6 April 2017

primogeniture

[prahy-muh-jen-i-cher, -choo r]

noun

1. the state or fact of being the firstborn of children of the same parents.
2. Law. the system of inheritance or succession by the firstborn, specifically the eldest son.

Origin of primogeniture

Medieval Latin

1585-1595; < Medieval Latin prīmōgenitūra a first birth, equivalent to Latin prīmō at first + genitūra, equivalent to genit (us) (past participle of gignere to beget; see kin ) + -ūra -ure

Related forms

primogenitary, primogenital, adjective
primogenitureship, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for primogeniture

Contemporary Examples

The modern equivalent of primogeniture in the U.S., as Schine sees it, is divorce.
This Week’s Hot Reads
The Daily Beast
February 17, 2010

Historical Examples

Disintegration was greatly increased by the practice of the partition of territories among brothers in place of primogeniture.
The World’s Greatest Books, Vol XI.
Edited by Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton

Here then emerges the historical difficulty of primogeniture.
Ancient Law
Sir Henry James Sumner Maine

Anagram

Timor pureeing
permute origin
premiering out
trio up regimen

Today’s quote

Never respect men merely for their riches, but rather for their philanthropy; we do not value the sun for its height, but for its use.

– Gamaliel Bailey

On this day

6 April 1895 – The Australian ballad, ‘Waltzing Matilda‘ is performed at the North Gregory Hotel, Winton (central-west Queensland). This is believed to be the first time the song was performed in public.

6 April 1896 – The Olympic Games recommences in Athens 1,501 years after being banned by Emperor Theodosius I in 393AD.

6 April 1909 – Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson become the first men to reach the North Pole. Their claim is in dispute because of navigation techniques and lack of independent verification.

6 April 2006 – the National Geographic Society reveals the discovery of a papyrus codex in a cave near El Minya, Egypt, which it claims is the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. The codex is yet to be verified as written by Judas.

5 April 2017

hobble

[hob-uh l]

verb (used without object), hobbled, hobbling.

1. to walk lamely; limp.
2. to proceed irregularly and haltingly:
His verses hobble with their faulty meters.
verb (used with object), hobbled, hobbling.
3. to cause to limp:
His tight shoes hobbled him.
4. to fasten together the legs of (a horse, mule, etc.) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.
5. to impede; hamper the progress of.
noun
6. an act of hobbling; an uneven, halting gait; a limp.
7. a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble an animal.
8. hobbles, a leg harness for controlling the gait of a pacer.
9. Archaic. an awkward or difficult situation.

Origin of hobble

Middle English

1300-1350; Middle English hobelen, apparently akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to Dutch hobbelen, German hoppeln to jolt

Related forms

hobbler, noun
unhobbled, adjective
unhobbling, adjective

Synonyms

5. hinder, restrict, frustrate, cramp.

Antonyms

5. aid, assist, benefit.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for hobble

Contemporary Examples

Hardly able to hobble into the room on his bruised and engorged feet, he sported black eyes.
Despite Pledge, Syrian Rebels Continue to Torture
Jamie Dettmer
August 14, 2012

Just the distraction that this kind of case creates can hobble even the most successful, well-run company.
Antitrust Suit Could Bring Down Google
Dan Lyons
April 26, 2012

This, more than any one scandal, is likely to hobble the party for the next few election cycles.
Paging Rose Mary Woods: Obama’s Unbelievable Missing IRS Emails
James Poulos
June 17, 2014

A few days before, she had managed to stand and hobble around the ward.
Surviving Syria’s Incendiary Bomb Attacks
Paul Adrian Raymond
December 10, 2013

Historical Examples

Since he had begun to hobble about, he had gradually come to be accepted by the town in general.
Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as the Butterfly Man
Marie Conway Oemler

Johnny started to hobble down the porch steps when Barney stopped him.
Make Mine Homogenized
Rick Raphael

The poor vagabond must hobble through life on one leg, henceforward.
Stories by American Authors, Volume 7
Various

With two sticks, I can hobble about the house and garden; without them, behold me a fixture.
Rita
Laura E. Richards

She objects to modern dancing, especially the hobble skirts.
Ways of War and Peace
Delia Austrian

Is it the first time that I have thrust myself into a hobble?
The International Magazine, Volume 2, No. 3, February, 1851
Various

Anagram

he blob

Today’s quote

The weight of the world is love. Under the burden of solitude, under the burden of dissatisfaction.

