15 November 2017

pomace

[puhm-is, pom-]

noun

1. the pulpy residue from apples or similar fruit after crushing and pressing, as in cider making.
2. any crushed or ground, pulpy substance.

Origin of pomace

Medieval Latin

1545-1555; perhaps < Medieval Latin pōmācium cider, derivative of Latin pōmum fruit; see pome

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for pomace

Historical Examples

In Europe, the seeds are separated from the pomace and used in various ways.
Manual of American Grape-Growing
U. P. Hedrick

They will be dark in proportion to the length of time the pomace stands.
Soil Culture
J. H. Walden

Anagram

me capo
eco map

Today’s quote

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

– Kurt Vonnegut

On this day

15 November 1943 – Nazi SS leader, Heinrich Himmler issues an order stating that Gypsies were to be treated the same as Jews and sent to concentration camps.

15 November 1988 – Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestinian National Conference, declares the independence of Palestine.

15 November 2007 – Cyclone Sidr, with 160km/h winds, strikes Bangladesh. Over 2 million people are evacuated from coastal areas. Around 5,000 people were killed.

15 November 2008 – death of Ivan Southall AM, DFC, Australian writer of young-adult fiction and non-fiction. Books include ‘Ash Road’, ‘Let the Balloon Go’, ‘Hill’s End’, ‘Fly West’ and ‘Josh. Born 8 June 1921.

11 November 2017

munificent

[myoo-nif-uh-suh nt]

adjective

1. extremely liberal in giving; very generous.
2. characterized by great generosity:
a munificent bequest.

Origin of munificent

Latin

1575-1585; back formation from Latin mūnificentia generosity, munificence, equivalent to mūnific(us) generous ( muni-, combining form of mūnus gift + -ficus -fic ) + -entia -ence

Related forms

munificence, munificentness, noun
munificently, adverb
unmunificent, adjective
unmunificently, adverb

Can be confused

beneficent, munificent.
magnificent, munificent.

Synonyms

1. bountiful, bounteous, lavish.

Antonyms

1. niggardly.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for munificent

Contemporary Examples

We remain a people powerful with ideas and capable of munificent grace.
The True State of Our Independence: What Does America Stand For?
Benjamin Busch
July 3, 2012

Historical Examples

I paid him over the munificent sum you intrusted to me for him.
Victor’s Triumph
Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth

Joe disposed of that consideration by a munificent wave of the hand.
David Dunne
Belle Kanaris Maniates

And then he might not choose to accept her munificent offer!
Lippincott’s Magazine, Vol. 20, August 1877
Various

We do hear of munificent donations by benevolent millionaires now and then.
The Lock And Key Library
Various

Poor Gustavo saw a munificent shower of tips vanishing into nothing.
Jerry
Jean Webster

As was usual when he or any other servitor was in attendance on Waring, the reward had been munificent.
Waring’s Peril
Charles King

The settlements which he has spoken of, too, are most munificent.
Anna the Adventuress
E. Phillips Oppenheim

One of us is bidden to the court of our most munificent patroness to educate her only son.
Peter the Priest
Mr Jkai

I was so astonished at your munificent offer, Sir, that I could not well speak.
The Privateersman
Frederick Marryat

Anagram

unfit mince
mint ice fun
feint cumin

Today’s quote

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

– Winston Churchill

On this day

11 November 1880 – execution by hanging, of Ned Kelly, Australian bush-ranger.

11 November 1918 – End of World War I. Commemorated as ‘Remembrance Day’ in British Commonwealth countries and ‘Armistice Day’ in other nations, recognising the armistice signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1954, the United States, changed Armistice Day to ‘Veterans Day’ and made it a public holiday to recognise those who have served in the armed forces, not just those who served in World War I.

11 November 1954 – Pensioners’ Revolt, United Kingdom. Thousands of pensioners march in a rally in London calling for an increase of their pensions by 17s 6d, which would take a single person’s pension to £2 10s per week.

11 November 1975 – Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (Labor Party) sacked by the Governor-General and replaced by Malcolm Fraser (Liberal Party).

11 November 2004 – death of Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader in Paris after falling into a coma. The cause of his death is disputed, with some believing he was poisoned by Israel, others believing it was from cirrhosis. Born 4 August 1929.

10 November 2017

cairn

[kairn]

noun

1. a heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc.

Also, carn.

