16 June 2017

withers

[with -erz]

noun, ( used with a plural verb)

1. the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of a horse, cow, sheep, etc.
Idioms
2. wring one’s withers, to cause one anxiety or trouble:
The long involved lawsuit is wringing his withers.

Origin of withers

1535-1545 First recorded in 1535-45; origin uncertain

Anagram

writhes
her wits
he wrist
whet sir

Today’s quote

But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.

– Lord Byron

On this day

16 June – International Day of the African Child, which remembers those who participated in the Soweto protests in 1976, as well as raises awareness of the need for improved education provided to African children.

16 June 1816 – Lord Byron reads his poem Fantasmagoriana to his four house guests, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Claire Clermont and John Polidori, challenging them to write a ghost story. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Polidori wrote the short story, The Vampyre, which in turn influenced numerous vampire stories, including Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Byron himself went on to write the poem, Darkness.

16 June 1951 – birth of Roberto Duran, Panamanian boxer nicknamed ‘Manos de Piedra’ (Hands of Stone). He held world titles at four different levels; lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight. He was the second boxer to fight over five decades. He retired from professional boxing in 2002 at the age of 50. He is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time.

16 June 1961 – Soviet ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev defects to the West. Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev allegedly issued an order for Nureyev to be killed, which did not eventuate.

16 June 1967 – The Monterey Pop Festival is held over three days at Monterey, California. Over 200,000 people attended to experience performers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Byrds, The Animals and The Grateful Dead.

16 June 1976 – Soweto Uprising in South Africa, when up to 20,000 students marched in a non-violent protest against poor quality education and demanding to be taught in their own language after Afrikaans was introduced as the medium of instruction. The protest turned violent when police opened fire on the crowd, killing 23 people. Violence continued for two weeks, with 176 people being killed. The day is now a public holiday in South Africa and commemorated as Youth Day. Internationally it is recognised as Day of the African Child.

15 June 2017

catharsis

[kuh-thahr-sis]

noun, plural catharses [kuh-thahr-seez] (Show IPA)

1. the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.
2. Medicine/Medical. purgation.
3. Psychiatry.
psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable affects.
discharge of pent-up emotions so as to result in the alleviation of symptoms or the permanent relief of the condition.

Origin of catharsis

Greek

1795-1805; New Latin; Greek kátharsis a cleansing, equivalent to kathar- (variant stem of kathaírein to cleanse, derivative of katharós pure) + -sis -sis

Related forms

hypercatharsis, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for catharsis

Contemporary Examples

Sharon Begley reveals why scary flicks give us a powerful feeling of catharsis and reinforce old-fashioned beliefs about morality.
Why Our Brains Love Horror Movies
Sharon Begley
October 25, 2011

Encountering such exaggerations on the page serves as a kind of catharsis, and provides a kind of perspective.
Lifetime’s ‘Flowers in the Attic’ Review: The Incest Is There, The Strange Magic Is Not
Andrew Romano
January 15, 2014

“The word ‘Katrina’ is so close to the word ‘ catharsis,'” he says.
The Katrina Divorces
Nicole LaPorte
August 21, 2010

He suggests that the appeal to teenagers also goes beyond thrill-seeking and catharsis.
Why Our Brains Love Horror Movies
Sharon Begley
October 25, 2011

But I always feel that making the film is the catharsis that stops the nightmares, if you will.
James Cameron on How to Find Flight MH370, Climate Change, Leonardo DiCaprio, and More
Marlow Stern
April 11, 2014

Historical Examples

He however refers only to the catharsis upon the spectator, but not to that of the author’s work upon himself.
The Literature of Ecstasy
Albert Mordell

Evacuations by venesection and catharsis, and then by the exhibition of opium.
Zoonomia, Vol. II
Erasmus Darwin

He had no sympathy with the poetry that had a social message and he did not understand its effect as a catharsis.
The Literature of Ecstasy
Albert Mordell

There are certainly times when catharsis is necessary but “one thing is certain, the day for routine purgation is past.”
Outwitting Our Nerves
Josephine A. Jackson and Helen M. Salisbury

It does not touch the ‘ catharsis ’ of tragedy, which is another matter.
The Comedies of William Congreve
William Congreve

Anagram

archaists
sat chairs
cash stair

Today’s quote

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

– Benjamin Franklin

On this day

15 June 1215 – King John of England seals the Magna Carta (Latin for ‘Great Charter’) which established the ‘rule of law’ that was to become fundamental to the modern legal system. It ensured that no man, no monarch, was above the law. Monarchs could no longer arbitrarily deal with or dispossess their subjects. It didn’t mean equality or liberty for all, however, as it applied only to ‘all the free men’, and not all men were free in 13th century England.

