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Showing posts from September, 2018

your mileage may vary: Word of the day for September 30, 2018

your mileage may vary , phrase : (idiomatic) It may work differently in your situation, or be different in your experience. (idiomatic) Used to express a possible difference in taste: this is just my opinion, your opinion may be different. Today is the eve of the day when the first Ford Model T was produced by the Ford Motor Company 110 years ago, on 1 October 1908. The Model T is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile.

xebec: Word of the day for September 27, 2018

xebec , n : A small two-masted, and later three-masted, Mediterranean transport ship with an overhanging bow and stern. Today, the last Thursday of September in 2018, is World Maritime Day, an official United Nations day that highlights the work of the International Maritime Organization and emphasizes the importance of shipping and other maritime activities.

gamboge: Word of the day for September 24, 2018

gamboge , n : One of several species of trees of the genus Garcinia found in South and Southeastern Asia, especially Garcinia xanthochymus. The resin of the gamboge tree; a preparation of the resin used as a pigment or for medicinal purposes. A deep yellow colour. gamboge colour:   Today is Constitution Day in Cambodia. The Constitution was signed by King Norodom Sihanouk on this day 25 years ago in 1993.

abase: Word of the day for September 22, 2018

abase , v : (transitive) To lower, as in condition in life, office, rank, etc., so as to cause pain or hurt feelings; to degrade, to depress, to humble, to humiliate. (transitive, archaic) To lower physically; to depress; to cast or throw down; to stoop. (transitive, obsolete) To lower in value, in particular by altering the content of alloys in coins; to debase.

Jolly Roger: Word of the day for September 19, 2018

Jolly Roger , n : The traditional flag used on European and American pirate ships, often pictured as a white skull and crossbones on a black field; the blackjack. Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a parodic holiday invented in 1995 by John Baur (‘Ol’ Chumbucket’) and Mark Summers (‘Cap’n Slappy’), of Albany, Oregon, USA.

warrant: Word of the day for September 17, 2018

warrant , v : (transitive, obsolete) To protect, keep safe (from danger). (transitive, obsolete) To give (someone) an assurance or guarantee (of something); also, with a double object: to guarantee (someone something). (transitive) To guarantee (something) to be (of a specified quality, value, etc.). (transitive) To guarantee as being true; (colloquial) to believe strongly. (transitive) To authorize; to give (someone) sanction or warrant (to do something). (transitive) To justify; to give grounds for.

rantistirion: Word of the day for September 14, 2018

rantistirion , n : (Eastern Orthodoxy) A ritual sprinkler used in some Christian rites. Today is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-creating Cross (or Feast of the Cross), which commemorates the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena in 326 C.E. and its recovery from the Persians in 628 C.E.

baragouin: Word of the day for September 8, 2018

baragouin , n : (countable) A pidgin. (uncountable, specifically, historical) A pidgin spoken by French and First Nations people in the 17th century in the region of North America now called Montreal. (uncountable) Unintelligible speech; gibberish, jargon. Today is recognized by the United Nations as International Literacy Day to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities, and societies.

aegis: Word of the day for September 6, 2018

aegis , n : (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) A mythological shield associated with the Greek deities Zeus and Athena (and their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) shown as a short cloak made of goatskin worn on the shoulders, more as an emblem of power and protection than a military shield. The aegis of Athena or Minerva is usually shown with a border of snakes and with the head of Medusa in the center. [from early 17th c.] (figuratively) Usually as under the aegis: guidance, protection; endorsement, sponsorship.