Origin of cairn

1525-1535; earlier carn < Scots Gaelic: pile of stones; perhaps akin to horn

Related forms

cairned, adjective
cairny, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cairn

Historical Examples

Clawbonny and Bell walked to the cairn with picks in their hands.
The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras
Jules Verne

He would begin to-morrow with the cairn for the rock-plants.
Deerbrook
Harriet Martineau

Today’s quote

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

– George Bernard Shaw

On this day

10 November 1919 – birth 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. Died 23 December 2013.

10 November 1969 – Sesame Street debuts on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), featuring muppets by Jim Henson. It is one of the longest running tv shows in history and has been highly successful at increasing the literacy and numeracy skills of children.

10 November 1982 – Leonid Brezhnev, Soviet President, dies in office from a heart attack.

8 November 2017

demerara

[dem-uh-rahr-uh, -rair-uh]

noun, ( often initial capital letter)

1. a light brown raw sugar grown in Guyana and used especially in the country’s rum-making industry.
2. a highly flavoured rum used mainly for blending purposes

Word Origin

named after Demerara, a region of Guyana

Related forms

demeraran, adjective

Anagram

a dreamer
dearer ma
made rare

Today’s quote

Despair has its own calms.

– Bram Stoker

On this day

8 November 1836 – birth of Milton Bradley, U.S. board-game maker, credited with launching the board-game industry. Died 30 May 1911.

8 November 1847 – birth of Bram Stoker, Irish novellist, author of ‘Dracula’. Died 20 April 1912.

8 November 1960 – 43 year old, John F. Kennedy wins the presidential election and becomes the youngest President of the United States of America.

8 November 1973 – In Brisbane, Australia, a home-made bomb is placed on a teacher’s desk. It detonates, killing one student, injuring 8 others, while the teacher loses both hands.

6 November 2017

moot(1)

[moot]

adjective

1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful:
Whether that was the cause of their troubles is amoot point.
2. of little or no practical value, meaning, or relevance; purely academic:
In practical terms, the issue of her application is moot because the deadline has passed.
3. Chiefly Law. not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.
verb (used with object)
4. to present or introduce (any point, subject, project, etc.) for discussion.
5. to reduce or remove the practical significance of; make purely theoretical or academic.
6. Archaic. to argue (a case), especially in a mock court.
noun
7. an assembly of the people in early England exercising political, administrative, and judicial powers.
8. an argument or discussion, especially of a hypothetical legal case.
9.Obsolete. a debate, argument, or discussion.

Origin of moot(1)

Middle English, Old English
900 before 900; Middle English mot(e) meeting, assembly, Old English gemōt; cognate with Old Norse mōt, Dutch gemoet meeting. See meet(1)

Related forms

mooter, noun
mootness, noun

Can be confused

moot, mute.

Synonyms

1. disputable, disputed, unsettled. 4. debate, dispute, discuss.

Antonyms

1. indisputable. 4. agree.

moot(2)

[moot]

noun

1. a ring gauge for checking the diameters of treenails.
verb (used with object)
2. to bring (a treenail) to the proper diameter with a moot.

Origin

1805-15; special use of dial. moot tree-stump, block of wood; cognate with Dutch moot piece

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for moot

Contemporary Examples

But the positives are moot if people fail to recognize the problem of eWaste and to realize they can do their part to reduce it.
ecoATM offers consumers a new way to sell used cell phones and electronic devices
Sarah Langs
August 31, 2013

The question of whether the story is fit for publication is now moot.
Tech Crunch Founder Denies Allegations
Howard Kurtz
April 8, 2013

The etymology of the word koldun is still, I believe, a moot point.
Russian Fairy Tales
W. R. S. Ralston

Today’s quote

Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skills to do difficult things easily.

– Friedrich von Schiller

On this day

6 November 1985 – Iran-Contra Affair revealed in the media. U.S. President Ronald Reagan exposed as having sold arms to Iran in order to secure the release of Americans being held by an Iranian group and to also help the U.S. to continue illicitly funding the Nicaraguan Contras after Congress had banned further funding arrangements. The Contras were rebels who were committing human rights violations while opposing the ruling Marxist Sandinista regime. Numerous high-ranking members of the Reagan government were indicted, including Casper Weinberger (Secretary of Defence, later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush), William Casey (Head of CIA), Robert McFarlane (National Security Advisor), Oliver North (member of the National Security Council), and John Poindexter (National Security Advisor).

