7 May 2018

interregnum

[in-ter-reg-nuh m]

noun, plural interregnums, interregna [in-ter-reg-nuh]

1. an interval of time between the close of a sovereign’s reign and the accession of his or her normal or legitimate successor.
2. any period during which a state has no ruler or only a temporary executive.
3. any period of freedom from the usual authority.
4. any pause or interruption in continuity.

Origin of interregnum

1570-1580; < Latin, equivalent to inter- inter- + rēgnum reign

Related forms

interregnal, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for interregnum

Contemporary Examples

Throughout the bitter four-month interregnum, President Herbert Hoover had tried to get FDR to endorse joint policy statements.
What Obama and McCain Can Learn From FDR
Harold Evans
October 10, 2008

Historical Examples

I hover over my racked body like a ghost, and exist in an interregnum.
Dreamers of the Ghetto
I. Zangwill

At length the matter was adjusted, after an interregnum of three weeks.
A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year
Edwin Emerson

After an interregnum, Rudolf of Hapsburg had been chosen emperor in 1273.
An Introduction to the History of Western Europe
James Harvey Robinson

We can account, to some extent, for this interregnum or spiritual life, but only to some extent.
Introduction to Robert Browning
Hiram Corson

The interregnum has been long, both as to time and distance.
The Innocents Abroad
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

It’s in English—a language that became obsolete during the interregnum.
The Lani People
J. F. Bone

Morally we have come a long way from the brutality of the interregnum.
The Lani People
J. F. Bone

During this interregnum, very little has been done in Parliament.
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 1, April, 1851
Various

The emperor Tacitus elected, after an interregnum of eight months.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology
Joel Munsell

Anagram

turn regimen
entering rum
returning me

Today’s quote

The sun is a daily reminder that we too can rise again from the darkness, that we too can shine our own light.

– Sara Ajna

On this day

6 May – Following ‘May the Fourth be with you’, and Cinco de Mayo yesterday, does this make today ‘Revenge of the Sixth?’

6 May 1937 – the German passenger dirigible (Zeppelin), The Hindenburg, crashes bursts into flames, falling 200 feet to the ground, killing 37 people. The Hindenburg was the world’s largest hydrogen airship and the disaster marked the end of the airship era. The disaster was captured on camera and a newsreel released, which can be viewed on Youtube.

6 May 1945 – Hermann Göring, Hitler’s second in command and the most powerful Nazi alive, surrenders to US forces, effectively marking the end of the Second World War. The official surrender was announced by German officers on 8 May 1945.

6 May 1954 – Roger Bannister becomes the first man to break the 4 minute mile on foot. He ran the mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road Track, Oxford, England.

5 May 2018

caber

[key-ber]

noun, Scot.

1. a pole or beam, especially one thrown as a trial of strength.

Origin of caber

Scots Gaelic

1505-1515 First recorded in 1505-15, caber is from the Scots Gaelic word cabar pole

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for caber

Historical Examples

Arrived on ground, and found that “tossing the caber ” was in full progress.
Mr. Punch in the Highlands
Various

The caber is the heavy trunk of a tree from 16 to 20 ft. long.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4
Various

The caber is a small tree, or beam, heavier at one end than the other.
Old English Sports

Anagram

brace

Today’s quote

You show me a capitalist, and I’ll show you a bloodsucker.

― Malcolm X

On this day

5 May – Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for 5th of May), celebrates Mexican heritage and pride. It originated as a celebration of freedom for Mexicans following the victory by Mexican forces over the French at the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862.

5 May 1818 – birth of Karl Marx, German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist and revolutionary socialist. One of the most influential economists in history. Marx’s work included Das Kapital, as well as The Communist Manifesto which he co-authored with German social scientist, Friedrich Engels. He fathered modern communism and socialism with the aim of putting the means of production in the hands of the workers to end exploitation at the hands of the bourgeoisie. He believed in the redistribution of wealth for the benefit of all, rather than accumulation of wealth in the hands of the few. The wealth, he believed, was created by the workers and should therefore be shared amongst the workers. He stated that communism would not succeed in the individual nation unless other nations supported it, hence the adoption of L’internationale as the socialist anthem following the ‘First International’ conference held by Marx and Engels in 1864. His international theory perhaps makes him the world’s first globalisationist. He believed socialism would not succeed in poverty, but required the building of wealth to succeed and distribution of wealth to be sustainable. Died 14 March 1883.

