17 January 2018

incisive

[in-sahy-siv]

adjective

1. penetrating; cutting; biting; trenchant:
an incisive tone of voice.
2. remarkably clear and direct; sharp; keen; acute:
an incisive method of summarizing the issue.
3. adapted for cutting or piercing.
4. of or relating to the incisors :
the incisive teeth.

Origin of incisive

Medieval Latin

1520-1530 From the Medieval Latin word incīsīvus, dating back to 1520-30. See incise, -ive

Related forms

incisively, adverb
incisiveness, noun
unincisive, adjective
unincisively, adverb
unincisiveness, noun

Synonyms

1. acid, mordant; sarcastic, sardonic.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for incisive

Contemporary Examples

His correspondence, much of which survives, is that of an incisive and articulate observer.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor
S. C. Gwynne
November 28, 2014

John Jenkins describes Miller as an “ incisive witness both to scientific acumen and religious belief.”
Meet the Prizewinning Catholic Biologist Creationists Can’t Stand
Karl W. Giberson
April 5, 2014

But unlike Bloom and Eagleton, his books have been, while erudite and incisive, unashamedly populist.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature
Malcolm Forbes
November 28, 2013

Anagram

I vice sin

Today’s quote

Those who do not move, don’t notice their chains.

– Rosa Luxemburg

On this day

17 January 1899 – birth of Al Capone, who grew up to be one of America’s most famous gangsters. He died on 25 January 1947.

17 January 1942 – birthday of Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr), American professional boxer (former world heavy-weight champion), philanthropist, social activist.

17 January 1966 – the United States loses 4 H-bombs after the B-52 that was carrying them, collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refuelling. The tanker exploded, killing all 4 crew, the B-52 broke apart, killing 3 of the 7 crew. Three of the hydrogen bombs were located on land near the Spanish town of Palomares. Two of the non-nuclear explosives in the weapons detonated, contaminating 2 km2 with plutonium. The fourth bomb was located 2.5 months later in the Mediterranean Sea.

17 January 1991 – Operation Desert Storm commences after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein refuses to comply with a US directive that he remove his forces from Kuwait. Hussein claimed that Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil. 32 nations were involved in the Operation to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

17 January 1927 – birth of Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress. She played Catwoman in the 1960’s Batman TV series. Two of her more famous songs were ‘C’est Si Bon’ and ‘Santa Baby’. She died on 25 December 2008.

15 January 2018

spat(1)

[spat]

noun

1. a petty quarrel.
2. a light blow; slap; smack.
verb (used without object), spatted, spatting.
3. to engage in a petty quarrel or dispute.
4. to splash or spatter; rain spatting against the window.
verb (used with object), spatted, spatting.
5. to strike lightly; slap.

Origin of spat(1)

1795-1805 An Americanism dating back to 1795-1805; perhaps imitative

Synonyms

1. tiff, scrap, set-to.

spat(2)

[spat]

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of spit1.

spat(3)

[spat]

noun

1. a short gaiter worn over the instep and usually fastened under the foot with a strap, worn especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Origin

First recorded in 1795-1805; short for spatterdash

spat(4)

[spat]

noun

1. the spawn of an oyster or similar shellfish.
2. young oysters collectively.
3. a young oyster.
4. seed oyster.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English; origin uncertain

spit(1)

[spit]

verb (used without object), spit or spat, spitting.

1. to eject saliva from the mouth; expectorate.
2. to express hatred, contempt, etc., by or as if by ejecting saliva from the mouth.
3. to sputter:
grease spitting on the fire.
4. to fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow.
verb (used with object), spit or spat, spitting.
5. to eject from the mouth:
The children were spitting watermelon seeds over the fence.
6. to throw out or emit like saliva:
The kettle spits boiling water over the stove.
7. to set a flame to.
noun
8. saliva, especially when ejected.
9. the act of spitting.
10. Entomology.. Also called spittle. the frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs.
11. a light fall of rain or snow.
Verb phrases
12. spit up, to vomit; throw up:
The wounded soldier spat up blood. If you jostle the baby, she’ll spit up.

Idioms

13. spit and image, Informal. exact likeness; counterpart:
Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work.
Also, spitting image, spit ‘n’ image.

