7 May 2017

orangery

[awr-inj-ree, or-]

noun, plural orangeries.

1. a warm place, as a greenhouse, in which orange trees are cultivated in cool climates.

Origin of orangery

French

1655-1665; < French orangerie, equivalent to orang(er) orange tree (derivative of orange orange ) + -erie -ery

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for orangery

Historical Examples

The orangery door was battered down with the butts of muskets.
The Sword of Honor, volumes 1 & 2
Eugne Sue

The orangery, which was at the other end, led by a covered way to the outhouses of the chateau.
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert

They have saved enough by us for their coffee at the orangery.
The March Family Trilogy, Complete
William Dean Howells

There is a grand conservatory, containing a palm-house and orangery.
England, Picturesque and Descriptive
Joel Cook

He had even his own entrance through a small door in one corner of the orangery.
A Set of Six
Joseph Conrad

Make a wide circuit to the orangery and have a glib excuse if you are met.
he Mercenary
W. J. Eccott

“Take me into the orangery ; I want to speak to you,” said Violet, laying her hand on his sleeve.
A Traitor’s Wooing
Headon Hill

Yes, you really ought to see the orangery and the Elizabethan garden, Mr. Blair.
Lyre and Lancet
F. Anstey

I am glad to think that some day the orangery will have so worthy a mistress.
With Lee in Virginia
G. A. Henty

He took from his room the bouquet holder and hastened to the orangery to the gardener.
The Precipice
Ivan Goncharov

Anagram

no grayer
near gyro
angry ore

Today’s quote

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

– Nelson Mandela

On this day

7 May 351 – Jews in Palestine revolt against the rule of Constantius Gallus, Caesar of the East and brother-in-law of Emperor Constantius II, after he arrived in Antioch to take up his post.

7 May 1429 – Joan of Arc leads the victorious final charge in the Siege of Orleans, marking a turning point in the One Hundred Years war.

7 May 1718 – the city of New Orleans is founded on the banks of the Mississippi River in the American state of Louisiana, by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.

7 May 1919 – birthday 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’. Died 26 July 1952.

7 May 1952 – the concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is published by Geoffrey W.A. Drummer.

5 May 2017

miscegenation

[mi-sej-uh-ney-shuh n, mis-i-juh-]

noun

1. marriage or cohabitation between two people from different racial groups, especially, in the U.S., between a black person and a white person:
In 1968 the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that state laws prohibiting miscegenation were unconstitutional.
2. sexual relations between two people from different racial backgrounds that results in the conception of a mixed-race child.

Origin of miscegenation

Latin irregular < Latin miscē(re) to mix + gen(us) race, stock, species + -ation; allegedly coined by U.S. journalist David Goodman Croly (1829-89) in a pamphlet published anonymously in 1864

Related forms

miscegenetic [mis-i-juh-net-ik, mi-sej-uh-], adjective
antimiscegenation, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for miscegenation

Contemporary Examples

The major theme defining our new American century is miscegenation.
George Zimmerman, Hispanics, and the Messy Nature of American Identity
Ilan Stavans
April 5, 2012

Yes, he does say something about American society, which so frowned on miscegenation in the 1870s.
The Man Who Made America: Simone Winchester Talks New Book
Eric Herschthal
October 16, 2013

The miscegenation Ball was an exception in its otherwise bland, though proficient, catalog.
How a Racist Newspaper Defeated Lincoln in New York in the 1864 Election
Harold Holzer
May 1, 2013

Anagram

ace moistening
canoeing times
mace ingestion
casino meeting
meanie costing
nicotine games
teasing income

Today’s quote

I don’t ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful.

– Pete Hamill

On this day

5 May – Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for 5th of May), celebrates Mexican heritage and pride. It originated as a celebration of freedom for Mexicans following the victory by Mexican forces over the French at the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862.

5 May 1818 – birth of Karl Marx, German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist and revolutionary socialist. One of the most influential economists in history. Marx’s work included Das Kapital, as well as The Communist Manifesto which he co-authored with German social scientist, Friedrich Engels. He fathered modern communism and socialism with the aim of putting the means of production in the hands of the workers to end exploitation at the hands of the bourgeoisie. He believed in the redistribution of wealth for the benefit of all, rather than accumulation of wealth in the hands of the few. The wealth, he believed, was created by the workers and should therefore be shared amongst the workers. He stated that communism would not succeed in the individual nation unless other nations supported it, hence the adoption of L’internationale as the socialist anthem following the ‘First International’ conference held by Marx and Engels in 1864. His international theory perhaps makes him the world’s first globalisationist. He believed socialism would not succeed in poverty, but required the building of wealth to succeed and distribution of wealth to be sustainable. Died 14 March 1883.

