26 December 2017

decorous

[dek-er-uh s, dih-kawr-uh s, -kohr-]

adjective

1. characterized by dignified propriety in conduct, manners, appearance, character, etc.

Origin of decorous

Latin

1655-1665; < Latin decōrus seemly, becoming, derivative of decus; see decorate, -ous

Related forms

decorously, adverb
decorousness, noun
nondecorous, adjective
nondecorously, adverb
nondecorousness, noun

Synonyms

proper, becoming.

Antonyms

undignified.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for decorous

Contemporary Examples

Not for Rodriguez the decorous, red-carpet likes of Gwynnie, Sandra Bullock, or Tom Cruise, but “hot criminal” Jeremy Meeks.
Meet the PR Guru for the ‘Hot Convict,’ the Octomom, and Every Other D-List Trainwreck
Erin Cunningham
July 16, 2014

A decorous group of nine panelists presented their positions one at a time, following distinctly un-Israeli rules of etiquette.
Israel’s New Election Discourse
Don Futterman
January 7, 2013

Historical Examples

Thus our conversation ran– decorous and harmless enough, in all conscience.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic

Anagram

sour code
do course
door cues
us or code
scour ode

Today’s quote

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.

– Maya Angelou

On this day

26 December – the second day of the 12 days of Christmas (Western Christianity).

26 December 1941 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

26 December 1966 – The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. a secular festival observed by many African Americans from 26 December to 1 January as a celebration of their cultural heritage and traditional values.

26 December 1982 – Time’s Man of the Year is for the first time a non-human, the personal computer.

26 December 1991 – formal dissolution of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) when the Supreme Soviet dissolved itself following the Alma-Ata Protocol of 21 December 1991 and the resignation of President Gorbachev on 25 December 1991.

26 December 2004 – the Boxing Day tsunami originates in Indonesia and spreads across the Indian Ocean killing 230,000 people in 14 countries. It was triggered by a massive earthquake which registered a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3 and caused the entire planet to vibrate by up to 1cm and caused earthquakes as far away as Alaska.

25 December 2017

insensate

[in-sen-seyt, -sit]

adjective

1. not endowed with sensation; inanimate:
insensate stone.
2. without human feeling or sensitivity; cold; cruel; brutal.
3. without sense, understanding, or judgment; foolish.

Origin of insensate

Late Latin

1510-1520 First recorded in 1510-20, insensate is from the Late Latin word insēnsātus irrational. See in-3, sensate

Related forms

insensately, adverb
insensateness, noun

Synonyms

1. lifeless, inorganic. 2. insensible. 3. stupid, irrational, senseless, witless, dumb.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for insensate

Contemporary Examples

He was “overwhelmed by the feeling” that “the Suffolk expanses” had “shrunk once and for all to a single, blind, insensate spot.”
Walking In The Footsteps Of W.G. Sebald, Hiker, Novelist, Strange Genius
Edward Platt
June 4, 2014

Historical Examples

It was insensate folly on his part, ridiculous from any point of view.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance

More than once he had hoped the insensate fury of the blizzard might abate.
Nan of Music Mountain
Frank H. Spearman

Anagram

I neatness
senate sin
teases inn
insane set
sea tennis
nine seats
as intense

Today’s quote

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?

– Bob Hope

On this day

25 December 1876 – birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan. Leader of the Muslim League calling for the creation of Pakistan. Served as Pakistan’s first Governor-General from 15 August 1947 until his death on 11 September 1948. Pakistan celebrates his birthday with a national holiday.

25 December 1914 – Soldiers from Britain, Germany, Russia and France agree to a ‘Christmas’ truce. They crossed no-man’s land and wished each other ‘Merry Christmas’ in each nation’s language.

25 December 1974 – Cyclone Tracy strikes Darwin, Northern Territory, killing 71 people and flattening 70% of the city, leaving 41,000 homeless (out of a population of 47,000). The cyclone had winds up to 240km/h, central pressure of 950 hectorpascals,

25 December 1991 – Soviet President Gorbachev resigns, declaring the Soviet presidency extinct, and hands power to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, effectively bringing an end to the Soviet Union.

25 December 2006 – death of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. He was born 3 May 1933.

25 December 2008 – death of Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress. She played Catwoman in the 1960’s Batman TV series. Two of her more famous songs were ‘C’est Si Bon’ and ‘Santa Baby’. She was born on 17 January 1927.

24 December 2017

escritoire

[es-kri-twahr]

noun

1. writing desk (def 1).

Origin of escritoire

Middle French, Latin
1605-1615; < French, Middle French < Latin scrīptōrium. See scribe1, -tory2

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for escritoire

Historical Examples

I took him to my room, and shewed him my escritoire, my casket, and my will.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

Ernest and myself were seated side by side by the escritoire.
Ernest Linwood
Caroline Lee Hentz

The magistrate pointed to the escritoire with its open drawers.
Fantmas
Pierre Souvestre

Anagram

Sir Coterie
icier store
rice sortie

Today’s quote

We live in the age of the refugee, the age of the exile.