Origin

before 950; (v.) Middle English spitten, Old English spittan; cognate with German (dial.) spitzen to spit; akin to Old English spǣtan to spit, spātl spittle; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.

Related forms

spitlike, adjective

Synonyms

3. spatter.

spit(2)

[spit]

noun

1. a pointed rod or bar for thrusting through and holding meat that is to be cooked before or over a fire.
2. any of various rods, pins, or the like used for particular purposes.
3. a narrow point of land projecting into the water.
4. a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore.
verb (used with object), spitted, spitting.
5. to pierce, stab, or transfix, as with a spit; impale on something sharp.
6. to thrust a spit into or through.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English spite, Old English spitu; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German spit, spet, Old High German spiz spit; akin to Old Norse spīta peg

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for spat

Contemporary Examples

Upstairs, in the living room, splintered logs of hemlock cackled and spat from inside the wood stove.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau
Ian Frisch
December 20, 2014

They kicked and fought and spat and succeeded in repeatedly filling their opponents with fear.
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage
Arthur Chu
October 16, 2014

He licked them up with a slick bronzy tongue and spat a thick wad of honey-brown juice into the empty teacup.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand
Elliot Ackerman
July 6, 2014

Anagram

taps

Today’s quote

Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day

15 January – Martin Luther King Day, a public holiday in the United States of America, held on the third Monday in January, to celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, a clergyman who promoted non-violent activism to achieve civil rights, particularly for African Americans.

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

15 January 1941 – birth of Don Van Vliet, American singer, songwriter, musician and artist, best known as Captain Beefheart. He used a rotating ensemble of musicians, called the Magic Band. Beefheart’s music was very avant-garde, blending jazz, psychedelia, blues and rock. He was friends with Frank Zappa and sometimes collaborated with him. His experimental and unrestrained style of music complimented Zappa’s often experimental but highly disciplined work. English DJ, John Peel, describe Captain Beefheart as, ‘a psychedelic shaman who frequently bullied his musicians and sometimes alarmed his fans, Don somehow remained one of rock’s great innocents‘. Died 17 December 2010.

13 January 2018

tress

[tres]

noun

1. Usually, tresses. long locks or curls of hair.
2. a plait or braid of hair.

Origin of tress

Middle English

1250-1300; Middle English tresse < Middle French: plait or braid of hair < ?

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tress

Historical Examples

She lifted a tress on her forefinger and smoothed it against the sunlight.
Fort Amity
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

The glory of the pipe, as tress had suggested, lay in its carving.
The Lock And Key Library
Various

The more I examined the pipe the more amazed I was at tress ‘s generosity.
The Lock And Key Library
Various

Anagram

rests

Today’s quote

The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.

– James Buchanan

On this day

13 January 1893 – birth of Roy Cazaly, Australian Rules football legend, known for his high marks and ruck-work. Immortalised in the song, ‘Up there Cazaly‘, by The Two Man Band (Mike Brady & Peter Sullivan). Died 10 October 1963.

13 January 1929 – death of Wyatt Earp in Los Angeles, American gunfighter, famous for the gunfight at the OK Corral. He was 80 years old.

13 January 1939 – Black Friday fires in Victoria, Australia, covering more than 4,900,000 acres, destroying 1,000 homes and killing 71 people. It was one of the world’s worst bush-fire disasters.

13 January 2001 – a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits El Salvador, killing 1,000 people

12 January 2018

nave

[neyv]

noun

1. the principal longitudinal area of a church, extending from the main entrance or narthex to the chancel, usually flanked by aisles of less height and breadth: generally used only by the congregation.