– Allen Ginsberg

On this day

5 April 1839 – birth of Robert Smalls, African American who was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. When he was a teenager, his master sent him to Charleston to work. Smalls ended up working on boats and became adept at all manner of work around wharves and boats, including stevedore, rigger, sail maker and wheelman (essentially a pilot, although slaves were not granted that title). During the Civil War, he was asked to steer a lightly armed Confederate vessel, the CSS Planter. One evening, after the white crew members disembarked, Smalls dressed in the captain’s uniform and commandeered the vessel with the help of seven other slaves, sailing towards Union ships. On the way, he picked up his wife and child, as well as the families of the other slave crewman. As they neared the Union ships, Smalls flew a white bed-sheet from the mast as a symbol of surrender. Smalls was treated as a hero by the Union. He later successfully petitioned President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, to allow black men to fight for the Union. Stanton signed an order allowing 5,000 black men to enlist with Union forces. Smalls was made pilot of the USS Keokuk. After the Civil War, Smalls returned to Beaufort and bought his former master’s house. Smalls became a businessman, operating a store for freed men. He also became politically active, joining the Republican Party. In 1868 Smalls was elected to the State House of Representatives. He worked on passing the Civil Rights Bill and in 1868, the Republican government enacted the Civil Rights Act, which gave citizenship to all Americans, regardless of race. Smalls was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1874, and served two terms.In 1912, Smalls famously described the Republican Party as, ‘the party of Lincoln … which unshackled the necks of four million human beings‘. In 1913, Smalls stopped a lynch mob from lynching two black men, after he warned their mayor that blacks he’d sent through the city would burn the town down if the mob wasn’t stopped. The mayor and sheriff stopped the mob. Smalls inspirational life went from slave, to hijacker, to defector, to politician and civil rights campaigner. Died 23 February 1915.

5 April 1994 – death of Kurt Cobain. Lead singer, guitarist and lyricist for Nirvana. He was 27. Born 20 February 1967. The exact date of his death is unknown as his body wasn’t discovered until 8 April 1994.

5 April 1997 – death of Allen Ginsberg, leading American beat-generation writer and poet. Born 3 June 1926.

4 April 2017

c’est la guerre

[se la ger]

French.

1. such is war.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for c’est la guerre

Historical Examples

If you grumble, a clerk will smile and say, ” c’est la guerre.”
Huts in Hell
Daniel A. Poling

I can only murmur with the French shop keepers ” c’est la guerre.”
Over Here
Hector MacQuarrie

To them and to us c’est la guerre had much the significance of “All in the day’s work.”
Average Americans
Theodore Roosevelt

Anagram

treacle urges
recreate lugs
secular greet
lecture rages

Today’s quote

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

– Maya Angelou

On this day

4 April 1928 – birth of Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Ann Johnson), American author, poet and civil rights activist. Maya wrote seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poems. She had numerous occupations, including fry cook, dancer, actor, director and journalist. Her civil rights activism saw her work with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Died 28 May 2014.

4 April 1968 – assassination of Martin Luther King. American civil rights activist and clergyman. Born 15 January 1929.

3 April 2017

clavier⁽¹⁾

[kluh-veer, klav-ee-er, kley-vee-]

noun

1. the keyboard of a musical instrument.

Origin of clavier¹

1700-1710; < French: keyboard, in Old French, keyholder, equivalent to Latin clāvi (s) key + -ier -ier2

clavier⁽²⁾ or klavier

[kluh-veer, klav-ee-er, kley-vee-]

noun

1. any musical instrument having a keyboard, especially a stringed keyboard instrument, as a harpsichord, clavichord, or piano.