5 May 1821 – death of Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor. Born 15 August 1769.

5 May 1970 – University of New Mexico is the scene of protests against the Vietnam War, US attacks on Cambodia and the Kent State University massacre (see 4 May 1970), the National Guard and police are called in. The National Guard fixed bayonets and attacked the protestors, resulting in eleven protestors and journalists being bayonetted.

5 May 1981 – death of Bobby Sands, member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died following a hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze. He and other prisoners, were protesting against the removal of special category status which conferred a ‘Prisoner of War’ status on prisoners convicted of ‘Troubles-related’ offences in Ireland. Special Category Status meant they were subject to the Geneva Convention so didn’t have to wear prison uniforms or do prison work, were housed within paramilitary factions, received extra visits and more food. During his fast, Sands was elected to British Parliament as an anti-H-Block candidate (H-Block representing Maze Prison’s H-shaped block). Sands was one of 10 hunger strikers to die during the 1981 hunger strike. Born 9 March 1954.

4 May 2018

bulkhead

[buhlk-hed]

noun

1. Nautical. any of various wall-like constructions inside a vessel, as for forming watertight compartments, subdividing space, or strengthening the structure.
2. Aeronautics. a transverse partition or reinforcing frame in the body of an airplane.
3. Civil Engineering.
a partition built in a subterranean passage to prevent the passage of air, water, or mud.
a retaining structure of timber, steel, or reinforced concrete, used for shore protection and in harbor works.
4. Building Trades.
a horizontal or inclined outside door over a stairway leading to a cellar.
a boxlike structure, as on a roof, covering a stairwell or other opening.

Origin of bulkhead

1490-1500 First recorded in 1490-1500; bulk2+ head

Related forms

bulkheaded, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for bulkhead

Contemporary Examples

Nicole LaPorte talks to flight attendants about dirty diapers, bulkhead envy, and more.
Flight Attendant Freakout
Nicole LaPorte
November 23, 2010

Historical Examples

He knew besides such words as “hawser,” ” bulkhead ” and “ebb-tide.”
The Harbor
Ernest Poole

It laid over by the bulkhead, and was nearly the color of the carpet.
Tom Sawyer, Detective
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

Anagram

blah duke

Today’s quote

Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.

– George MacDonald

On this day

4 May – International Firefighters Day

4 May – Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be with you!

4 – 8 May 1942 – Battle of the Coral Sea, a major naval battle in the Pacific Theatre during World War 2, fought between the Japanese Imperial Navy and Allied forces from Australia and USA. Japan was attempting to occupy Port Moresby, but was repelled by the Allied forces.

4 May 1970 – National Guards open fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wrote the song ‘Ohio’ about the incident.

4 May 1979 – Margaret Thatcher forms government in the UK. Her administration was controversial and ultra-conservative. Her policies of smaller government, privatisation, nationalism, lower taxes, and free markets gave rise to the term, ‘Thatcherism’. However, her policies were also seen as anti-worker and anti-Union. During the 1980s, United States President Ronald Reagan adopted similar economic conservatism which came to be known as Reaganism. Both Reagan and Thatcher ascribed to the economic theories espoused by neo-liberal economist Milton Friedman. Thatcher remained Prime Minister until her resignation in November 1990 after losing a leadership challenge from Michael Heseltine.

30 April 2018

billet-doux

[bil-ey-doo, bil-ee-; French bee-yey-doo]

noun, plural billets-doux [bil-ey-dooz, bil-ee-; French bee-yey-doo] (Show IPA)

1. a love letter.