Origin of nave

Medieval Latin

1665-1675; < Medieval Latin nāvis, Latin: ship; so called from the resemblance in shape

Can be confused

knave, naval, nave (see synonym study at knave )

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for nave

Historical Examples

On most Sundays doth he preach here in the nave to all sorts of folk.
The Armourer’s Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge

The nave of the church is Decorated, and has beautiful windows of that period.
Yorkshire Painted And Described
Gordon Home

The nave was slowly filled, the men being at the right and the women at the left.
The Dream
Emile Zola

The nave, then as now, was the charge of the parish; the chancel, of the rector.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge

Saxon arches separating the nave from the aisles and chancel are plain.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield

Many were cruciform, and consisted of nave, transepts, and chancel.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield

The nave of the church is now filled with seats for the use of the congregation.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield

They were too numerous to be counted, they studded the nave with stars of great price.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

“It is better that I did not meet him,” he said, with nave conviction.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens

It planted itself in the centre of the nave and grew there monstrously.
Abbe Mouret’s Transgression
Emile Zola

Anagram

vane

Today’s quote

There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether to let it affect you or not.

– Valerie Bertinelli

On this day

12 December 1901 – Italian inventor, Guglielmo Marconi sends the world’s first wireless transmission over 2,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from Poldhu, Cornwall, England to Newfoundland, Canada. The message he sent was the letter ‘s’ in morse code, represented by three dots …

12 December 1913 – the Mona Lisa is recovered in Florence, two years after being stolen from the Louvre in Paris.

12 December 1925 – the world’s first motel, the Milestone Mo-Tel, opens in San Luis Obispo, California. The motorists-hotel enabled visitors to park their cars outside their rooms.

12 December 1946 – John D. Rockefeller donates six blocks of Manhattan to the United Nations, which is now the site of UN Headquarters.

12 December 2003 – Keiko, the killer whale from the movie, ‘Free Willy’, dies in Norway.

12 December 2007 – International Chess Grand-Master, Garry Kasparov announces that he is withdrawing from running for the presidential election. Kasparov’s party, Other Russia, had faced difficulty in meeting the electoral requirements for supporters to meet in Moscow.

11 January 2018

precipitate

[verb pri-sip-i-teyt; adjective, noun pri-sip-i-tit, -teyt]

verb (used with object), precipitated, precipitating.

1. to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly:
to precipitate an international crisis.
2. to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down.
3. to cast, plunge, or send, especially violently or abruptly:
He precipitated himself into the struggle.
Chemistry. to separate (a substance) in solid form from a solution, as by means of a reagent.
verb (used without object), precipitated, precipitating.
5. Meteorology. to fall to the earth’s surface as a condensed form of water; to rain, snow, hail, drizzle, etc.
6. to separate from a solution as a precipitate.
7. to be cast or thrown down headlong.
adjective
8. headlong:
a precipitate fall down the stairs.
9. rushing headlong or rapidly onward.
10. proceeding rapidly or with great haste:
a precipitate retreat.
11. exceedingly sudden or abrupt:
a precipitate stop; a precipitate decision.
12. done or made without sufficient deliberation; overhasty; rash:
a precipitate marriage.
noun
13. Chemistry. a substance precipitated from a solution.
14. moisture condensed in the form of rain, snow, etc.

Origin of precipitate

Latin

1520-1530; (v. and adj.) < Latin praecipitātus (past participle of praecipitāre to cast down headlong), equivalent to praecipit- (stem of praeceps steep; see precipice ) + -ātus -ate1; (noun) < New Latin praecipitātum a precipitate, noun use of neuter of praecipitātus

Related forms

precipitately, adverb
precipitateness, noun
precipitative, adjective
precipitator, noun
nonprecipitative, adjective

Can be confused

precipitate, precipitous.

Synonyms

1. accelerate. 4. crystallize. 12. reckless, impetuous.

Antonyms

1. retard. 12. careful.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for precipitate

Contemporary Examples

And it was probably at least partly this that precipitated his downfall.
Relishing Rembrandt’s Blockbuster London Show
Nancy Durrant
October 16, 2014

Rather, it precipitated a month-long diplomatic crisis of byzantine complexity that exposed deeper, long-term sources of conflict.
Barbara Tuchman’s ‘The Guns of August’ Is Still WWI’s Peerless Chronicle
James A. Warren
September 29, 2014

Our public fascination with buttholes has also precipitated a whole new genre of celebrity rumors.
The ‘Back Door’ Is Having Its Pop Culture Moment
Gabriella Paiella
September 27, 2014

Her departure was precipitated by her decision as an IACC member to vote against more funding for studies on vaccine safety.
“Autism Speaks”- but Should Everyone Listen?
Emily Shire
June 13, 2014

