight at their heads.
The Field of Ice
Jules Verne

As an eagle descendeth on its prey, so rusheth my kinsman to the onset.
Wilson’s Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume VI
Various

They were also greatly elated with the success which had crowned the first onset.
Three Years in the Federal Cavalry
Willard Glazier

Had I known this, I could have marked the onset with a less failing spirit.
Charles O’Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 2 (of 2)
Charles Lever

Anagram

stone
tones
notes

Today’s quote

We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities.

– Oscar Wilde

On this day

12 May 1932 – the body of the Lindbergh baby is found near to the Lindbergh residence. The baby was the son of famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, and had been kidnapped days earlier. The kidnapper had accidentally killed the baby during the kidnapping and abandoned the body in a nearby forest.

12 May 1937 – King George VI is crowned King of Britain (and it’s colonies) at Westminster Abbey, following the abdication of his brother.

12 May 1980 – death of Bette Nesmith Graham. Bette is the inventor of Liquid Paper. Her son, Mike Nesmith, was a member of 1960s UK/American pop/rock band, The Monkees. Born 23 March 1924 in Dallas, Texas.

12 May 1994 – in response to thousands acts of violence in the USA against abortion clinics and their patients, a bill is submitted to President Clinton making it a federal crime to prevent access to an abortion clinic or to threaten or use force against people attending the clinics. The bill resulted in the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act 1994. Between 1978 and 1993 anti-abortion (or pro-life) activists had been responsible for at least 9 murders, 17 attempted murders, 406 death threats, 179 acts of assault, 5 kidnappings of abortion providers, 41 bombings, 96 attempted bombings or arsons, 692 bomb threats, 1993 incidents of trespassing, 1400 incidents of vandalism and 100 attacks with butyric acid (stink bombs).

11 May 2018

trounce

[trouns]

verb (used with object), trounced, trouncing.

1. to beat severely; thrash.
2. to punish.
3. to defeat decisively.

Origin of trounce

1545-1555 First recorded in 1545-55; origin uncertain

Related forms

trouncer, noun
untrounced, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for trounce

Contemporary Examples

Most patriotic movies flaunt their pride by having America trounce foreign countries.
13 Most Patriotic Movies Ever: ‘Act of Valor,’ ‘Top Gun’ & More (VIDEO)
Melissa Leon
July 4, 2014

As sure as turkey on a table, Tom Brady and the 7–3 Patriots will likely trounce Mark Sanchez and the woeful New York Jets.
A Dummies Guide to the NFL’s Thanksgiving Games
Sujay Kumar
November 22, 2012

On Fox News Sunday, he predicted Sharron Angle will trounce Harry Reid for the Nevada Senate seat.
October 17: 7 Best Moments From Sunday Talk
The Daily Beast Video
October 17, 2010

Anagram

counter
our cent
eco turn

Today’s quote

At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.

– Salvador Dali

On this day

11 May – World Keffiyeh Day, in solidarity with Palestine.

11 May 1904 – birth of Salvador Dali, Spanish surrealist painter. Died 23 January 1989.

11 May 1981 – death of Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae singer and musician. Born 6 February 1945.

11 May 1985 – death of Chester Gould, American creator of the cartoon strip, ‘Dick Tracy’. He drew the comic strip from 1931 to 1977. Born 20 November 1900.

10 May 2018

stipple

[stip-uh l]

verb (used with object), stippled, stippling.

1. to paint, engrave, or draw by means of dots or small touches.
noun, Also, stippling
2. the method of painting, engraving, etc., by stippling.
3. stippled work; a painting, engraving, or the like, executed by means of dots or small spots.

Origin of stipple

Dutch

1660-1670; < Dutch stippelen, frequentative of stippen to dot, derivative of stip dot

Related forms

stippler, noun
unstippled, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for stipple

Historical Examples

The student will notice in particular the stipple effect in the reproduction.
Crayon Portraiture
Jerome A. Barhydt

The stipple manner of engraving was a curious development of the art.
Engraving for Illustration
Joseph Kirkbride

She wanted to know the difference between a mezzotint and a stipple print.
One Man in His Time
Ellen Glasgow

Anagram

tipples

Today’s quote

My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered from them.