Origin of billet-doux

1665-1675; < French: literally, sweet note. See billet1, douce

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for billet-doux

Historical Examples

He summoned me into his study, where I saw my billet-doux lying on the table.
Tom, Dick and Harry
Talbot Baines Reed

A papal excommunication is a billet-doux compared to the Commination of Jugana.
The Lock And Key Library
Various

Excuse me, Mr. Coates, I must have a peep at her ladyship’s billet-doux.
Rookwood
William Harrison Ainsworth

They receive a challenge like a ” billet-doux,” and a home-thrust as a favour.
Thackerayana
William Makepeace Thackeray

Twenty to seven,—seven oclock they were due at the billet-doux.
Twos and Threes
G. B. Stern

It cannot be that Belinda then saw for the first time a billet-doux.
The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 (of 10)
Alexander Pope

Oh, you have not heard of the billet-doux that Schwarzfelder has written you?
In Hostile Red
Joseph Altsheler

“Why, then, you must swear the billet-doux miscarried,” answered the Duke.
Peveril of the Peak
Sir Walter Scott

He could not write a common answer to a dinner invitation without its assuming the tone of a billet-doux.
Art in England
Dutton Cook

Sir Philip was actually reading Miss Luttridge’s billet-doux aloud when the black entered the library.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

Anagram

bled oil tux
diet bull ox

Today’s quote

Hatred unlocks no doors in heaven.

– William F. Devault

On this day

30 April – International Jazz Day.

30 April – Walpurgis Night (also called Hexennacht – which translates as Witches Night), held on the eve of St Walpurga’s Feast Day. In Germany it’s reputedly the night when witches celebrate the coming of the Spring (which occurs on 1 May) on the Brocken (the highest peak in Northern Germany). Heavy metal band, Black Sabbath, originally named one of their songs Walpurgis, but were told by their record company that it wasn’t acceptable because of the connation with Satanism, so the song was renamed War Pigs, although the lyrics remained the same. Sabbath’s bassist, Geezer Butler said of the song, ‘Walpurgis is sort of like Christmas for Satanists. And to me, war was the big Satan. It wasn’t about politics or government or anything. It was [about] evil. So I was saying ‘generals gathered in the masses / just like witches at black masses’ to make an analogy‘.

30 April 1945 – German Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, commit suicide in a bunker in Germany. Hitler had been Chancellor of Germany since 2 August 1934. He was born in Austria on 20 April 1889.

30 April 1975 – the Fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnamese civil war, when North Vietnamese tanks rumbled into Saigon, then the capital of South Vietnam, defeating the South Vietnamese army, United States military and her allies. The Fall was preceded by the largest helicopter evacuation in history, known as Operation Frequent Wind, in which 7,000 American military and civilians were evacuated. Weeks earlier, Operation Baby Lift had evacuated 2,000 orphan babies. Operation New Life evacuated 110,000 Vietnamese refugees. Tens of thousands of Vietnamese evacuated by land and sea. Following the communist take-over, hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese fled the country, resulting in a surge of refugees worldwide. 30 April and 1 May are celebrated in Vietnam as Liberation Day or Reunification Day. Those who fled refer to it as Black April.

29 April 2018

firmament

[fur-muh-muh nt]

noun

1. the vault of heaven; sky.

Origin of firmament

Middle English, Late Latin

1250-1300; Middle English < Late Latin firmāmentum sky, Latin: support, prop, stay, equivalent to firmā(re) to strengthen, support (see firm2) + -mentum -ment

Related forms

firmamental [fur-muh-men-tl], adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for firmament

Contemporary Examples

The reader leaves with a better sense of the firmament and frontline fights occurring in the current independent movement.
Political Independents: The Future of Politics?
John Avlon
September 23, 2012

But his disappearance from the Washington firmament does not mean that the work he used to do is being left undone.
David’s Book Club: ‘Capitol Punishment’
David Frum
March 23, 2012

Historical Examples

But now came a cloud which swallowed every other in my firmament.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald

The troop of the stars was posted in the immeasurable deeps of the firmament.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens

In the great days, presentiments hover before me in the firmament.
Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson

In all the firmament of poetry there was no star to outshine his.
William Shakespeare
Samuel Levy Bensusan

The firmament rang with laughter as the other candidates panted up.
Dreamers of the Ghetto
I. Zangwill

It looks to me like the firmament at night, with all the stars a-shining.
The Long Roll
Mary Johnston

It gave the appearance of a grating in the firmament, a small dungeon grating.
The Long Roll
Mary Johnston

Again the tenor and chorus in a brief number describe the firmament.
The Standard Oratorios
George P. Upton

Anagram

Mr mean fit
met in farm

Today’s quote

One can advise comfortably from a safe port.