6 November 1999 – Australians vote to keep the Queen as head of state instead of establishing a republic.

5 November 2017

disinterested

[dis-in-tuh-res-tid, -tri-stid]

adjective

1. unbiased by personal interest or advantage; not influenced by selfish motives:
a disinterested decision by the referee.
2. not interested; indifferent.

Origin of disinterested

1605-1615 First recorded in 1605-15; dis-1+ interested

Related forms

disinterestedly, adverb
disinterestedness, noun
nondisinterested, adjective

Can be confused

disinterested, uninterested (see usage note at the current entry)

Synonyms

1. impartial, neutral, unprejudiced, dispassionate. See fair1.

Antonyms

1. partial, biased.

Usage note

Disinterested and uninterested share a confused and confusing history. Disinterested was originally used to mean “not interested, indifferent”; uninterested in its earliest use meant “impartial.” By various developmental twists, disinterested is now used in both senses. Uninterested is used mainly in the sense “not interested, indifferent.” It is occasionally used to mean “not having a personal or property interest.”
Many object to the use of disinterested to mean “not interested, indifferent.” They insist that disinterested can mean only “impartial”: A disinterested observer is the best judge of behavior.However, both senses are well established in all varieties of English, and the sense intended is almost always clear from the context.

Examples from the Web for disinterested

Contemporary Examples

If our school system fails to teach how our country works, should we be surprised so many are disinterested ?
Baseball’s Problem Is Politics’ Problem
Doug McIntyre
November 3, 2014

Edge, one of the most inventive guitarists in rock history, comes off as disinterested.
U2 Generously Gives Us a Lousy Album, Sucks at the Corporate Teat
Hampton Stevens
September 12, 2014

Add to that a disinterested public that fails to turn out on Election Day, and citizens are getting the government they deserve.
Powerbroker Richard Ravitch Thinks New York Might Be Doomed
Josh Robin
April 25, 2014

Neither he nor the Sanford Police Department were disinterested observers.
George Zimmerman Video Outrage: Where Are Injuries From Travyon Fight?
Jesse Singal
March 28, 2012

Historical Examples

In all this he has been upright, disinterested and conscientious in word and deed.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook

She knew, only too well, that Althea’s invitation to dinner had not been disinterested.
Grace Harlowe’s Return to Overton Campus
Jessie Graham Flower

Anagram

sit tenderised
dissented tier
dissident tree

Today’s quote

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.

– Rabindranath Tagore

On this day

5 November 1605 – Guy Fawkes Day. Celebrates King James I survived an attempt on his life when Guy Fawkes and others from the Gunpowder Plot placed gunpowder around the House of Lords in a failed attempt to blow up parliament.

5 November 1996 – Bill Clinton secures a second term as U.S. President, with a land-slide victory. Clinton is the first Democrat in 50 years to win consecutive terms of government.

4 November 2017

fortuitous

[fawr-too-i-tuh s, -tyoo-]

adjective

1. happening or produced by chance; accidental:
a fortuitous encounter.
2. lucky; fortunate:
a series of fortuitous events that advanced her career.

Origin of fortuitous

Latin

1645-1655; < Latin fortuitus, fortuītus, equivalent to fortu- (u-stem base, otherwise unattested, akin to fors, genitive fortis chance, luck) + -itus, -ītus adj. suffix (for formation cf. gratuitous ); see -ous

Related forms

fortuitously, adverb
fortuitousness, noun
nonfortuitous, adjective
nonfortuitously, adverb
nonfortuitousness, noun

Can be confused

felicitous, fortuitous, fortunate (see usage note at the current entry)

Synonyms

1. incidental.

Usage note

Fortuitous has developed in sense from “happening by chance” to “happening by lucky chance” to simply “lucky, fortunate.” This development was probably influenced by the similarity of fortuitous to fortunate and perhaps to felicitous : A fortuitous late-night snowfall made for a day of great skiing.

