5 August 2018

gage

[geyj]

noun

1. something, as a glove, thrown down by a medieval knight in token of challenge to combat.
2. Archaic. a challenge.
3. Archaic. a pledge or pawn; security.
verb (used with object), gaged, gaging.
4. Archaic. to pledge, stake, or wager.

Origin of gage

Middle English, Middle French, Germanic

1350-1400; Middle English < Middle French < Germanic; see wage

Examples from the Web for gage

Contemporary Examples

That means six years, at least, of 30-hour gym days and, at gage, $600-a-month training costs.
Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte: Why Families of America’s Olympics Athletes Are Broke
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2012

But Grimes estimates that there are roughly 20 girls at gage training at elite levels, and writing those accompanying checks.
Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte: Why Families of America’s Olympics Athletes Are Broke
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2012

Today’s quote

“It’s about how some people carelessly squander what others would sell their souls to have: a healthy, pain-free body. And why? Because they’re too blind, too emotionally scarred, or too self-involved to see past the earth’s dark curve to the next sunrise. Which always comes, if one continues to draw breath.”

– Stephen King (from “End of Watch (The Bill Hodges Trilogy Book 3)”

On this day

5 August 910 – Battle of Tettenhall, in which King Edward and Earl Aethelred defeat the last of the Viking armies to raid England.

5 August 1305 – Scottish revolutionary, William Wallace, captured by English forces near Glasgow. He was transported to London for trial and execution.

5 August 1861 – the United States Army abolishes flogging and increases enlistment terms from 3 months to 2 years.

5 August 1884 – construction of the Statue of Liberty commences in New York City with the laying of the cornerstone.

5 August 1930 – birth of Neil Armstrong, astronaut, first man on the moon. Died 25 August 2012.

5 August 1944 – The Cowra Breakout – The largest prisoner-of-war escape in World War 2, when 1104 Japanese prisoners attempted to breakout of the Australian internment camp at Cowra, New South Wales. Four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese prisoners were killed during the manhunt. The remaining prisoners were captured and returned to prison.

5 August 1957 – the ‘Andy Capp’ comic strip makes its debut.

5 August 1962 – Marilyn Monroe found dead. She was 36 years old. It is believed she deliberately over-dosed on drugs, but questions remain around whether she administered it voluntarily or someone murdered her. Born 1 July 1926.

5 August 1966 – Datebook magazine quotes John Lennon controversially declaring that the Beatles are more popular than Jesus. Lennon had made the comment on 4 March 1966 in England, where no-one paid attention to it. When Datebook published it in August in the United States it caused an uproar. The full quote was ‘Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I’ll be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me‘.

4 August 2018

modish

[moh-dish]

adjective

1. in the current fashion; stylish.

Origin of modish

1650-1660, First recorded in 1650-60; mode2+ -ish1

Related forms

modishly, adverb
modishness, noun
unmodish, adjective
unmodishly, adverb

Synonyms

smart, chic, fashionable, trendy.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for modish

Contemporary Examples

It feels bizarrely out of place, and the horde of modish Angelenos decide to capture it on their iPhones and Androids.
Paris Hilton’s Trippy Los Angeles Release Party For Her Single With Lil Wayne
Jean Trinh
October 9, 2013

A group of modish young Angelenos has congregated at Eveleigh, a bistro off Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Andrew Bachelor, a.k.a. King Bach, Is the King of Vine—And Comedy’s Next Big Thing
Marlow Stern
August 29, 2013

Top-40 music is blaring and the crowd, most of whom are standing, is young, modish, and easy on the eyes.
Inside Beacher’s Madhouse, L.A.’s Craziest Nightclub
Marlow Stern
June 22, 2013

United received heaps of critical acclaim stateside and Phoenix became a favorite among the modish indie crowd.
Phoenix on New Album ‘Bankrupt!’ and Journey to Rock Superstardom
Marlow Stern
April 22, 2013

Historical Examples

There was evidence of great care and taste in every fold of her modish dress.
Wayside Courtships
Hamlin Garland

Tis modish to say women are tender, Phoebe; more modish than true.
The Maidens’ Lodge
Emily Sarah Holt

She wore a modish hat that was immensely becoming, and looked charming.
Langford of the Three Bars
Kate Boyles

Judge then, if to me a lady of the modish taste could have been tolerable.
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
Samuel Richardson

Orson Vane’s bias toward the theatre did not displease the modish.
The Imitator
Percival Pollard

And Anne, neither classic nor modish, still vaguely resembled her!
The Gorgeous Isle
Gertrude Atherton

Today’s quote

Change is certain. Peace is followed by disturbances; departure of evil men by their return. Such recurrences should not constitute occasions for sadness but realities for awareness, so that one may be happy in the interim.

– Percy Bysshe Shelley

On this day

4 August 1181 – Supernova (not the rock band), SN1181, observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was visible for 185 days. A supernova is the explosive death of a star, resulting in a nebula of illuminated gas.

4 August 1792 – birth of Percy Bysshe Shelley, English romantic poet, considered to be one the finest lyric poets of all time. Died 8 July 1822.