5 May 1821 – death of Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor. Born 15 August 1769.

5 May 1970 – University of New Mexico is the scene of protests against the Vietnam War, US attacks on Cambodia and the Kent State University massacre (see 4 May 1970), the National Guard and police are called in. The National Guard fixed bayonets and attacked the protestors, resulting in eleven protestors and journalists being bayonetted.

5 May 1981 – death of Bobby Sands, member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died following a hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze. He and other prisoners, were protesting against the removal of special category status which conferred a ‘Prisoner of War’ status on prisoners convicted of ‘Troubles-related’ offences in Ireland. Special Category Status meant they were subject to the Geneva Convention so didn’t have to wear prison uniforms or do prison work, were housed within paramilitary factions, received extra visits and more food. During his fast, Sands was elected to British Parliament as an anti-H-Block candidate (H-Block representing Maze Prison’s H-shaped block). Sands was one of 10 hunger strikers to die during the 1981 hunger strike. Born 9 March 1954.

2 May 2017

trompe l’oeil

[French trawnp lœ-yuh; English trawmp ley, loi]

noun

1. visual deception, especially in paintings, in which objects are rendered in extremely fine detail emphasizing the illusion of tactile and spatial qualities.
2. a painting, mural, or panel of wallpaper designed to create such an effect.

Origin of trompe l’oeil

1895-1900; French: literally, (it) fools the eye

noun (pl) trompe l’oeils (trɔ̃p lœj)

1. a painting or decoration giving a convincing illusion of reality
2. an effect of this kind

Word Origin

Dictionary.com

Definition of trompe l’oeil

1 : a style of painting in which objects are depicted with photographically realistic detail; also : the use of similar technique in interior decorating
2 : a trompe l’oeil painting or effect
3 : something that misleads or deceives the senses

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Anagram

too impeller
reptile loom
roll epitome
Mr elite loop

Today’s quote
Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.

– Dalai Lama

On this day

2 May 1519 – death of Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian renaissance inventor, painter, sculptor, mathematician, writer. Born 15 April 1452.

2 May 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.

2 May 1568 – Mary Queen of Scots escapes from Loch Leven Castle.

2 May 1611 – the King James Bible is published for the first time in London by Robert Barker.

2 May 1933 – Within months of becoming Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler bans trade unions. Hitler saw unions as organising the power of workers which could be a threat to his power. Police arrested union leaders and confiscated union money. The funds had essentially been provided by workers so to quell any worker uprisings, Hitler created the German Labour Force to replace the unions and to supposedly represent workers’ rights. The GLF was sold to the workers under a veil of patriotism. Strikes were banned and labelled un-German. He further duped the workers under the ‘Strength Through Joy’ movement that offered them subsided holidays and other events. To reduce unemployment he introduced forced labour. Any worker refusing to take up a job assigned to them, was imprisoned. Under the GLF wages dropped while the cost of living of increased 25%. (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nazi-germany/trade-unions-and-nazi-germany/)

2 May 1986 – The Ukrainian city of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the nuclear reactor disaster.

2 May 2011 – Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of Al Qaeda, FBI’s most wanted man, is killed by US Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Born 10 March 1957 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

1 May 2017

appellation

[ap-uh-ley-shuh n]

noun

1. a name, title, or designation.
2. appellative (def 1).
3. the act of naming.

Origin of appellation

late Middle English Old French Latin
1400-1450; late Middle English appelacion < Old French < Latin appellātiōn- (stem of appellātiō) a naming, equivalent to appellāt (us) (see appellate ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

misappellation, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for appellation

Contemporary Examples

I will not recruit others to that evil cause by using that appellation —unless it is well-deserved.
Seeking A Realistic Mature Discussion About “Settlements”
Gil Troy
February 6, 2013

In the U.S. the equivalent of an appellation is called an American Viticultural Area.
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 30, 2014

Maybe then Napa and Sonoma could get the chops to design an appellation regime of integrity.
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 30, 2014

They loved to derisively call him the “genius,” as if it were an appellation that La Russa had given himself.
The Strange Genius of Tony La Russa
Buzz Bissinger
October 31, 2011

Name Synonyms;
reputation, title, appellation, denomination, repute.
Rogue L.A. Cop’s Facebook Manifesto: ‘You Will Now Live the Life of Prey’
The Daily Beast
February 7, 2013

Historical Examples

He had received the appellation of Firme F, was revered as a saint, and people ascribed marvellous healing power to his tomb.
Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
Rev. A. Bernstein, B.D.