Did the writers give you any idea what precipitated this collapse—perhaps a nuclear war or environmental devastation?
The Great Character Actor: Guy Pearce on His Brilliant Career, From ‘Priscilla’ to ‘The Rover’
Richard Porton
May 23, 2014

Historical Examples

Let not your Clarissa be precipitated into a state she wishes not to enter into with any man!
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

This was on April 24, 1846, and precipitated hostilities at once.
Aztec Land
Maturin M. Ballou

This precipitated a vigorous discussion which extended into the next day.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various

I have been precipitated, alive, into this hell by another ghost.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

For this, Europe, during two centuries, was precipitated on Asia.
Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 366, April, 1846
Various

Anagram

irate peptic
pita receipt
create pi pit
trace pie tip

Today’s quote

The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.

– Henry Ward Beecher

On this day

11 January 1986 – Brisbane’s Gateway Bridge opens.

11 January 2008 – death of Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. Hillary and sherpa Tbeenzing Norgay became the first men to reach the summit of Mt Everest. Born 20 July 1919.

11 January 2011 – flood-waters from the Lockyer Valley reach the Brisbane River catchment, causing the river to break its banks, flooding the CBD and other river-side suburbs, including New Farm, Fortitude Valley, West End, St Lucia, Rocklea and Graceville, inundating 20,000 homes. The Brisbane River peaked on 13 January 2013 at a height of 4.46m. The city of Ipswich was also inundated, with the Bremer River peaking on 12 January 2011. The worst affected areas included Goodna and Gailes. There were reports of bull sharks in the city centre of Goodna. A total of 35 people died as a result of the flooding in Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley, Brisbane and Ipswich.

11 January 2016 – death of David Bowie, British musician and actor, born David Robert Jones. Born 8 January 1947.

10 January 2018

gerontocracy

[jer-uh n-tok-ruh-see, jeer-]

noun, plural gerontocracies.

1. government by a council of elders.
2. a governing body consisting of old people.
3. a state or government in which old people rule.

Origin of gerontocracy

1820-1830 First recorded in 1820-30; geronto- + -cracy

Related forms

gerontocrat [juh-ron-tuh-krat], noun
gerontocratic, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for gerontocracy

Historical Examples

gerontocracy, that is, government by the aged, is the most ancient form of government.
The Cult of Incompetence
Emile Faguet

Anagram

corn category
correct agony

Today’s quote

Sanity is a madness put to good uses.

― George Santayana

On this day

10 January 1946 – the inaugural meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, with 51 nations, convenes in London.

10 January 1949 – RCA introduces the world’s first vinyl record which played at 45rpm while Columbia released the world’s first vinyl record which played at 33rpm.

10 January 1998 – Night of Noah, Townsville. The city was drenched with rains from ex-Tropical Cyclone Sid. In a 24-hour period, 549mm fell on the city as recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology, however of this, more than 500mm during a 12 hour period. There were unofficial recordings that exceeded 700mm during this period.

10 January 2011 – Flash flooding strikes Toowoomba, Queensland, after 160mm of rain falls in 36 hours, killing four people. The flood water flowed down the Toowoomba range, inundating properties in the Lockyer Valley, including Grantham, Withcott, Helidon, killing nine people.

8 January 2018

contretemps

[kon-truh-tahn; French kawntruh-tahn]

noun, plural contretemps [kon-truh-tahnz; French kawntruh-tahn] (Show IPA)

1. an inopportune occurrence; an embarrassing mischance:
He caused a minor contretemps by knocking over his drink.

Origin of contretemps

1675-1685; < French, equivalent to contre- counter- + temps time (< Latin tempus); perhaps alteration (by folk etymology) of Middle French contrestant, present participle of contrester to oppose; see contrast

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for contretemps Expand

Contemporary Examples

That seemed like it was the end of the matter but then new life was breathed into the contretemps on Monday.
A Cuomo-Christie Proxy War?
Ben Jacobs
December 3, 2013

The contretemps escalated during a commercial break when Khrushchev was handed a note by one of his advisers.
Nikita Khrushchev, Talk Show Guest
Stephen Battaglio
November 20, 2010