– Soren Kierkegaard

On this day

29 April 711 – Islamic conquest of Hispania as Moorish forces led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad land on Gibraltar in preparation for the invasion of Spain.

29 April 1770 – Captain James Cook names Botany Bay after landing there on this day.

29 April 1910 – British Parliament passes ‘The People’s Budget’, the first budget in British history that is aimed at redistributing wealth to all.

29 April 1945 – the Dacchau concentration camp near Munich is liberated by US forces.

29 April 1967 – Muhammad Ali stripped of his boxing title after refusing, on religious grounds, being drafted into the Army.

29 April 1980 – death of Alfred Hitchcock, English movie producer and director. Born 13 August 1899.

27 April 2018

tontine

[ton-teen, ton-teen]

noun

1. an annuity scheme in which subscribers share a common fund with the benefit of survivorship, the survivors’ shares being increased as the subscribers die, until the whole goes to the last survivor.
2. the annuity shared.
3. the share of each subscriber.
4. the number of subscribers.
5. any of various forms of life insurance in which the chief beneficiaries are those whose policies are in force at the end of a specified period (tontine period)

Origin of tontine

French

1755-1765; < French; named after Lorenzo Tonti, Neapolitan banker who started the scheme in France about 1653. See -ine1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tontine

Historical Examples

When it was discovered that Loka was nowhere in the immediate vicinity, tontine was furious.
Bayou Folk
Kate Chopin

The suspense over, tontine began to cry; that followed naturally, of course.
Bayou Folk
Kate Chopin

They were to shut the gates of the tontine, and barricade them with the coaches.
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 2/2
Camden Pelham

Anagram

eon tint

Today’s quote

Anyone who steps back for a minute and observes our modern digital world might conclude that we have destroyed our privacy in exchange for convenience and false security.

– John Twelve Hawks

On this day

27 April 1904 – The Australian Labor Party wins the federal election, making Chris Watson Australia’s third prime minister. The ALP was the first such labour party in the world to win a national election.

27 April 1950 – apartheid formally commences in South Africa with the implementation of the Group Areas Act that segrated races.

27 April 1951 – birth of Paul Daniel ‘Ace’ Frehley, former lead guitarist with Kiss. Frehley’s character with the band was the ‘Spaceman’. He has since launched a solo career and formed a band called Frehley’s Comet.

27 April 1953 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs Executive Order 10450 ‘Hiring and Firing Rules for Government Employment’. The order declared homosexuality, communism and moral perversion to be national security threats and grounds for sacking a government employee or not hiring an applicant.

27 April 1994 – South Africa’s first democratic election in which citizens of all races could vote. The interim constitution is enacted. The African National Congress won the election with 62% of the vote, bringing Nelson Mandela to power. 27 April is celebrated as Freedom Day in South Africa.

25 April 2018

behoof

[bih-hoof]

noun, plural behooves [bih-hoovz]

1. use; advantage; benefit:
The money was spent for his own behoof

Origin of behoof

Middle English, Old English
1000 before 1000; Middle English behove, Old English behōf profit, need; cognate with Dutch behoef, German Behuf

behoove
[bih-hoov] (chiefly in impersonal use)

Spell Syllables

verb (used with object), behooved, behooving.
1. to be necessary or proper for, as for moral or ethical considerations; be incumbent on:
It behooves the court to weigh evidence impartially.
2. to be worthwhile to, as for personal profit or advantage:
It would behoove you to be nicer to those who could help you.
verb (used without object), behooved, behooving.
3. Archaic. to be needful, proper, or due:
Perseverance is a quality that behooves in a scholar.