Many object to the use of fortuitous to mean simply “fortunate” and insist that it should be limited to its original sense of “accidental.” In modern standard use, however, fortuitous almost always carries the senses both of accident or chance and luck or fortune. It is infrequently used in its sense of “accidental” without the suggestion of good luck, and even less frequently in the sense “lucky” without at least a suggestion of accident or chance: A fortuitous encounter with a former schoolmate led to a new and successful career for the artist.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for fortuitous

Contemporary Examples

“It was a fortuitous discovery,” Bruenn told The Daily Beast last week.
Ebola’s Roots Are 50 Times Older Than Mankind. And That Could Be the Key to Stopping It.
Michael Daly
October 19, 2014

But all kinds of fortuitous circumstances—important people “seeing that”—led him to getting cast in Inside Llewyn Davis.
‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Star Oscar Isaac Is About to Be a Very Big Deal
Kevin Fallon
December 4, 2013

All of which is why the juxtaposition of these two cases is fortuitous.
Mumbai Massacre Perpetrator’s Sentence Affirmed
Dilip D’Souza
September 2, 2012

And 1968 was a fortuitous year to become European Champions: it was the year that defined an age.
A Manchester United Fan Defends His Faith
Peter Pomerantsev
May 25, 2011

It was a fortuitous decision, because the plaza’s roof happened to be crammed with several hundred refugees.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks
Max Brooks
January 13, 2011

Historical Examples

Nor would the treasure ever have been found but for a most fortuitous accident.
Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates
Howard Pyle

Invention was no longer the fortuitous result of a happy chance.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice
Stephen Leacock

This was not the proportion that there should have been if the mortality had been fortuitous.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)
J. Arthur Thomson

Yet we find a few fortuitous circumstances that favored his evolution.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great – Volume 14
Elbert Hubbard

There are difficulties as to minute modifications, even if not fortuitous.
On the Genesis of Species
St. George Mivart

Anagram

furious tot
tofu suitor
our outfits
if tortuous

Today’s quote

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.

– Jules Renard

On this day

4 November 1926 – British archeologist, Howard Carter, discovers steps leading to the tomb of the Pharoah Tutankhamen.

4 November 1979 – Students loyal to the Ayatollah Khomeini over-run the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and take 90 Americans hostage in protest against the former Shah of Iran being allowed into the U.S. for medical treatment. The hostages were held for 14 months and released after the U.S. government promised $5 billion in foreign aid and unfroze $3 billion of Iranian funds. During the crisis, President Jimmy Carter attempted an unsuccessful rescue mission by helicopter, which ended in the deaths of 8 U.S. marines.

4 November 1995 – assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The assassin was Yigal Amir, an Israeli right-wing Zionist, who opposed the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords in which Rabin had negotiated a peace plan with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

3 November 2017

peruse

[puh-rooz]

verb (used with object), perused, perusing.

1. to read through with thoroughness or care:
to peruse a report.
2. to scan or browse:
The shoppers perused the magazines near the cash register while waiting to check out.
3. to read.
4. to survey or examine in detail.

Origin of peruse

1470-1480 in sense “use up, go through”; 1525-35 for current senses; per- + use

Related forms

perusable, adjective
peruser, noun
preperuse, verb (used with object), preperused, preperusing.
quasi-perusable, adjective
reperuse, verb (used with object), reperused, reperusing.

Can be confused

peruse, pursue.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for peruse

Contemporary Examples

Copies of a 53-page strategic plan are on the coffee table in her office for visitors to peruse.
Obama’s Hidden Power Player
Eleanor Clift
May 11, 2014

Then I peruse my RSS feeds for Red Sox stories by my competitors.
Opening Day 2013: How to Write About Baseball in the Big Leagues
Noah Charney
March 30, 2013

Historical Examples

Let no man thinke this to be strange, but peruse and consider the reason.
A New Orchard And Garden
William Lawson

He took it hastily, and drew nigh to the lantern to peruse it.
Maurice Tiernay Soldier of Fortune
Charles James Lever

With a feeling of dread for which I could not account, I hastened to peruse it.
Frank Fairlegh
Frank E. Smedley

Anagram

rupees

Today’s quote

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.

– Robert H. Schuller

On this day

3 November 1913 – The United States introduces income tax.

3 November 1921 – birth of Charles Dennis Buchinsky, otherwise known as Charles Bronson, American actor. Died 30 August 2003.

3 November 1957 – Laika becomes the world’s first space-dog when the Soviet Union launches Sputnik II, sending the first ever living animal into space. Laika is the first animal to orbit the earth. She was a stray-dog which was chosen to undergo training with two other dogs, before being selected for the mission. In 2002 it was revealed that she died within hours of take-off from over-heating when one of the motors failed to separate from the payload.