4 August 1914 – World War I officially starts as Great Britain declares war on Germany in response to the German invasion of Belgium the day before.

4 August 1914 – United States declares its neutrality in World War I.

4 August 1929 – birth of Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader. Died 11 November 2004.

4 August 1944 – German police and Gestapo officers arrest Jewish diarist, Anne Frank and her family, in Amsterdam. The family was eventually transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. In March 1945 a typhus epidemic spread through the camp, claiming the Anne’s life. The camp was liberated only weeks later, in April 1945, by British troops. Anne Frank kept a diary which later was published and became a best seller.

4 August 1964 – the second Gulf of Tonkin Incident in which it was believed North Vietnamese troops fired on two US destroyers, the USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy. It is now believed the second incident may have involved false radar images and not the North Vietnamese.

3 August 2018

Shamal

noun

A shamal (Arabic: شمال‎, ‘north’) is a northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year, mostly in summer but sometimes in winter. The resulting wind typically creates large sandstorms that impact Iraq, most sand having been picked up from Jordan and Syria.

Today’s quote

Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy.

– Franz Kafka

On this day

3 August 1811 – birth of Elisha Graves Otis, American industrialist and founder of the Otis Elevator Company. In 1854, he put the finishing touches to his signature invention: a safety device to prevent elevators falling if the cable fails. Died 8 April 1861.

3 August 1905 – birth of Maggie Kuhn, activist and founder of the Gray Panthers, who campaigned for nursing home reform and opposed ageism. She also fought for human rights, social and economic justice, global peace, integration, and mental health issues. Died 22 April 1995.

3 August 1914 – World War I heats up: Germany invades Belgium and declares war on France, while Turkey signs a pact with Germany.

3 August 1914 – Formation of the World Alliance for International Friendship through the Churches. It’s purpose was to help churches promote peace, disarmament,rights of racial and religious minorities, conscientious objection, arms control, and the League of Nations.

3 August 1963 – birth of James Hetfield, US rock star, member of Metallica.

3 August 1973 – birth of Patrick Wilson, American actor, from movies such as ‘the Alamo‘, ‘Watchmen‘, ‘The A-Team‘, ‘Phantom of the Opera‘ – with Gerard Butler and Emma Rossum.

3 August 1973 – Fire kills 51 people at an amusement park on the Isle of Man.

2 August 2018

gallus

/ˈɡæləs/

adjective

1. (Scot) bold; daring; reckless

Word Origin

a variant of gallows used as an adjective, meaning fit for the gallows
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

Examples from the Web for gallus

Historical Examples

But gallus birds like you and your company, it’s best for us not to be seen in company with.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

The word gallus, a Gaul, is of course the same as the Irish gal, a stranger.
Notes and Queries, Number 219, January 7, 1854
Various

Today’s quote

Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.

– Salvador Dali

On this day

2 August 216BC – 2nd Punic War, Battle of Cannae, in which Hannibal defeats the much larger Roman army.

2 August 1776 – the United States Declaration of Independence officially signed by 56 Congressional delegates who were not present on 4 July 1776, when 34 Congressional delegates signed and ratified it.

2 August 1934 – the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in the United States, levying $1 on commercial dealers of cannabis. It did not outlaw cannabis, but included hefty penalties if the Act was violated, namely five years imprisonment and a $2,000 fine. The Act was repealed in 1970.

2 August 1964 – the first Gulf of Tonkin Incident in which North Vietnamese troops fired on a US destroyer, the USS Maddox (the second incident allegedly occurred on 4 August 1964). The incident gave rise to the US Congress passing the ‘Gulf of Tonkin Resolution’ – officially the ‘Southeast Asia Resolution – which eventually led to the Vietnam War.

2 August 1997 – death of William Seward Burroughs, otherwise known as William S. Burroughs or William Lee, Beat Generation author, painter, spoken word performer. The beat generation rose to prominence in the 1950s and experimented with innovation in art, style, rules and drugs. Burroughs work includes Junkie, Queer, and Naked Lunch. Born on 5 February 1914 .

1 August 2018

tzimmes

[tsim-is]

noun

1. Also, tsimmes. Jewish Cookery. any of various sweetened combinations of vegetables, fruit, and sometimes meat, prepared as a casserole or stew.
2. fuss; uproar; hullabaloo:
He made such a tzimmes over that mistake!

Origin of tzimmes

1890-1895; < Yiddish tsimes, akin to dialectal German (Swabia) zimmes, zimbes compote, stew, Swiss German zimis lunch; compound (orig. prepositional phrase) with Middle High German z, ze unstressed variant of zuo (German zu) at, to + Middle High German, Old High German imbiz, imbīz snack, light meal ( German Imbiss), noun derivative of Old High German enbīzan to take nourishment; see in-1, bite

Dictionary.com

Today’s quote

The propagandist’s purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.

– Aldous Huxley

On this day

1 August – the official birthday for all thoroughbred horses in the Southern Hemisphere.(see 1 January for Northern Hemisphere).