Mrs. Vidoux—such was the appellation of this woman—was not attractive.
The Silver Lining
John Roussel

This extraordinary man is justly entitled to the appellation of “the father of experimental philosophy.”
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology
Joel Munsell

They had never heard the appellation applied to me by any man.
Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay
George Otto Trevelyan

The appellation ‘Mr.’ was not used loosely then as now, but indicated a precise social grade.
A Life of William Shakespeare
Sidney Lee

Anagram

Alien Laptop
Pallet Piano
pinto paella
A Nepal pilot

Today’s quote

Every movement that slays its gods creates new ones, of course. I loathe talk of the sixties and seventies being a ‘Greatest Generation’ of artists, but if we’re going to use such idiotic appellations, let this one also be applied to the artists, curators, and gallerists who emerged in the first half of the nineties.

– Jerry Saltz

On this day

1 May – May Day, a pagan celebration in the Northern Hemisphere to celebrate Spring and which includes crowning the May Queen. Led Zeppelin referenced it in ‘Stairway to Heaven’: ‘if there’s a bustle in your hedge-row don’t be alarmed now, it’s just a spring clean for the May Queen‘.

1 May – International Workers Day, or Labour Day, which includes celebrating the introduction of the 8 hour work day: ‘8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest’.

1 May 1962 – First KMart store opens in Garden City, Michigan, USA. In 2005, the USA KMart merged with Sears, Roebucks and Company.

1 May 1967 – Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Ann Beaulieu in Las Vegas.

30 April 2017

poplin

[pop-lin]

noun

1. a finely corded fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool, for dresses, draperies, etc.

Origin of poplin

French, Italian

1700-1710; < French popeline, earlier papeline < Italian papalina, feminine of papalino papal; so called from being made at the papal city of Avignon. See papal, -ine1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for poplin

Historical Examples

She put her hand on Lucy Ann’s shoulder, to give her a little shake; but, feeling mother’s poplin, she forbore.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown

Even in the shade one is grateful for white duck instead of woolens, so before long I had acquired an Irish poplin coat.
The Pacific Triangle
Sydney Greenbie

Perhaps it was the royalty of the poplin that enwrapped her; but Lucy Ann looked very capable of holding her own.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown

Rob, foreseeing this question, had been engaged in a hasty mental estimate of the original cost of the poplin and the silk.
The Little Grey House
Marion Ames Taggart

The walls were hung with the finest Irish poplin and decorated by the most noted artists of the time.
One Irish Summer
William Eleroy Curtis

poplin or popeline is a name given to a class of goods distinguished by a rib or cord effect running width way of the piece.
Textiles
William H. Dooley

She wore a pink silk dress of Irish poplin, and on her head was a diamond tiara.
In the Days of Queen Victoria
Eva March Tappan

Anagram

nil pop
pin lop

Today’s quote

The cool thing is that jazz is really a wonderful example of the great characteristics of Buddhism and great characteristics of the human spirit. Because in jazz we share, we listen to each other, we respect each other, we are creating in the moment. At our best, we’re non-judgmental.

– Herbie Hancock

On this day

30 April – International Jazz Day.

30 April – Walpurgis Night (also called Hexennacht – which translates as Witches Night), held on the eve of St Walpurga’s Feast Day. In Germany it’s reputedly the night when witches celebrate the coming of the Spring (which occurs on 1 May) on the Brocken (the highest peak in Northern Germany). Heavy metal band, Black Sabbath, originally named one of their songs Walpurgis, but were told by their record company that it wasn’t acceptable because of the connation with Satanism, so the song was renamed War Pigs, although the lyrics remained the same. Sabbath’s bassist, Geezer Butler said of the song, ‘Walpurgis is sort of like Christmas for Satanists. And to me, war was the big Satan. It wasn’t about politics or government or anything. It was [about] evil. So I was saying ‘generals gathered in the masses / just like witches at black masses’ to make an analogy‘.

30 April 1945 – German Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, commit suicide in a bunker in Germany. Hitler had been Chancellor of Germany since 2 August 1934. He was born in Austria on 20 April 1889.