Origin

before 900; Middle English behoven, Old English behōfian to need ( behōf behoof + -ian infinitive suffix)

Synonyms

2. benefit, advantage, serve, better, advance; suit, befit, beseem.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for behoof

Contemporary Examples

I will still say that it behooves us not to forget that Morsi was no democrat.
Coming Clean on Egypt
Michael Tomasky
August 15, 2013

Given that said government is now spending almost a quarter of our annual income, it behooves us to keep an eye on it.
Is DC Real Estate Headed Up or Down?
Megan McArdle
October 23, 2012

Historical Examples

And so, my lads, it behooves us to be cautious with a very great caution.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler

It behooves me all the more to see to it that I am not duped in the end.
Casanova’s Homecoming
Arthur Schnitzler

It behooves the materialists to use language with more precision and accuracy than this.
Life: Its True Genesis
R. W. Wright

We know nothing about it, and, therefore, it behooves us to say nothing.
Homeward Bound
James Fenimore Cooper

It behooves us, gentlemen, to think first of the cities of our King.
Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer
Cyrus Townsend Brady

It behooves us then to acquaint ourselves with these new aspects of the human soul.
Chinese Painters
Raphael Petrucci

For so it behooves a modern parent to behave in the presence of his children.
Red Cap Tales
Samuel Rutherford Crockett

It behooves us to keep close track of our herds and mark them carefully.
The Story of Wool
Sara Ware Bassett

Anagram

hob foe

Today’s quote

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.

– John Adams

On this day

25 April – Anzac Day. National day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand to commemorate ANZACs who fought at Gallipoli during World War I, honouring all service-men and women who served their country.

25 April – World Penguin Day.

25 April 1915 – World War I: the battle of Gallipoli begins, when Australian, New Zealand, British and French forces invade Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula, landing at Cape Helles, and what is now called Anzac Cove. The attack followed a failed British attempt on 18 March 1915 to seize Constantinople by sailing a fleet into the Dardenelle Straits. The Turks laid naval mines and sank three British ships. The Gallipoli Campaign resulted in the deaths of 56,643 Turks, 56,707 allies, which included 34,072 from Britain, 9,798 from France, 8,709 from Australia, 2,721 from New Zealand, 1,358 from British India, 49 from Newfoundland. More than 107,000 Turks and 123,000 allies were injured. The Gallipoli Campaign is seen as a defining moment in the national histories of both Australia and Turkey.

25 April 1918 – Australian troops victorious over the Germans in the town of Villers-Bretonneux on the Western Front. The town had been occupied by the British, however, on 18 April 1918, Germany used mustard gas outside the town. On 21 April, an aerial dog-fight between British & German planes ensued, with the infamous Red Baron (Manfred von Richthofen) being shot down and killed (rumour has it that his last words were ‘kaputt’). On 24 April, Germany over-ran the British by attacking with tanks. This was the first use of German tanks during the war. The British counter-attacked with their tanks, providing the first tank versus tank battle of the war. However, most of the British troops were untrained boys aged 18 and 19 years old who had not even fired a shot . The Germans quickly won the battle and took 2400 prisoners. At 2200 hours on 25 August 1918, Australian troops counter-attacked in a pincer-movement, with General H.E. Elliot leading an attack from the north and General T.W. Glasgow leading an attack from the south. By dawn on 26 April, British and Australian troops occupied Villers-Bretonneux. The victory was completed on 27 April when Australians established a line outside of the town. Significant losses were sustained in the battle, with Germany losing around 10,400 lives, Britain losing 9,529 lives, France losing 3,470 lives and Australia losing 2,473. It is arguably one of the single most significant victories by Australian troops during World War I, although there were others along the Western Front, including the 4 July victory at Le Hamel under the leadership of General John Monash. In 2018, the Australian Government opened The Sir John Monash memorial centre at Villers-Bretonneux as the central hub of the existing Australian Remembrance Trail along the Western Front.

25 April 1983 – American schoolgirl, Samantha Smith, is invited to the Soviet Union after its leader, Yuri Andropov, reads her letter expressing her fears of nuclear war.