Origin

1835-45; < German Klavier < French clavier keyboard; see clavier⁽¹⁾

Related forms

clavierist, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for clavier

Historical Examples

Miss clavier was evidently almost as astonished as her listener, but she had committed herself.
The Dust of Conflict
David Goodger (goodger@python.org)

“Writing a concerto for the clavier,” answered the small boy.
Historic Boyhoods
Rupert Sargent Holland

Weber sang in all thirteen times, and twice played the clavier, which she does very well.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Otto Jahn

In a corner some musicians discoursed on viols and lutes and a clavier.
The Mercenary
W. J. Eccott

The clavier by its very nature tended towards polyphony; the violin towards monody.
The Pianoforte Sonata
J.S. Shedlock

We think that when you get your clavier with your Commencement money, we had better get a piano also.
Basil Everman
Elsie Singmaster

Several tunes with clavier bass, almost foreshadowing the modern song.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1
Various

I wrote to you how she plays the clavier, and why she begged me to assist her.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Otto Jahn

Bach’s piano was the clavier, upon which he was the greatest virtuoso of his time.
A Popular History of the Art of Music
W. S. B. Mathews

It must be remembered that such pieces as these were always accompanied on the clavier.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Otto Jahn

Anagram

live car
evil arc

Today’s quote

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

– Marcus Garvey

On this day

3 April 1973 – the world’s first mobile phone call is made from a Manhattan street corner, by Motorola’s Martin Cooper to his rival, Joel Engel from Bell.

3 April 1882 – death of Jesse James, U.S. outlaw. (Born 5 September 1847).

2 April 2017

runcible

[run-suh-buh l]

noun

1871, a nonsense word coined by Edward Lear; used especially in runcible spoon “spoon with three short tines like a fork,” which first took the name 1926.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Historical Examples

The veritable Pobble who went to fish for his Aunt Jobiska’s runcible cat with crimson whiskers.
The Librarian at Play
Edmund Lester Pearson

The man who greeted me was runcible, with little strands of sickly hair twisted mopwise over his bald head.
Greener Than You Think
Ward Moore

runcible spoon

noun

A fork curved like a spoon, with three broad prongs, one of which has a sharpened outer edge for cutting.

Example sentences

‘After reading last week’s article on the origin of the spoon/fork combo, known as the spork, Nell of Sarasota e-mailed asking whether I was familiar with the runcible spoon used by Owl and Pussycat to eat quince in Edward Lear’s famous poem.’

Origin

Late 19th century: used by Edward Lear, perhaps suggested by late 16th-century rouncival, denoting a large variety of pea.

Oxford English Living Dictionary

Anagram

club rein
lucre bin

Today’s quote

We think too much and feel too little.

– Charlie Chaplin

On this day

2 April 1926 – birth of Sir John Arthur ‘Jack’ Brabham AO OBE, Australian racing legend, 3 times Formula One world champion (1959, 1960, 1966).

2 April 1972 – Charlie Chaplin returns to the U.S. after 20 years of self-imposed exiled for ‘un-American’ activities. He had been accused during the McCarthy era of being a communist sympathiser.

2 April 1982 – Argentina invades the Falkland Islands, a British-controlled territory. The conflict escalates with Britain sending troops to expel Argentina. The conflict ends on 14 June 1982 when Britain regains control of the Islands.

2 April 2007 – Argentina restates its claim that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. Britain continues to oppose the claim.

1 April 2017

simulacrum

[sim-yuh-ley-kruh m]

noun, plural simulacra [sim-yuh-ley-kruh] (Show IPA)

1. a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.
2. an effigy, image, or representation:
a simulacrum of Aphrodite.