1 August 10BC – birth of Claudius, Roman Emperor. He was treated as an imbecile because he’d been born with a limp and slight deafness. As a result he was not seen as a threat by others and therefore survived the purges by Caligula and Tiberius. He was the last surviving man in his family following Caligula’s assassination, leading to him being declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. He proved himself to be an able administrator and constructed many roads, aqueducts and canals across the empire. He successfully invaded Britain, something that previous emperors, including Caligula, had failed to do achieve. He was assassinated by poisoning, many believe by his wife. He was succeeded by his grand-nephew, Nero. Died 13 October 54AD.

1 August 1774 – Joseph Priestly discovers oxygen. Controversially, Carl Willhelm Scheele claims to have discovered oxygen in 1773, but did not publish his findings until 1777, well after Priestly published his own in 1775. Scheele claimed Priestly was an oxygen thief. Other claimants to the discovery of oxygen include Michal Sędziwój (in the 16th century) and Antoine Laurent Lavoisier who was working concurrently with Priestly and Scheele.

1 August 1794 – Whiskey Rebellion, which was a protest against a tax imposed by George Washington on the production of whiskey by grain growers.

1 August 1799 – France becomes the first country to introduce the metric system.

1 August 1834 – slavery officially abolished throughout the British Empire.

1 August 1882 – death of Henry Kendall, Australian poet. Born 18 April 1839.

1 August 1936 – Adolph Hitler opens the XI Olympiad in Berlin, Germany.

29 July 2018

efface

[ih-feys]

verb (used with object), effaced, effacing.

1. to wipe out; do away with; expunge:
to efface one’s unhappy memories.
2. to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).
3. to make (oneself) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself) modestly or shyly.

Origin of efface

Middle French

1480-1490 From the Middle French word effacer, dating back to 1480-90. See ef-, face

Related forms

effaceable, adjective
effacement, noun
effacer, noun
uneffaceable, adjective
uneffaced, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for efface

Historical Examples

Why should he efface himself, if it meant Sidney’s unhappiness?
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart

But here is a confession which a hundred crosses can not efface.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani

This was alone wanting to efface every trace of the old Republican spirit.
Tom Burke Of “Ours”, Volume II (of II)
Charles James Lever

Enough to efface it in the eyes of one who had never sinned?
Wisdom, Wit, and Pathos of Ouida
Ouida

Will it be possible to efface the evil impress left on that mind and body?
The Choice of Life
Georgette Leblanc

The better to efface the impress of their tyrannical past, I had to dip them into water.
The Choice of Life
Georgette Leblanc

Nothing can ever cure me, no dream of my mind can ever efface the dream of my heart.
The Child of Pleasure
Gabriele D’Annunzio

He forgot his resolution to efface himself, and whipped his horse forward.
A Soldier of the Legion
C. N. Williamson

The strength of the child is to efface himself in every possible way.
What Is and What Might Be
Edmond Holmes

The constant use of that paddle in the water, for fifteen days, did not efface the color.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott

Today’s quote

This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, it is just the end of the beginning.

– Winston Churchill

On this day

29 July 1565 – marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to her cousin, Lord Darnley.

29 July 1833 – birth of William Wilberforce. English politician, philanthropist and leader of the slave trade abolition movement. In 1785 he became an evangelical Christian, which transformed his life to focus on philanthropy and human rights. For 20 years he pursued the abolition of slavery, eventually culminating in the passage of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 1807. Died 29 July 1833. Died 24 August 1759.

29 July 1836 – the Arc de Triomphe is inaugurated in Paris.

29 July 1848 – the failed nationalist Tipperary Revolt against English rule, which occurred during the Great Potato Famine in Ireland.

29 July 1860 – birth of Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901 and Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907. Lamington is credited with commissioning the creation of one of Australia’s most iconic desserts, the lamington. Numerous stories abound regarding the origin of the lamington, but generally Lamington’s chef (French-born Armand Gallad) is believed to have created it when he was ordered to prepare a morning tea for Federation celebrations being held by Lady Lamington. Rumour has it that Gallad cut up some left-over sponge cake, dipped it in chocolate and covered it in coconut. It should be noted that coconut was not a well-known or popular ingredient at that time, but Gallad was aware of it as his wife was from Tahiti, where coconut was a staple ingredient.

29 July 1890 – death of Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch painter. Born 30 March 1853.

29 July 1907 – the Boy Scouts formed in England by Sir Robert Baden-Powell.

29 July 1948 – the XIV Olympiad is opened in London by King George VI. This is the first Olympiad since the XI Olympiad in Berlin in 1936. The XII and XIII Olympiads for 1940 and 1944 respectively, were not held because of World War II.

29 July 1949 – first broadcast by BBC radio.

29 July 1981 – Prince Charles and Lady Dianna Spencer wed in London.

29 July 1989 – Burmese authorities imprison Aung Sun Suu Kyi even though her political party won 59% of votes in the election. She rose to prominence following her role in the ‘8888’ Uprising on 8 August 1988.