2 August 2017

Nissen hut

[nis-uh n]

noun

1. a prefabricated, tunnel-shaped shelter made of corrugated metal and having a concrete floor; Quonset hut: first used by the British army in World War I.

Origin of Nissen hut

1915-1920; after Lieutenant Colonel Peter N. Nissen (1871-1930), Canadian military engineer who invented it

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Nissen hut

Historical Examples

Our first discovery was a Nissen hut in a dank field on the eastern outskirts.
Pushed and the Return Push
George Herbert Fosdike Nichols, (AKA Quex)

In fact, the room was very much of the shape and size of a Nissen hut.
The Escaping Club
A. J. Evans

Camblain l’Abb was not a large place, so we were cramped for room, and a Nissen hut had to be built for “C” mess.
The Great War As I Saw It
Frederick George Scott

Anagram

nuns heist
tune shins
ninth uses

Today’s quote

The world wasn’t a more tolerant place when I was a young man. Rather, they simply sidestepped all the issues.

– William S. Burroughs

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 The Act was repealed in 1970.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 .

31 July 2017

prestidigitation

[pres-ti-dij-i-tey-shuh n]

noun

1. sleight of hand; legerdemain.

Origin of prestidigitation

Latin

1855-1860; French: literally, ready-fingeredness, coinage perhaps based on prestigiateur juggler, conjurer, derivative of Latin praestīgiae juggler’s tricks (see prestige ). See prest1, digit, -ation

Related forms

prestidigitator, noun
prestidigitatory [pres-ti-dij-i-tuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] (Show IPA), prestidigitatorial, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for prestidigitation

Contemporary Examples

It was, all in all, a wondrous feat of prestidigitation, worthy of a Las Vegas magician.
Michelle Obama’s Media Blitz Through ‘The Daily Show,’ ‘The View’ & More
Lloyd Grove
May 29, 2012

Historical Examples

And he’s more light-fingered than his predecessor, he’s a master of prestidigitation !
Under the Rose
Frederic Stewart Isham

All these extraordinary manœuvres cannot be attributed to prestidigitation.
Mysterious Psychic Forces
Camille Flammarion

I hope to convince the reader that these things really exist, and are neither illusions nor farces, nor feats of prestidigitation.
Mysterious Psychic Forces
Camille Flammarion

The Theosophical craze of recent years has had its influence on prestidigitation.
Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions Including Trick Photography
Albert A. Hopkins

A perfect technic is more than a wonderful power of prestidigitation, or facility in the manipulation of an instrument.
Memories of a Musical Life
William Mason

In St. Petersburg great and incredible examples of mystification and of prestidigitation were told about him.
The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin
Harry Houdini

He had emptied the pockets of his companions by a kind of prestidigitation quite incomprehensible to them.
The Graysons
Edward Eggleston

The other line of argument raises more subtle intellectual issues and is not a mere matter of prestidigitation.
A Revision of the Treaty
John Maynard Keynes

It was prestidigitation for all concerned—only the side of the children of Israel was espoused in the recital.
Visionaries
James Huneker

Anagram

a dispiriting tote
a trip it digestion

Today’s quote

Justice will not come to Athens until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are injured.

– Thucydides

On this day

31 July 1703 – Daniel Defoe, author of ‘Robinson Crusoe‘, is put in the pillory for committing ‘seditious libel’ after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet entitled ‘The shortest-way with dissenters; Or, proposals for the establishment of the church‘, which was critical of the establishment of the church and the practice of ‘occasional conformity’, in which dissenters could attend church once a year and still qualify as members of the Church of England. Whilst in the pillory, Defoe was pelted with flowers rather than the usual fruit and vegetables.

31 July 1965 – birthday of Joanne (J.K.) Rowling, author of the ‘Harry Potter‘ series. In 2006 a minor planet was named after her: ‘43844 Rowling’.

31 July 2012 – death of Gore Vidal, American author, playwright, essayist and political activist. Born 3 October 1925.

29 July 2017

trivet(1)

[triv-it]

noun

1. a small metal plate with short legs, especially one put under a hot platter or dish to protect a table.
2. a three-footed or three-legged stand or support, especially one of iron placed over a fire to support cooking vessels or the like.