– Ariel Dorfman

On this day

24 December 1865 – Ku Klux Klan formed by a group of confederate veterans who are opposed to civil rights for African-Americans.

24 December 1979 – The Soviet Army, comprised of 100,000 troops, invades Afghanistan in response to Afghan insurgents (armed by the United States) who had been attacking Soviet troops. The occupation lasts for 10 years and results in the deaths of between 600,000 and 2,000,000 Afghan civilians, as well as 6,000,000 refugees who fled to Pakistan and Iran. The Soviets withdrew in 1989. The cost of the Afghan occupation is a significant factor that led to the economic collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Soviet occupation, the United States funded Afghan resistance in the form of the Mujahideen and other militant Islamic groups, out of whom emerged Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The real victims in this war were the Afghan people, who continue to suffer and to comprise a significant portion of global refugee numbers because of the involvement of the USSR and the USA during this period.

23 December 2017

deontology

[dee-on-tol-uh-jee]

noun

1. ethics, especially that branch dealing with duty, moral obligation, and right action.

Origin of deontology

Greek

1820-1830; < Greek deont- that which is binding (stem of déon, neuter present participle of deîn to bind), equivalent to de- bind + -ont- present participle suffix + -o- + -logy

Related forms

deontological [dee-on-tl-oj-i-kuh l], adjective
deontologist, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for deontology

Historical Examples

This edition does not include the deontology, which, much rewritten, had been published by Bowring in 1834.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 6
Various

To Bowring we also owe the deontology, which professes to represent Bentham’s dictation.
The English Utilitarians, Volume I.
Leslie Stephen

Anagram

goodly note
ogled on toy
not to lodge

Today’s quote

Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty.

– Edgar Degas

On this day

23 December 1947 – Bell Laboratories demonstrates the world’s first transistor radio.

23 December 1972 – 16 survivors of a plane-crash in the Andes, Argentina are rescued. The plane had crashed on 13 October 1972, carrying 45 people. A number of passengers were killed in the crash and some died later from exposure to the cold. Eight died in an avalanche. The survivors lived on chocolate bars, cabin food and the bodies of those who had died.

23 December 1982 – Israeli Consulate in Sydney and Hakoah Club in Bondi, Australia, bombings – both bombings were undertaken by the same three suspects. Two people were injured in the Israeli Consulate bombing and no injuries were recorded in the Hakoah bombing.

23 December 2005 – an earthquake in South-East Asia kills approximately 87,000 people, followed by a chemical spill that poisons China’s Songhue River, contaminating the water supply of millions of people.

23 December 2013 – death of Mikhail Kalashnikov, Soviet Union hero, inventor of the world’s most popular assault weapon, the AK-47, or ‘Kalashnikov’. The AK-47 stood for Kalashnikov Assault, 1947, the year it was designed. He was awarded the ‘Hero of Russia’ medal as well as Lenin and Stalin prizes. Kalashnikov invented the AK-47 to protect the national borders of the Soviet Union. The AK-47 has a simple design, which makes it very reliable and easy to replicate. Kalashnikov hadn’t patented the design internationally. As a result, of the estimated 100 million AK-47s in the world today, it is believed that at least half are copies. Although his weapon has been favoured by armies and guerillas across the globe, Kalashnikov claimed he never lost sleep over the numbers of people killed by it. He always maintained that he invented it to protect the ‘Fatherland’s borders’. He did however, rue the use of it by child soldiers. Kalashnikov was a World War II veteran who was wounded in 1941. While recovering in hospital he conceived the design. Born 10 November 1919.

19 December 2017

atelier

[at-l-yey, at-l-yey; French atuh-lyey]

noun, plural ateliers [at-l-yeyz, at-l-yeyz; French atuh-lyey] (Show IPA)

1. a workshop or studio, especially of an artist, artisan, or designer.

Origin of atelier

Old French Late Latin Latin
1830-1840; < French: literally, pile of chips (hence, workshop); Old French astele chip (< Late Latin astella, diminutive of Latin astula, variant of assula splinter, equivalent to ass(is) plank + -ula -ule ) + -ier -ier2

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for atelier

Contemporary Examples

Beyond his contributions, Romand had to re-create all of the needed pieces in her atelier, as well as all of the accessories.
Unauthorized ‘Saint Laurent’ Biopic: Quel Scandale!
Liza Foreman
May 19, 2014

“For me, the atelier Ermanno Scervino is a safe place where I feel protected by friendship,” he told the paper.
Renaissance Wedding Bells for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
May 16, 2014

atelier Pallas is one of the only couture houses still doing things the old way—completely in house and completely by hand.
The Last “Real” Couture House
Liza Foreman
March 4, 2014

For Hockney to have the missing link presented to him there in his atelier was a real thrill for him.
Can You Paint Like Johannes Vermeer, Too?
Andrew Romano
December 5, 2013

Anagram

I relate
ale rite
real tie

Today’s quote

The tyrant grinds down his slaves and they don’t turn against him, they crush those beneath them.