15 June 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity by launching a kite during a storm. The kite was tied to a key and a Leyden Jar, which was used to store electrical charge. The negative ions in the thunder storm charged the kite, flowing down the wet silk string and into the jar. Franklin was holding the silk at the time and was unaffected, however when he moved his hand near the key he received an electric shock, proving that lightning was static electricity. (Traditional date, the exact date is unknown).

15 June 1920 – a 5000-strong mob in Minnesota lynches three African-American who were convicted of the rape of a 17 year old white woman.

15 June 1946 – birth of Noddy Holder, British musician and singer. Holder was the lead singer with 1970’s glam rock band, Slade, which was famous for songs such as ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’, ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’, ‘Gudbuy T’ Jane’, and ‘Skweeze Me Pleeze Me’. Their second studio album, ‘Slayed’, spent 34 weeks at Number 1 in the UK. Slade had 17 consecutive Top 20 hits, six of which reached number one. In 2000 Holder was awarded an MBE for his services to spelling.

14 June 2017

ave

[ah-vey, ey-vee]

interjection

1. hail; welcome.
2. farewell; goodbye.
noun
3. the salutation “ave.”.
4. (initial capital letter) Ave Maria.

Origin of ave

Middle English

1200-1250 Middle English < Latin: imperative 2nd singular of avēre to be well, fare well

Ave.or ave

1. avenue.

ave atque vale

[ah-we aht-kwe wah-le; English ey-vee at-kwee vey-lee, ah-vey aht-kwey vah-ley]

interjection, Latin.

1. hail and farewell.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ave

Contemporary Examples

For all her face betrayed, the organ might have been singing an ave Maria.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 19, 2014

A soaring “ ave Maria” and a tender “Danny Boy” marked the passing of two more brothers.
Boston and New York’s Bravest Are Brothers Bonded by Tragedy
Michael Daly
April 14, 2014

June 24, 2014

ave Atque Vale I’m gonna hang out With these two smoking hotties And fly privately Around the world.
The Poetry of Charlie Sheen
Michael Solomon
February 28, 2011

Anagram

Eva

Today’s quote

The only passion that guides me is for the truth… I look at everything from this point of view.

– Che Guevara

On this day

14 June 1158 – Munich founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the River Isar.

14 June 1789 – The Reverend Elijah Craig becomes the first person to distill whisky from maize. The new whisky is named bourbon, because that is the county in Kentucky that Reverend Craig lived in.

14 June 1928 – birth of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Argentinian Marxist revolutionary, physician, author. Executed 9 October 1967 on the order of Bolivian President Rene Barrientos.

14 June 1936 – death of Gilbert Keith Chesterton (otherwise known as G.K. Chesterton – born 29 May 1874), English writer, lay theologian, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer and owner of one of the world’s worst pompadours:

14 June 1937 – The USA passes the Marihuana Tax Act, which taxed the sale of cannabis.

14 June 1982 – Argentina surrenders to Great Britain after the six week Falkland’s War.

14 June 2007 – Former Ku Klux Klan member, 71 year old James Seale is found guilty of a number of charges related to the 1964 murder of two civil rights activists in Mississippi. He was sentenced to three life terms of imprisonment. His conviction was overturned the following year, before being reinstated. He died in prison in 2011.

13 June 2017

axis mundi

noun

The axis mundi (also cosmic axis, world axis, world pillar, center of the world, world tree), in certain beliefs and philosophies, is the world center, or the connection between Heaven and Earth. As the celestial pole and geographic pole, it expresses a point of connection between sky and earth where the four compass directions meet. At this point travel and correspondence is made between higher and lower realms. Communication from lower realms may ascend to higher ones and blessings from higher realms may descend to lower ones and be disseminated to all. The spot functions as the omphalos (navel), the world’s point of beginning.