Origin of trivet(1)

late Middle English Old English Latin

1375-1425; late Middle English trevet, Old English trefet, apparently blend of Old English thrifēte three-footed and Latin triped-, stem of tripēs three-footed (with Vulgar Latin -e- for Latin -i-)

trivet(2) or trivette

[triv-it]

noun

1. a special knife for cutting pile loops, as of velvet or carpets.

Origin

origin uncertain

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for trivet

Historical Examples

trivet has a three-legged trivet ; Trumpington two trumps; and Montbocher three pots.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3
Various

Then I’ll make him some strong coffee, and he’ll be as right as a trivet.
The Missionary
George Griffith

I see a pump, with a trivet underneath its spout whereon to stand the vessels that are brought to be filled with water.
The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices

Anagram

tier TV

Today’s quote

One of the great attractions of patriotism – it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what’s more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous.

– Aldous Huxley

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.

28 July 2017

graven

[grey-vuh n]

verb

1. a past participle of grave(3).
adjective
2. deeply impressed; firmly fixed.
3. carved; sculptured:
a graven idol.

Origin of graven

1200-1250; Middle English. See grave3, -en3
Related forms

nongraven, adjective
ungraven, adjective
well-graven, adjective

grave(3)

[greyv]

verb (used with object), graved, graven or graved, graving.

1. to carve, sculpt, or engrave.
2. to impress deeply:
graven on the mind.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English graven, Old English grafan; cognate with German graben

Related forms

graver, noun

grave(4)

[greyv]

verb (used with object), graved, graving. Nautical.

1. to clean and apply a protective composition of tar to (the bottom of a ship).

Origin

1425-75; late Middle English; perhaps akin to gravel

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for graven

Historical Examples

The story of the royal supremacy was graven even on the titlepage of the new Bible.
History of the English People, Volume III (of 8)
John Richard Green

Most of them sat like graven images, neither speaking nor stirring.
Jim Spurling, Fisherman
Albert Walter Tolman

These symbols were called runes; and graven into granite the runic inscriptions have defied the gnawing tooth of time.
Canute the Great
Laurence Marcellus Larson

But along the edge of the oven were graven the signs of the eight elemental forces.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various

The warriors, standing steady and silent as graven images, gazed earnestly on their multitudinous foes.
The Boy Crusaders
John G. Edgar

“I ain’t exactly a graven image, now that you mention it,” he admitted.
Cap’n Dan’s Daughter
Joseph C. Lincoln

The Wanderer stopped before the gate of an open sepulchre, on which was graven the name of the many times Murdered.
The Continental Monthly, Volume V. Issue I
Various

Has existence only to unroll a tableau, every detail of which is graven on my heart?
Gerald Fitzgerald
Charles James Lever

The features of one were the features of all, graven with the weariness of the machine’s treadmill.
The Last Shot
Frederick Palmer

Darn him, like a graven image there, the only mute, immovable thing in that turmoil!
The Million-Dollar Suitcase
Alice MacGowan

Anagram

ran veg

Today’s quote

Liberty is the right of every man to be honest, to think and to speak without hypocrisy.

– José Martí

On this day

28 July 1586 – the humble and versatile potato introduced to the British Isles by Sir Thomas Harriot after it was brought to Europe from the Americas by the Spanish.

28 July 1866 – the United States recognises the metric system as a valid means of measurement.

28 July 1900 – Louis Lassing of Connecticut invents the hamburger.

28 July 1902 – birth of Albert Namatjira, Australian Aboriginal artist. Died 8 August 1959.

28 July 1914 – start of World War I when a Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princep, assassinated Austrian Prince Franz Ferdinand. At the time, Europe was comprised of two blocs, the Triple Entente (Britain, France and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy). War escalated as each country came to the other’s aid following military responses to the assassination.

28 July 1928 – IX Olympiad opens in Amsterdam.

28 July 1945 – a United States Air Force B-25 Liberator bomber collides with the Empire State Building in New York at 9.40am. The plane was flying from Bedford Army Air Field to Newark Airport. The pilot asked for clearance to land but was denied because of zero visibility as a result of heavy fog. Rather than turn around, the pilot continued on and became disoriented in the thick fog. The plane smashed into the building between the 78th and 80th floors, killing 14 people, including all on board the plane. One of the plane’s engines flew through the other side of the building, into the next block, falling 900 feet onto the roof of another building, causing a fire that destroyed a penthouse. The other engine and part of the landing gear plummeted down the elevator shaft.