Dictionary.com

Origin of simulacrum

Latin

1590-1600; < Latin simulācrum likeness, image, equivalent to simulā (re) to simulate + -crum instrumental suffix

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for simulacrum

Historical Examples

Morality demands “the good,” and not a simulacrum or make-shift.
Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher
Henry Jones

They radiate from the surface of the skin and reproduce a simulacrum, as it were, of the surface.
The Problems of Psychical Research
Hereward Carrington

Nature is “the omniform image of the omniform God—His great living semblance ( simulacrum).”
Giordano Bruno
James Lewis McIntyre

Anagram

Mural music

Today’s quote

Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.

– Eduardo Galeano

On this day

1 April – April Fool’s Day.

1 April 1918 – the Royal Air Force is founded in England. It’s first planes were the Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Camel, Bristol F2B fighters, and Royal Aircraft Factory’s SE5s, which were used during World War I.

1 April 1999 – Europe adopts the Euro as a common currency.

1 April 2012 – Aung San Suu Kyi wins a Burma by-election. Suu Kyi had been under house arrest for around 20 years following the military take-over of Burma in 1990.

30 March 2017

nark(1)

[nahrk]

noun

1. British Slang. a stool pigeon or informer.
2. Australian Slang. an annoying person.
verb (used without object)
3. British Slang. to act as a police informer or stool pigeon.
4. Australian Slang. to become annoyed.

Origin of nark(1)

1860-1865; < Romany nāk nose

nark(2)

[nahrk]

noun

Slang.

1. a government agent or detective charged with the enforcement of laws restricting the use of narcotics.

Origin

1965-70, Americanism; shortening of narcotic

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for nark

Historical Examples

It was the sole commandment that ran there:—’Thou shalt not nark.’
A Child of the Jago
Arthur Morrison

The searchlight from the nark was playing full upon the scene.
The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards
Gerald Breckenridge

A hail came from Jackson, second in command of the nark, at once.
The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards
Gerald Breckenridge

” nark (p. 091) the doin’s, nark it,” he cried and fired his rifle.
The Red Horizon
Patrick Mac

Today’s quote

Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.

– Paulo Coelho

On this day

30 March – Land Day, annual day of commemoration for Palestinians following the events of 1976 in which 6 Palestinian protestors were killed campaigning against the Israeli government’s announcement of plans to expropriate large amounts of Palestinian land for Israel. Land Day is recognised as a pivotal event in the struggle over Palestinian land and Palestine’s relationship to Israel.

30 March 1853 – birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, dutch painter. Died 29 July 1890.

30 March 1878 – the USA buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

30 March 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan shot at close range by John Hinckley, who was later found not guilty by reason of insanity. Hinckley was obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and thought he could get her attention and impress her, by killing the President. Also shot were Reagan’s press secretary, a Washington police officer and a Secret Service agent. None were injured fatally. Reagan underwent emergency surgery. He was released from hospital on 11 April 1981 and is the first president to survive an assassination attempt.

30 March 1987 – an anonymous buyer purchases the Vincent Van Gogh painting, ‘Sunflowers‘ for $36.3 million.

30 March 2002 – the Queen Mother dies at the age 101. Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born 4 August 1900. She was the wife of King George VI and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret Countess of Snowden. She was the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and its Dominions. After the death of King George VI, she was known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter.

29 March 2017

lea(1)

[lee, ley]

noun

1. a tract of open ground, especially grassland; meadow.
2. land used for a few years for pasture or for growing hay, then plowed over and replaced by another crop.
3. a crop of hay on tillable land.
adjective
4. untilled; fallow.

Also, ley.

Origin of lea(1)

Middle English, Old English
900, before 900; Middle English lege, lei, Old English lēah; cognate with Old High German lōh, dialectal Dutch loo (as in Waterloo), Latin lūcus

lea(2)

[lee]

noun

1. a measure of yarn of varying quantity, for wool usually 80 yards (73 meters), cotton and silk 120 yards (110 meters), linen 300 yards (274 meters).
2. Textiles.
a unit length used to ascertain the linear density of yarns.
a count or number representing units of linear measure per pound in linen or cotton yarn:
a 20-lea yarn.