– Emily Bronte

On this day

19 December 1847 – death of Emily Bronte, author of the novel, ‘Wuthering Heights‘. Born 30 July 1818.

19 December 1915 – birth of Édith Piaf, French singer. Born Édith Giovanna Gassion, died 10 October 1963.

18 December 2017

émigré

[em-i-grey; French ey-mee-grey]

noun, plural émigrés [em-i-greyz; French ey-mee-grey]

1. an emigrant, especially a person who flees from his or her native land because of political conditions.
2. a person who fled from France because of opposition to or fear of the revolution that began in 1789.

Origin of émigré

Latin

1785-1795; < French: noun use of past participle of émigrer < Latin ēmīgrāre to emigrate

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for émigré

Historical Examples

A future king of France, while an emigre, had been to Louisiana.
The Crossing
Winston Churchill

I thought I was saving an emigre, but I love you better as a Republican.
The Chouans
Honore de Balzac

The old captain was an emigre, and had returned undecided what he would do.
The Private Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, Complete
Constant

You do not understand how delicate the position of an emigre is towards those who are now in possession of his property.
An Historical Mystery
Honore de Balzac

Were you aware that sometime in the fall of 1963, that a lady was residing with Mrs. Paine who was a Russian emigre ?
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15)
The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

And was that a social circle of Russian emigre, a certain set of Russian emigre ?
Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)
The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

That’s correct, because being of the same nationality, I thought he was hurting all of our emigre here in Dallas.
Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)
The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

Now, among the Russian emigre group in Dallas, did you ever know of anybody that you even thought might be a Communist?
Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)
The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

I had my suspicions, having just come from an emigre party where the Marquise was hating and praising him as usual.
Rewards and Fairies
Rudyard Kipling

I wanted to know more about Monsieur Peringuey, and the emigre party was the very place to find out.
Rewards and Fairies
Rudyard Kipling

Anagram

regime
I merge

Today’s quote

I call architecture frozen music.

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

On this day

18 December 1655 – The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.

18 December 1878 – birth of Joseph Stalin, Georgian-Russian marshal and politician, 4th Premier of the Soviet Union, died from suspected poisoning 5 March 1953.

18 December 1892 – Premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

18 December 1942 – U.S. B24 Liberator bomber crashes into Mt Straloch on Hinchinbrook Island, North Queensland. All 29 persons on board were killed. Because of the rugged terrain and monsoonal ‘wet’ season, the bodies were not recovered for some months. The plane had flown from Amberley air base, near Brisbane, to Garbutt air base in Townsville to pick up passengers. The plane crashed during a violent storm, shortly after departure from Garbutt. It was on its way to Iron Range air base, near Lockhardt River, North Queensland.

18 December 1943 – birth of Keith Richards, English guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the classic rock band, The Rolling Stones.

18 December 1963 – birth of Brad Pitt, American actor.

16 December 2017

inimical or inimicable

[ih-nim-i-kuh l or ih-nim-i-kuh-buh l]

adjective

1. adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable; harmful:
a climate inimical to health.
2. unfriendly; hostile:
a cold, inimical gaze.

Origin of inimical

Latin

1635-1645; < Latin inimīc(us) unfriendly, hostile (see enemy ) + -al1

Related forms

inimically, adverb
inimicalness, inimicality, noun
uninimical, adjective
uninimically, adverb

Can be confused

inimical, inimitable.

Synonyms

1. noxious. 2. antagonistic. See hostile.

Antonyms

2. friendly.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for inimical

Historical Examples

Wealth is not inimical to welfare; it ought to be its friendliest agency.
United States Presidents’ Inaugural Speeches
Various

When Pausanias remarks that personal attachments are inimical to despots.
Symposium
Plato

“You appear to be inimical to money,” the Angel interjected, with a penetrating look.
Another Sheaf
John Galsworthy

That order of feeling was comprehensible enough to the most inimical of my critics.
Some Reminiscences
Joseph Conrad

Grimness was in every feature, and to its very bowels the inimical shape was desolation.
A Pair of Blue Eyes
Thomas Hardy

They were huge, and ugly, and alien, but they were not inimical to humans.
Rebels of the Red Planet
Charles Louis Fontenay

She looked at him helplessly, so attractive and so inimical to her.
The Coast of Chance
Esther Chamberlain

They are not hostile to employers, not inimical to the interests of the general public.
Socialism As It Is
William English Walling

At noon a large crowd had gathered, composed of those most inimical to the strangers.
Terry
Charles Goff Thomson

It is not only when criticism is inimical that I object to it, but also when it is incompetent.
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
James McNeill Whistler

Anagram

I claim in

Today’s quote

The Stone Age didn’t end for lack of stone, and the Oil Age will end long before the world runs out of oil.

– Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani

On this day

16 December 1980 – death of Harlan Sanders who eventually becomes a Colonel and chickens throughout Kentucky, and ultimately the rest of the world, are never the same again as he invents Kentucky Fried Chicken. Born 9 September 1890.