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Showing posts from November, 2019

tip of the iceberg: Word of the day for December 1, 2019

tip of the iceberg , n : (idiomatic) A small indication of a larger possibility; a problem that is much bigger than it seems. On this day 60 years ago in 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed. The day was declared by Our Spaces as Antarctica Day to build awareness about Antarctica and to emphasize the importance of nations co-operating peacefully through science to make decisions about places beyond the boundaries of sovereign states.

laird: Word of the day for November 30, 2019

laird , n : (chiefly Scotland) The owner of a Scottish estate; a member of the landed gentry, a landowner. (chiefly Scotland, historical) Often in the form Laird of, followed by a patronymic: a Scottish clan chief. laird v (transitive, Scotland) Chiefly as laird it over: to behave like a laird, particularly to act haughtily or to domineer; to lord (it over). Today is Saint Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day.

endow: Word of the day for November 29, 2019

endow , v : (transitive, archaic or obsolete) To provide with a dower (“the portion that a widow receives from her deceased husband's property”) or a dowry (“property given to a bride”). (transitive) To give property to (someone) as a gift; specifically, to provide (a person or institution) with support in the form of a permanent fund of money or other benefits. (transitive) Followed by with, or rarely by of: to enrich or furnish with some faculty or quality. (transitive) Usually in the passive: to naturally furnish (with something).

turducken: Word of the day for November 28, 2019

turducken , n : (US, cooking) A dish, usually roasted, consisting of a deboned turkey stuffed with a deboned duck that has been stuffed with a small deboned chicken, and also containing stuffing. Happy Thanksgiving! Today, the fourth Thursday in November in 2019, is Thanksgiving Day in the United States and some other countries.

potluck: Word of the day for November 27, 2019

potluck , n : (dated) A meal, especially one offered to a guest, consisting of whatever food is available. (by extension) Whatever is available in a particular situation. (originally Canada, US) A shared meal consisting of whatever guests have brought (sometimes without prior arrangement); a potlatch; also, a dish of food brought to such a meal. (obsolete) The last draft or portion of an alcoholic beverage in a pot or other drinking vessel.

slimeball: Word of the day for November 24, 2019

slimeball , n : (biology) A round lump made up of or coated with slime or a slime-like substance such as mucus. (helminthology, specifically) A mucus-coated lump containing the cercariae (“parasitic larvae”) of a liver fluke (of the phylum Platyhelminthes). (originally US, colloquial, derogatory) A person who is regarded as slimy (that is, sneaky or underhanded) or otherwise undesirable.

grace note: Word of the day for November 22, 2019

grace note , n : (music) A musical note, indicated on a score in smaller type with or without a slash through it, played to ornament the melody rather than as part of it. Its note value does not count as part of the total time value of the measure it appears in. (figuratively) Something that decorates, embellishes, or ornaments; a finishing touch. For some Christian churches, today is the feast day of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians.

Nuremberg defense: Word of the day for November 20, 2019

Nuremberg defense , n : (ethics, international law, idiomatic, American spelling) An explanation offered as an excuse for behaving in a criminal or wrongful manner, claiming that acted in this way because one was ordered by others (particularly superiors) to do so. (US law, by extension, American spelling) An explanation offered as a defense to criminal or wrongful behavior, claiming that one is justified in not obeying a governmental order or a domestic law because the order or law is itself unlawful. The trials of major war criminals by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany, after World War II began on this day in 1945, lasting till 1 October 1946.

pandect: Word of the day for November 14, 2019

pandect , n : (Ancient Rome, law, historical) Usually in the plural form Pandects: a compendium or digest of writings on Roman law divided in 50 books, compiled in the 6th century C.E. by order of the Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I (c. 482–565). (by extension, rare) Also in the plural form pandects: a comprehensive collection of laws; specifically, the whole body of law of a country; a legal code. (by extension, also figuratively) A treatise or similar work that is comprehensive as to a particular topic; specifically (Christianity) a manuscript of the entire Bible. The Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I, who ordered the compilation of the Pandects (sense 1), died on this day in 565.

sumac: Word of the day for November 10, 2019

sumac , n : Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Rhus and other genera in Anacardiaceae, particularly the elm-leaved sumac, Sicilian sumac, or tanner's sumac (Rhus coriaria). Dried and chopped-up leaves and stems of a plant of the genus Rhus, particularly the tanner's sumac (see sense 1), used for dyeing and tanning leather or for medicinal purposes. A sour spice popular in the Eastern Mediterranean, made from the berries of tanner's sumac.

trounce: Word of the day for November 9, 2019

trounce , v : (transitive) To beat severely; to thrash. (transitive) To beat thoroughly, to defeat heavily; especially (games, sports) to win against (someone) by a wide margin. (transitive) To chastise or punish physically or verbally; to scold with abusive language. (transitive, Britain, regional) To punish by bringing a lawsuit against; to sue. [...] (intransitive, Britain, dialectal) To walk heavily or with some difficulty; to tramp, to trudge. (intransitive, Britain, dialectal) To pass across or over; to traverse. (intransitive) To travel quickly over a long distance.

Hansard: Word of the day for November 6, 2019

Hansard , n : (also attributively, historical) A member of a Hanse (“merchant guild”), or a resident of a Hanse town. […] (chiefly Britain, Commonwealth of Nations) The official report of debates and other proceedings in the British and some Commonwealth parliaments. The English printer Thomas Curson Hansard, who printed reports of debates and proceedings in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, was born on this day in 1776.

amaranth: Word of the day for November 2, 2019

amaranth , n : (dated, poetic) An imaginary flower that does not wither. Any of various herbs of the genus Amaranthus. The characteristic purplish-red colour of the flowers or leaves of these plants. amaranth colour:   (chemistry) A red to purple azo dye used as a biological stain, and in some countries in cosmetics and as a food colouring. (cooking) The seed of these plants, used as a cereal.