Anagram

unsaid mix
Saudi minx
I mix Sudan
mix USA din

Today’s quote

If you wish to see the truth then hold no opinions for or against anything.

– Seng Ts’an

On this day

13 June 1381 – The Peasants Revolt (a brief rebellion against poll tax), led by Wat Tyler, culminates in the burning down of the Savoy Palace in London.

13 June 1525 – Martin Luther, a German monk and Catholic priest, marries a nun, Katharina von Bora, which violated the rule of celibacy decreed by the Roman Catholic church for priests and nuns. The couple went on to have six children together.

13 June 1865 – birth of William Butler Yeats (W.B. Yeats), Irish poet, Nobel Prize laureate. One of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century. He served as an Irish senator for two terms. He led the Irish Literary Revival. In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for ‘inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation‘. Died 28 January 1939.

13 June 1927 – birth of Slim Dusty AO, MBE, Australian country music singer, song-writer and producer. He was born as David Gordon Kirkpatrick and adopted the name of Slim Dusty at 11 years of age. He released his first record when he was 18. In 1957, he released ‘The Pub With No Beer‘, which became the biggest selling Australian song to that time, and the first Australian single to go gold. He won 36 Golden Guitar Awards at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. In 2000, he recorded his 100th album, ‘Looking Forward, Looking Back‘. He is the only artist in the world to have recorded 100 albums with the same record label (EMI). Died 19 September 2003.

13 June 1944 – Germany launches 10 of its new rockets, known as the V1 (also called a doodlebug or buzz bomb). The V1s were pilot-less, pulse-jet-propelled rockets with a one ton payload with a 500km range. The Germans rained V1s over London. The V1 was an early version of the Cruise Missile.

11 June 2017

tenet

[ten-it; British also tee-nit]

noun

1. any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., especially one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement.

Origin of tenet

1590-1600; < Latin: he holds

Can be confused

tenant, tenet.

Synonyms

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

belief, position.

Examples from the Web for tenet

Contemporary Examples

Asked who would have made the order, Clarke replies, “I would think it would have been made by the director,” referring to tenet.
An Explosive New 9/11 Charge
Philip Shenon
August 10, 2011

When tenet was asked whether it was appropriate to describe Ciralsky that way, tenet answered, “No.”
Ex-Chief: CIA Investigation Could Be Construed as Anti-Semitic
Eli Lake
April 22, 2012

“Thou shalt not overspend” is rapidly becoming a tenet of the evangelical belief system, rivaling social issues like gay marriage.
Evangelicals Preach the Gospel of Getting Out of Debt
Lisa Miller
February 25, 2011

“Well, they could die,” tenet remembers telling Black about his staff.
Meet Mitt Romney’s Trusted Envoy to the Dark Side, Cofer Black
Eli Lake
April 10, 2012

By late Jan. 2003, tenet had signed the first formal guidelines for interrogation and confinement.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon
Tim Mak
December 8, 2014

Historical Examples

The splendid creature felt the warmth of tenet ‘s breath upon her neck, and her skin tingled under that burning contact.
Mayflower (Flor de mayo)
Vicente Blasco Ibez

He was as unconscious, almost, as he had been back there in tenet ‘s cabin after his fall.
Mayflower (Flor de mayo)
Vicente Blasco Ibez

A notable contrast is afforded by the entry: ‘In villa que vocatur Blot tenet ipse R. iiii.
Feudal England — Historical Studies On The Eleventh And Twelfth Centuries
J.H. Round

Was it something in a cast of character or a tenet of a creed, or was it what any one could emulate?
The Letter of the Contract
Basil King

Dogma, dog′ma, n. a settled opinion: a principle or tenet : a doctrine laid down with authority.
Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)
Various

Today’s quote

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.

– Marilyn vos Savant

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 2017

emollient

[ih-mol-yuh nt]

adjective

1. having the power of softening or relaxing, as a medicinal substance; soothing, especially to the skin:
emollient lotions for the face.

Synonyms: relieving, palliative, healing, assuasive.
noun

2. an emollient medicine, lotion, salve, etc.