Origin

1350-1400; perhaps back formation from Middle English lese, variant of leash

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for lea

Contemporary Examples

Now you, lea Michele (Glee), Jonathan Groff (Glee), and Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) have all become huge.
John Gallagher Jr., Star of ‘Newsroom’ and ‘Short Term 12,’ Is Hollywood’s Nicest Guy
Kevin Fallon
August 22, 2013

lea Lane Stern visits their ancestral home in search of the best.
Touring Belgium, by French Fry
Lea Lane Stern
May 28, 2011

Glee actress lea Michele was seemingly dissed by Jessica Lange on the red carpet.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele?
Tim Teeman
October 8, 2014

Anagram

ale

Today’s quote

The sixties were characterized by a heady belief in instantaneous solutions.

– Audre Lorde

On this day

29 March 1946 – birth of Billy Thorpe, English-born Australian rock legend. Front man for ‘Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs’. Died 28 February 2007.

29 March 1971 – Charles Manson and three of his followers are sentenced to death for the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. California abolished the death penalty in 1972, before the death sentences could be carried out. Even though California reinstated the death penalty in 1978, Manson is still held in prison.

29 March 1971 – A court martial finds Lieutenant Calley guilty of murder for his role in the massacre of 500 Vietnamese civilians in My Lai. Calley had been in charge of Charlie Company, 11th Infantry Brigade, which had raped, maimed, assaulted and murdered civilians living in My Lai. Calley was the only one of 26 members of Charlie Company to be convicted. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but on the instructions of President Richard Nixon the following day was released to house arrest at Fort Benning, Georgia. During this time his sentence was cut to 10 years and he was paroled, only having served three and a half years while under house arrest. Many people protested the sentencing, claiming he was a scapegoat. Others were horrified that he was the only one in the chain of command to be charged and convicted.

29 March 1973 – America’s direct involvement in the Vietnamese War ends with the withdrawal of last USA troops from South Vietnam.

28 March 2017

bête noire

plural bêtes noires \ˌbet-ˈnwär(z), ˌbāt-\

: a person or thing strongly detested or avoided : bugbear

Examples of bête noire in a sentence

a politician who is the bête noire of liberal groups

Origin and Etymology of bête noire

French, literally, black beast

First Known Use: 1805

Synonyms

bogey, black beast, bugaboo, bugbear, dread, hobgoblin, ogre

Antonyms

love

Related Words

apparition, ghost, phantasm (also fantasm), phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter (or spectre), spirit, spook, wraith; banshee, bogeyman (also bogyman), demon (or daemon), devil, fiend, ghoul, imp, incubus; fright, horrible, horror, monster, monstrosity, terror; bane, curse, enemy, plague, scourge, torment; abomination, anathema

Merriam-Webster

Anagram

be orient
one tribe
into beer
nite robe
tie borne

Today’s quote

Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.

– Albert Einstein

On this day

28 March 1930 – Turkey changes the name of Constantinople to Istanbul and Angora to Ankara.

28 March 1939 – end of the Spanish Civil War, with Nationalist General Francisco Franco taking control of Madrid after a 3 year war against the Government of the Second Spanish Republic, which was led by President Manuel Azaña. Franco established a fascist dictatorship which lasted for 36 years. The Civil War had been fought between Fascist and Republican forces. The Republicans were comprised of a number of socialist, communist and anarchist forces. The Soviet Union backed the Republicans, but opposed other socialist forces such as the POUM (Workers Party of Marxist Unification), PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), CNT (Confederationo of anarcho-syndicalist trade unions) and others.

28 March 1964 – The Beatles have 10 hits in the Billboard charts at the same time.

28 March 2008 – President George W. Bush states that the USA is not in recession, but just slowing down and that tax cuts will stimulate spending. The US National Bureau of Economic Research declared the USA recession started in December 2007 and ended in July 2009.

28 March 2008 – The Pew Centre reports that the USA has the highest number of incarcerations in the world, at 2.3 million, which surpasses the number of prisoners in China, Russia and Iran. The USA also has the highest rate of imprisonments in the world as a percentage of population.