– Bono

On this day

10 May 1837 – the Panic of 1837: New York City banks fail and unemployment reaches record levels.

10 May 1893 – the Supreme Court of the United States rules in Nix v Hedden that a tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit, under the Tariff Act of 1883.

10 May 1908 – Mother’s Day first celebrated. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia in the United States becomes the first place in the world to hold the first official Mother’s Day celebration. 407 women were in attendance that day. In 1872 Julie Ward Howe suggested a national holiday to celebrate peace and motherhood. At that time, many local groups held their own celebration of motherhood, but most were religious gatherings. Another influential figure was Anna Jarvis who campaigned for a national holiday following the death of her mother in 1905. Her mother, social activist Ann Jarvis used to hold an annual celebration, Mother’s Friendship Day, to help ease the pain of the US Civil War. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday on the second Sunday of May. Anna Jarvis was arrested at a Mother’s Day celebration when she tried to stop the selling of flowers. She stated, ‘I wanted it to be a day of sentiment not of profit‘.

10 May 1924 – Edgard J. Hoover appointed Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A position he holds until his death in 1972.

10 May 1933 – in Germany, Nazis stage massive public book burnings.

10 May 1941 – Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess, parachutes into Scotland to negotiate a peace settlement between the UK and Germany. Hess was arrested and convicted of crimes against peace and spent the remainder of his life in jail. He died in 1987.

10 May 1954 – Bill Haley and His Comets release Rock Around the Clock, the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts.

10 May 1960 – birth of Bono (Paul David Hewson), activist and Irish singer-songwriter with U2.

10 May 1994 – Nelson Mandela inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president.

10 May 2003 – The Golden Gumboot opens in Tully, North Queensland. It stands 7.9m tall and represents the record annual rainfall of 7900mm that Tully received in1950. Tully is officially Australia’s wettest town.

9 May 2018

Thaïs

[they-is]

noun

1. flourished late 4th century b.c, Athenian courtesan: mistress of Alexander the Great and Ptolemy I.

Examples

The Thais of that play is the most favourable delineation of the Athenian ‘ hetaera ‘ in ancient literature.
The Roman Poets of the Republic
William Young Sellar

Anagram

ash it

Today’s quote

Angry people want you to see how powerful they are… loving people want you to see how powerful You are.

― Chief Red Eagle

On this day

9 May – Russian Victory Day which marks the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

9 May 1960 – the ‘pill’, a contraceptive, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It is now used by 100 million women worldwide.

9 May 1970 – 100,000 protestors gather near the White House to protest US involvement in the war in Cambodia.

9 May 1994 – Nelson Mandela is chosen by the newly-elected South African parliament to be the country’s new President.

8 May 2018

hetaera

[hi-teer-uh]

noun, plural hetaerae [hi-teer-ee]

1. a highly cultured courtesan or concubine, especially in ancient Greece.
2. any woman who uses her beauty and charm to obtain wealth or social position.
Also, hetaira.

Origin of hetaera

Greek

1810-1820, First recorded in 1810-20, hetaera is from the Greek word hetaíra (feminine) companion

Related forms

hetaeric, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for hetaera

Historical Examples

She adopted the hetaera life, and was the “companion” of Stilpo himself.
Greek Women
Mitchell Carroll

The concubine has the status of a hetaera ; she travels with the man, keeps his accounts, etc.
The Modern Woman’s Rights Movement
Kaethe Schirmacher

The Thais of that play is the most favourable delineation of the Athenian ‘ hetaera ‘ in ancient literature.
The Roman Poets of the Republic
William Young Sellar

Anagram

a heater
the area
heat era

Today’s quote

…the problem with words is that once spoken, they cannot find their way back to the speaker alone.

– Arturo Pérez-Reverte

On this day

8 May 1911 – birthday of Robert Johnson. American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. Legend has it that Johnson met the devil at a crossroads and sold his soul in return for fame and fortune. One of the first musicians of the 20th century to join the 27 club. Died 16 August 1938.

8 May 1945 – VE day. Victory in Europe – the day that Nazi Germany formally surrendered in World War II.