26 July 2017

pollard

[pol-erd]

noun

1. a tree cut back nearly to the trunk, so as to produce a dense mass of branches.
2. an animal, as a stag, ox, or sheep, having no horns.
verb (used with object)
3. to convert into a pollard.

Origin of pollard

1515-1525, First recorded in 1515-25; poll1+ -ard

Related forms

unpollarded, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for pollard

Contemporary Examples

Breslin noted that pollard earned $3.01 an hour and came in on his day off and considered the task an honor.
What Became of JFK’s Gravedigger?
Michael Daly
November 21, 2013

Sharanksy noted that his own government at first did not acknowledge that pollard was even an agent.
Free Jonathan Pollard: Israelis Welcome Obama, Then Ask Him for a Favor
Eli Lake
March 17, 2013

pollard the captive fits those prayers much better than the Jewish lawyers and doctors who went to Stanford with him.
Jonathan Pollard Means Israeli-American Squabbling Instead of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiation
Raphael Magarik
July 25, 2013

Anagram

roll pad
all drop
Lap Lord
Rap Doll

Today’s quote

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.

– Aldous Huxley

On this day

26 July 1875 – birth of Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology. He developed the concepts of extraversion and introversion; archetypes and collective unconscious. Died 6 June 1961.

26 July 1894 – birth of Aldous Huxley, English writer. Most famous for his vision of the future, ‘Brave New World’, as well as his work ‘The Doors of Perception’, based on his use of psychedelic drugs. Jim Morrison named his 60’s psychedelic rock band, ‘The Doors’ after Huxley’s book. Died 22 November 1963.

26 July 1928 – birth of Stanley Kubrick, legendary movie producer. Some of his movies include ‘2001 – A Space Odyssey’, ‘The Shining’, ‘A Clockwork Orange’, ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. Died 7 March 1999.

26 July 1943 – birth of Mick Jagger. English singer-songwriter, founding member of the Rolling Stones.

26 July 1945 – Potsdam Declaration, or ‘Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender’ is issued by President Harry S. Truman (U.S.), Prime Minister Winston Churchill (U.K.) and Chairman Chiang Kai-shek (China). The document stated that Japan faced ‘prompt and utter destruction’ if it did not surrender. Japan initially rejected the declaration, resulting in President Truman ordering the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively.

26 July 1952 – death of Eva Perón, first lady of Argentina and second wife of Argentine President, Juan Perón. Her life was immortalised in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Evita, which included the hit song, ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’. Born 7 May 1919.

26 July 1953 – Fidel Castro forms the revolutionary organisation, Movimiento 26 de Julio, (‘26th of July Movement‘), or M-26-7, fighting against Cuba’s Batista regime. M-26-7 fails in its attack on Moncado Barracks on 26 July 1953, but eventually succeeds in overthrowing Batista in 1959.

25 July 2017

unbosom

[uhn-boo z-uh m, -boo-zuh m]

verb (used with object)

1. to disclose (a confidence, secret, etc.).
verb (used without object)
2. to disclose one’s thoughts, feelings, or the like, especially in confidence.
Idioms
3. unbosom oneself, to disclose one’s thoughts, feelings, etc., to another person; confide one’s private affairs:
He unbosomed himself to a complete stranger.

Origin of unbosom

1580-1590; un-2+ bosom (v.)

Related forms

unbosomer, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for unbosom

Historical Examples

Slowly he rolled a cigarette and began to unbosom himself to Jack.
The Indians’ Last Fight
Dennis Collins

Well, Tom, as I know you to be a sincere fellow, I will unbosom myself.
Select Temperance Tracts
American Tract Society

Once within the walls of the pleasant little room, he found it easy to unbosom himself.
That Lass O’ Lowrie’s
Frances Hodgson Burnett

Then only did he unbosom himself and tell me freely what he had to say.
The Iron Pirate
Max Pemberton

The barber, who had also heard the story, was bursting with a desire to unbosom himself upon the subject.
The Colonel’s Dream
Charles W. Chesnutt

Anagram

mob onus
sun boom

Today’s quote

Be kind, but be fierce.