Origin of emollient

Latin

1635-1645; Latin ēmollient- (stem of ēmolliēns) softening up (present participle of ēmollīre), equivalent to ē- e-1+ molli(s) soft + -ent- -ent

Related forms

emollience, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for emollient

Contemporary Examples

Rubenstein listened and as an emollient agreed to an in-house investigation.
The Latino Fight to Be Included in the Kennedy Center Honors
Sandra McElwaine
November 28, 2012

Historical Examples

emollient poultices and drinks were prescribed, and a low diet enjoined.
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826
Various

They eulogised, at the same time, the emollient properties of the dog’s-tooth.
Everyday Objects
W. H. Davenport Adams

Anagram

nil omelet
molten lie
motel line
lemon tile

Today’s quote

Then as it was, then again it will be
An’ though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea

– Ten Years Gone, Led Zeppelin

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.

8 June 2017

iterative

[it-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv]

adjective

1. repeating; making repetition; repetitious.
2. Grammar. frequentative.

Origin of iterative

Late Latin

1480-1490 From the Late Latin word iterātīvus, dating back to 1480-90. See iterate, -ive

Related forms

iteratively, adverb
iterativeness, noun
uniterative, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for iterative

Contemporary Examples

He prefers a conversation, and conversations aren’t etched in stone, they’re iterative.
Paul Begala on Why Bill Clinton’s Still Got the Magic
Paul Begala
October 9, 2012

Historical Examples

He knows his own mind, and hammers his doctrines out with a hard and iterative stroke that hits its mark.
Diderot and the Encyclopdists
John Morley

The style is that of the pulpit, iterative, florid, and full of amplifications; but that was natural.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879
Various

Anagram

vie attire
trivia tee

Today’s quote

A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.

– Joseph Joubert

On this day

8 June 1921 – birth 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. Died 15 November 2008.

8 June 1967 – During the Six Day War, Israel launched a naval and air assault on the USS Liberty as it sits in international waters near Egypt’s Gaza Strip. The attack left 34 US crewmen dead and injured 171 others. Israel claimed the attack was an accident, while some witnesses claimed it was deliberate.

7 June 2017

shufti

[shoo-ph-tee]

noun

– a brief glance

plural: shuftis

Origin

From Egyptian Arabic شُفْتِي (šufti, “have you seen?”), from شَاف (šāf, “to see”).

Example

He sneaked a shufti before cautiously entering the darkened corridor.

Anagram

if huts

Today’s quote

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.

– Mahatma Gandhi

On this day

7 June 1099 – the First Crusade: Siege of Jerusalem begins.

7 June 1893 – Mohandas Gandhi commits his first act of civil disobedience.

7 June 1929 – The Lateran Treaty is ratified by the Italian Parliament, allowing Vatican City to become an independent sovereign state.

7 June 1942 – Birth of Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan revolutionary, politician and political theorist. Often known as Colonel Gaddafi, leader of Libya. Died 20 October 2011.

7 June 1954 – death of Alan Turing, British mathematician and computer scientist. Turing is considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. He invented the ‘Turing machine’ which formulated the computer algorithm. It’s the forerunner for the modern computer. During World War 2, Turing was instrumental in cracking German messages encrypted by the Enigma machine. Sadly, Turing’s achievements were overshadowed by him being charged with gross indecency after admitting to being in a homosexual relationship. On 31 March 1952, following his guilty plea, he was chemically castrated. Two years later, on 7 June 1954,Turing took his own life with cyanide. On 10 September 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown publicly apologised on behalf of the British Government for the ‘appalling way he was treated’. On 23 December 2013, Queen Elizabeth II issued a posthumous royal pardon, clearing Turing of the charge of gross indecency. Born 23 June 1912.

7 June 1975 – the inaugural World Cup cricket match is held in London.

7 June 2015 – death of Christopher Lee, CBE, English actor and singer. Lee starred in hammer horror movies, including Dracula (in which he played the title character), Dracula has risen from the grave, Taste the Blood of Dracula, and Scars of Dracula. Fearing that he would become type-cast in horror roles as had happened to Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, he went in search of other roles. Lee starred in the 1974 James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun. He played Saruman in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies, and Count Dooku in two of the Star Wars prequel films, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Born 27 May 1922.