30 April 1975 – the Fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnamese civil war, when North Vietnamese tanks rumbled into Saigon, then the capital of South Vietnam, defeating the South Vietnamese army, United States military and her allies. The Fall was preceded by the largest helicopter evacuation in history, known as Operation Frequent Wind, in which 7,000 American military and civilians were evacuated. Weeks earlier, Operation Baby Lift had evacuated 2,000 orphan babies. Operation New Life evacuated 110,000 Vietnamese refugees. Tens of thousands of Vietnamese evacuated by land and sea. Following the communist take-over, hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese fled the country, resulting in a surge of refugees worldwide. 30 April and 1 May are celebrated in Vietnam as Liberation Day or Reunification Day. Those who fled refer to it as Black April.

29 April 2017

kris, creese or crease

[krees]

noun

1. a short sword or heavy dagger with a wavy blade, used by the Malays.

Origin of creese

Malay

1570-1580; < Malay kəris (spelling keris)

Dictionary.com

Historical Examples

To wait till to-night, and then lead you out of the jungle if you did not want to go, and stab you with my kris.
Middy and Ensign
G. Manville Fenn

I am only armed with a kris, and have no spear as thou hast,’ he said.
In Court and Kampong
Hugh Clifford

Besides that weapon the Mindanao uses lance, kris, and shield, as do the other nations.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 – Volume 40 of 55
Francisco Colin

The kris as a weapon of offence and defence is now almost a thing of the past.
Tales of the Malayan Coast
Rounsevelle Wildman

Anagram

risk

Today’s quote

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.

– George Bernard Shaw

On this day

29 April 711 – Islamic conquest of Hispania as Moorish forces led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad land on Gibraltar in preparation for the invasion of Spain.

29 April 1770 – Captain James Cook names Botany Bay after landing there on this day.

29 April 1910 – British Parliament passes ‘The People’s Budget’, the first budget in British history that is aimed at redistributing wealth to all.

29 April 1945 – the Dacchau concentration camp near Munich is liberated by US forces.

29 April 1967 – Muhammad Ali stripped of his boxing title after refusing, on religious grounds, being drafted into the Army.

29 April 1980 – death of Alfred Hitchcock, English movie producer and director. Born 13 August 1899.

(Updated to included corrected On This Day)

28 April 2017

lees

[leez]

noun

1. protective shelter:
The lee of the rock gave us some protection against the storm.
2. the side or part that is sheltered or turned away from the wind:
We erected our huts under the lee of the mountain.
3. Chiefly Nautical. the quarter or region toward which the wind blows.
adjective
4. pertaining to, situated in, or moving toward the lee.
Idioms
5. by the lee, Nautical. accidentally against what should be the lee side of a sail:
Careless steering brought the wind by the lee.
6. under the lee, Nautical. to leeward.

Origin of lee(1)

Middle English, Old English

900, before 900; Middle English; Old English hlēo (w) shelter, cognate with Old Frisian hli, hly, Old Saxon hleo, Old Norse hlé
lee(2)

[lee]

noun

1. Usually, lees. the insoluble matter that settles from a liquid, especially from wine; sediment; dregs.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English lie; Middle French; Medieval Latin lia, probably; Gaulish *lig (j) a; compare Old Irish lige bed, akin to Old English gelege bed. See lie(2)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for lees

Contemporary Examples

She sent at once for lees and a séance was held in the Palace.
How Queen Victoria’s Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert’s Shade
Tom Sykes
June 12, 2013

The lees were the 1st Black Family to move into the predominantly Italian-American Brooklyn Neighborhood of Cobble Hill.
Spike Lee Blasts The New York Times’ Story on Brooklyn Gentrification in Fiery Op-Ed
Marlow Stern
March 30, 2014

The voice phenomenon produced by lees was instantly recognisable as that of the late Consort.
How Queen Victoria’s Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert’s Shade
Tom Sykes
June 12, 2013

Historical Examples

Only a short while; then the thought comes to them in the shape of a dilemma—Miss lees being the first to perceive it.
Gwen Wynn
Mayne Reid

Deuce of a straight line she had taken about Mrs. lees Noel!
The Patrician
John Galsworthy

This year, the entire company of Johnson and lees theatre was engaged for the Marylebone.
The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs
Thomas Frost

What work would they make with your Shakespears, Otways, and lees ?
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2
Henry Fielding

When my brother was sick there was nothing to give him to drink but lees that we’d been putting water to for a year.
Germinie Lacerteux
Edmond and Jules de Goncourt

Anagram

else

Today’s quote

Being so closely related to the South, barbecue was part of segregation and helped defeat it.