– Winston Churchill

On this day

25 July 1603 – James VI, King of Scotland, is crowned as the first King of Great Britain and becomes James I.

25 July 1834 – death of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet. Born 21 October 1772.

25 July 1946 – the United States conducts first under-water tests of an atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

25 July 1978 – Bob Dylan booed off stage for using an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival.

25 July 1995 – discovery of minor planet: 43844 Rowling, which was named after author J.K. Rowling in 2006.

24 July 2017

plethora

[pleth-er-uh]

noun

1. overabundance; excess:
a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance.
2. Pathology Archaic. a morbid condition due to excess of red corpuscles in the blood or increase in the quantity of blood.

Origin of plethora

Greek

1535-1545; New Latin; Greek plēthṓra fullness

Can be confused

dearth, plethora.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for plethora

Contemporary Examples

Living with a gun has created a plethora of new thought patterns for me.
‘Stupid,’ ‘Immoral,’ ‘Dangerous,’ ‘Coward’: My Month With a Gun
Heidi Yewman
July 21, 2013

There are a plethora of groups that track and publish this kind of information, which I read avidly when I come across it.
Who’s Missing in First Class?
Lauren Zalaznick
December 10, 2010

During the mid-to-late 1980s, he went on an absolute tear, helming a plethora of irresistible entertainments.
Rob Reiner on the State of Romcoms, ‘The Princess Bride’s’ Alternate Ending, and the Red Viper
Marlow Stern
July 26, 2014

Anagram

heal port
hot pearl
the portal

Today’s quote

Nothing can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness.

– Leo Tolstoy

On this day

24 July 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, forced to abdicate after being accused of adultery and murder. Her 1 year old son becomes King James VI of Scotland, and later King James I, when Scotland and England unify. He also sponsored the Authorised Translation of the bible, which was named after him, the King James Bible.

24 July 1802 – birth of Alexandré Dumas, French author of celebrated works such as ‘Count of Monte Christo‘, ‘The Three Musketeers‘, ‘The Black Tulip‘. Died 5 December 1870.

24 July 1938 – Nescafe, or freeze-dried, coffee invented. Although this wasn’t the invention of instant coffee, but rather the refinement of it. Instant coffee was first invented in 1901 by Satori Kato. In 1906, George Washington invented the first mass produced instant coffee.

23 July 2017

verbatim

[ver-bey-tim]

adverb

1. in exactly the same words; word for word:
to repeat something verbatim.
adjective
2. corresponding word for word to the original source or text:
a verbatim record of the proceedings.
3. skilled at recording or noting down speeches, proceedings, etc., with word-for-word accuracy:
a verbatim stenographer.

Origin of verbatim

Medieval Latin

1475-1485; < Medieval Latin verbātim, equivalent to verb(um) word + -ātim adv. suffix
verbatim et literatim

[wer-bah-tim et lee-te-rah-tim; English ver-bey-tim et lit-uh-rey-tim]

adverb, Latin.

1. word for word and letter for letter; in exactly the same words.

Also, verbatim ac literatim [wer-bah-tim ahk lee-te-rah-tim; English ver-bey-tim ak lit-uh-rey-tim].

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for verbatim

Contemporary Examples

He knew exactly what Raymond had said, maybe not verbatim, but certainly in general.
John Grisham’s Debut Short Story
John Grisham
October 25, 2009

I have it on good authority these quotes are 100 percent accurate, if not 100 percent verbatim.
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations
Kevin Bleyer
December 31, 2014

She played the part by reading from a script assembled almost entirely out of verbatim Palin quotes.
More Juicy Election Details
The Daily Beast
January 10, 2010

Anagram

vibe mart
Amber I TV

Today’s quotes

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

– Jane Goodall

On this day

23 July 1892 – birthday of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. Although Selassie was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, Rastafarians believe that he is the Messiah returned. Died 27 August 1975.

23 July 1934 – Australian batsman, Donald Bradman, scores 304 against England at Leeds, with 43 fours and 2 sixes. He is the only batsman to ever complete two treble centuries in Test cricket.

23 July 1935 – a B-25 Mitchell bomber carrying three people, crashes into the Empire State Building, New York City, killing 14 people. The accident was caused by heavy fog.

23 July 2011 – death of Amy Winehouse. English singer-songwriter. She was 27. Born 14 September 1983.