Carter reveals that Jay made weird, borderline mentorly calls to Kimmel long before the Conan contretemps began.
Secrets of the Late Night War
Bryan Curtis
November 8, 2010

But the Web contretemps has had an impact all the same, particularly on the political right.
The GOP’s Supreme Problem
Reihan Salam
May 27, 2009

Historical Examples

He determined to take no notice of the contretemps, but return boldly to the attack.
Masterpieces of Mystery
Various

Not only was there no contretemps, but all went off well and pleasantly.
Diary And Notes Of Horace Templeton, Esq.
Charles James Lever

It was an aggravation of annoyance to have her as a witness of these contretemps.
The Girls of St. Olave’s
Mabel Mackintosh

A contretemps less likely to occur at the Choctaw Chief, and there stayed they.
The Death Shot
Mayne Reid

I will write all the pleasant things, but for the jokes—the contretemps, no!
Pixie O’Shaughnessy
Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

There are no contretemps, no unhappy moments, no jealousies, no heart-burnings.
Betty Vivian
L. T. Meade

Anagram

cement ports
most percent
centre stomp
protects men

Today’s quote

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.

– Elvis Presley

On this day

8 January 1935 – birth of Elvis Aaron Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. Died 16 August 1977.

8 January 1947 – birth of David Bowie, British musician and actor, born David Robert Jones. Died 11 January 2016.

8 January 1959 – Fidel Castro’s rebel forces take control of Cuba. Castro eventually became President and ruled the nation until 2011.

8 January 1964 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson introduces legislation that results in the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, otherwise known as the War on Poverty, in an effort to reduce the increasing poverty rate, which at that time was around 19%. Through this a number of poverty-reduction strategies were implemented, including Social Security Act 1965, Food Stamp Act of 1964, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965), Community Action Program, Job Corps, and Volunteers in Services to America. Within 10 years the poverty rate had been reduced to around 11%. In 2014, the rate had risen to around 15%.

7 January 2018

arnica

[ahr-ni-kuh]

noun

1. any composite plant of the genus Arnica, having opposite leaves and yellow flower heads.
2. a tincture of the flowers of A. montana, of Europe, and other species of Arnica, formerly used as an external application in sprains and bruises.

Origin of arnica

1745-1755; < New Latin < ?

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for arnica

Historical Examples

She spent the whole morning bathing and poulticing me, and rubbing me with arnica.
My Antonia
Willa Cather

Free applications of arnica or iodine will have an excellent effect.
Searchlights on Health: Light on Dark Corners
B.G. Jefferis

Oil of arnica is an excellent application for inflamed Piles.
An Epitome of Homeopathic Healing Art
B. L. Hill

There was an atmosphere of arnica and dejection in the house when we got there.
At Good Old Siwash
George Fitch

My knee he bandaged with arnica, after bathing it a long while with warm water.
White Dandy; or, Master and I
Velma Caldwell Melville

The next morning all were lame and sore and there were demands for arnica and a massage.
Baseball Joe on the Giants
Lester Chadwick

I have hitherto been successful in all cases by using tincture of arnica.
Troy and its Remains
Henry (Heinrich) Schliemann

Or apply common white paint by laying it on gently with a brush, or else tincture of marigold or arnica in the same manner.
Cooley’s Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades…, Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley

Mrs. Bull had to patch up his coat and give him some arnica and vaseline.
The Casual Ward
A. D. Godley

Oh, I shall give him a bottle of arnica, or whatever it is, for black eyes!
The Story of Louie
Oliver Onions

Anagram

air can

Today’s quote

He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.

– Socrates

On this day

7 January – Christmas Day celebrated by some eastern and Orthodox churches, which is 25 December under the old Julian calendar. Most western churches celebrate Christmas on 25 December in the Gregorian calendar system which began replacing the Julian calendar throughout the world from 1582.

7 January 1943 – Death of Nikola Tesla, Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and futurist. Inventor of alternating current (A/C) electricity supply. Born 10 July 1856.

7 January 1979 – Brutal Cambodian dictator, Pol Pot, is overthrown as Vietnamese forces invade Phnom Penh. Pol Pot and his army, the Khmer Rouge, were responsible for killing approximately 1.7 million people.