– Bobby Seale

On this day

28 April 1789 – Mutiny on the ‘Bounty’. Lieutenant Bligh and 18 of his crew from the Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty, are set afloat in an open boat following a mutiny led by Christian Fletcher. After 47 days Bligh landed the boat on Timor, in the Dutch East Indies. The mutineers settled on Pitcairn Island and in Tahiti. In 1856, the British Government granted Norfolk Island to the Pitcairners because population growth had outgrown the small island.

28 April 1926 – birth of Harper Lee, American author. Harper wrote the iconic ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, which detailed the racism that she witnessed as she grew up in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. Died 19 February 2016.

28 April 1945 – Italians execute former dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci.

28 April 1996 – Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, when Martin Bryant shoots 35 people dead. He is currently serving a life sentence for the murders.

28 April 2017

lees

[leez]

noun

1. protective shelter:
The lee of the rock gave us some protection against the storm.
2. the side or part that is sheltered or turned away from the wind:
We erected our huts under the lee of the mountain.
3. Chiefly Nautical. the quarter or region toward which the wind blows.
adjective
4. pertaining to, situated in, or moving toward the lee.
Idioms
5. by the lee, Nautical. accidentally against what should be the lee side of a sail:
Careless steering brought the wind by the lee.
6. under the lee, Nautical. to leeward.

Origin of lee(1)

Middle English, Old English

900, before 900; Middle English; Old English hlēo (w) shelter, cognate with Old Frisian hli, hly, Old Saxon hleo, Old Norse hlé
lee(2)

[lee]

noun

1. Usually, lees. the insoluble matter that settles from a liquid, especially from wine; sediment; dregs.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English lie; Middle French; Medieval Latin lia, probably; Gaulish *lig (j) a; compare Old Irish lige bed, akin to Old English gelege bed. See lie(2)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for lees

Contemporary Examples

She sent at once for lees and a séance was held in the Palace.
How Queen Victoria’s Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert’s Shade
Tom Sykes
June 12, 2013

The lees were the 1st Black Family to move into the predominantly Italian-American Brooklyn Neighborhood of Cobble Hill.
Spike Lee Blasts The New York Times’ Story on Brooklyn Gentrification in Fiery Op-Ed
Marlow Stern
March 30, 2014

The voice phenomenon produced by lees was instantly recognisable as that of the late Consort.
How Queen Victoria’s Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert’s Shade
Tom Sykes
June 12, 2013

Historical Examples

Only a short while; then the thought comes to them in the shape of a dilemma—Miss lees being the first to perceive it.
Gwen Wynn
Mayne Reid

Deuce of a straight line she had taken about Mrs. lees Noel!
The Patrician
John Galsworthy

This year, the entire company of Johnson and lees theatre was engaged for the Marylebone.
The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs
Thomas Frost

What work would they make with your Shakespears, Otways, and lees ?
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2
Henry Fielding

When my brother was sick there was nothing to give him to drink but lees that we’d been putting water to for a year.
Germinie Lacerteux
Edmond and Jules de Goncourt

Anagram

else

Today’s quote

Being so closely related to the South, barbecue was part of segregation and helped defeat it.

– Bobby Seale

On this day

27 April 1904 – The Australian Labor Party wins the federal election, making Chris Watson Australia’s third prime minister. The ALP was the first such labour party in the world to win a national election.

27 April 1950 – apartheid formally commences in South Africa with the implementation of the Group Areas Act that segrated races.

27 April 1951 – birth of Paul Daniel ‘Ace’ Frehley, former lead guitarist with Kiss. Frehley’s character with the band was the ‘Spaceman’. He has since launched a solo career and formed a band called Frehley’s Comet.

27 April 1953 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs Executive Order 10450 ‘Hiring and Firing Rules for Government Employment’. The order declared homosexuality, communism and moral perversion to be national security threats and grounds for sacking a government employee or not hiring an applicant.

27 April 1994 – South Africa’s first democratic election in which citizens of all races could vote. The interim constitution is enacted. The African National Congress won the election with 62% of the vote, bringing Nelson Mandela to power. 27 April is celebrated as Freedom Day in South Africa.