11 June 2018

battue

[ba-too, -tyoo; French ba-ty]

noun, plural battues [ba-tooz, -tyooz; French ba-ty]. Chiefly British.

1. Hunting.
the beating or driving of game from cover toward a stationary hunter.
a hunt or hunting party using this method of securing game.
2. undiscriminating slaughter of defenseless or unresisting crowds.

Origin of battue

Latin

1810-1820; < French, noun use of feminine of battu, past participle of battre < Latin battuere to beat. See battuta, battle1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for battue

Historical Examples

The noise is as if a thousand sportsmen were out for a battue.
The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in Cuba
Walter Goodman

The Indian assured him that it was not the first battue of the kind he had made.
The Forest Exiles
Mayne Reid

And as he surveyed the battue he would gradually discern its tactics.
Modern Women and What is Said of Them
Anonymous

His burghers were ready to “go on the battue of Englishmen,” when he gave the word.
Lord Milner’s Work in South Africa
W. Basil Worsfold

A battue of Communards is obviously superior to a battue of pheasants.
The History of Sir Richard Calmady
Lucas Malet

The battue in Ettrick Forest, for the destruction of the foxes.
The Pirate
Sir Walter Scott

I hate a battue, and call it sport I cannot, and never will.
Sporting Society, Vol. II (of 2)
Various

I went hunting with no company but the two hundred gamekeepers for the battue.
The Surprises of Life
Georges Clemenceau

From the beginning of the battue it was easy to see that the hunt would be a good one.
The Companions of Jehu
Alexandre Dumas, pre

In a battue of this description a whole neighbourhood joins.
Australian Pictures
Howard Willoughby

Anagram

tea tub
ate but
be taut

Today’s quote

What really counts isn’t whether your instrument is Baroque or modern: it’s your mindset.

– Simon Rattle

On this day

11 June 1955 – during the 24 hour Le Mans race, a Mercedes 300 crashes at high speed. Debris, including the engine block, axles and bonnet, slams through the crowd killing 83 spectators. The bonnet decapitated a number of spectators who had been tightly packed into the stand. The driver was also killed.

11 June 1962 – Three prisoners escape from the federal prison on Alcatraz Island. The three men, Frank Morris, and brothers, Clarence and John Anglin were never found. Authorities believe it is most likely that the three men did not survive the swim across San Francisco Bay, although their bodies were never recovered.

11 June 2001 – Timothy McVeigh executed for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, which killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children or babies.

10 June 2018

emetic

[uh-met-ik]

adjective

1. causing vomiting, as a medicinal substance.
noun
2. an emetic medicine or agent.

Origin of emetic

Latin, Greek
1650-1660; Latin emeticus; Greek emetikós, equivalent to émet(os) vomiting + -ikos -ic

Related forms

emetically, adverb
hyperemetic, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for emetic

Historical Examples

The emetic she took at about nine o’clock had little effect.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete
Duc de Saint-Simon

Do not wait for him to arrive, but give an emetic to rid the stomach of the poison.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America

If the child has eaten too much, or of improper food, an emetic should be given.
The Physical Life of Woman:
Dr. George H Napheys

Dispensatory: This species acts like P. uniflorum, which is said to be emetic.
The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees
James Mooney

It was an emetic Mallare had found necessary to administer to himself.
Fantazius Mallare
Ben Hecht

emetic, cathartic with calomel; then sorbentia, chalybeates, Peruvian bark.
Zoonomia, Vol. II
Erasmus Darwin

Either a cathartic or an emetic will leave the system under some debility.
A New Guide for Emigrants to the West
J. M. Peck

The juice of the leaves is emetic and that of the roots purgative.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines
T. H. Pardo de Tavera

Anagram

cite me
ice met

Today’s quote

The problem is people are being hated when they are real, and being loved when they are fake.

– Bob Marley

On this day

10 June 323 BC – death of Alexander the Great, Macedonian King. He conquered the Persia Empire, which ruled Asia Minor, The Levant and Syria, Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia. He then invaded India before returning to Persia. He died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon, most likely by poisoning. Born 20 July 356 BC.

10 June 1838 – Myall Creek Massacre in Australia. 28 aborigines are murdered by 11 stockmen (10 Europeans and an African). After two trials, seven of the 11 colonialists involved in the killings were found guilty of murder and hanged on 18 December 1838. The leader of the colonialists, John Fleming, was never found. He was suspected of further massacres in the Liverpool Plains and New England regions. His brother, Joseph, was linked to massacres in the Maranoa area of Queensland.

10 June 1916 – British Army officer, Lawrence of Arabia leads an Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.

10 June 1935 – Alcoholics Anonymous founded by two recovering alcoholics, using a 12-step program to help alcoholics overcome their addiction.

10 June 1967 – end of the Six Day War, when Israel and the Arab coalition consisting of Egypt, Jordan & Syria, agree to a UN mediated cease-fire.

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.