January 2008
38 posts
Malpighian, adj.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1842 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 132 58 The Malpighian bodies I saw to be a rounded mass of minute vessels invested by a cyst or capsule of precisely similar appearance to the basement membrane of the tubes.
Jan 31st
tailor-made, a.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1832 CARLYLE in Fraser’s Mag. V. 386/1 If such worship for real God-made superiors showed itself also as worship for apparent Tailor-made superiors.
Jan 31st
The chapter in Order of the Phoenix called Snape’s Worst Memory is not about the humilation that James causes him but rather about the time he called Lily Evans a mudblood. Some things become clearer upon hearing them for the forth time.
Jan 30th
bash, v.2: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1641 BEST Farm. Bks. (1856) 110 The henne..will alsoe bashe her in the dust, and so oftentimes crush them to death.
Jan 29th
buffet, v.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: a1225 Ancr. R. 106 Te Giws..buffeteden him [Christ].
Jan 29th
misprision, n.1: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1425 Rolls of Parl. IV. 306/2 Suche misprisions and defautes of ye said Sherefs.
Jan 27th
combi, a.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1958 Washington Post 14 Dec. F21/8 The little miss might be proud to own a combi-mix, an operating replica of Mother’s mixer that works on battery power.
Jan 26th
barbecue, n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1697 W. DAMPIER Voy. (1699) I. 20 And lay there all night, upon our Borbecu’s, or frames of Sticks, raised about 3 foot from the Ground.
Jan 25th
haggis: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: c1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 52 For hagese. {Th}e hert of schepe, {th}e nere {th}ou take..Hacke alle togeder with gode persole [etc.].
Jan 24th
minimax, n. and adj.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1917 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 18 240 If J0 is the value of J at a point P0 and if the inequality J
Jan 24th
spa, n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1565 in Burgon Life Gresham (1839) II. 93 And now do I the more feare the danger of this winter, for that I have now lost the comodity..of going to the Spa for this yere.
Jan 23rd
cowboy, v.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1899 Los Angeles Times 4 June (Mag. section) 14/1 Overtaken sometimes by sudden necessity, he has cowboyed it in the Southwest.
Jan 22nd
phrase, v.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: c1540 Image Ipocrysy III, in J. Skelton Poet. Wks. (1843) II. 439 Thoughe ye glose and frase Till your eyes dase.
Jan 21st
neck, v.1: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1603 Philotus xxxiii. sig. B3, Sweit sucker, neck me not with nay, Bot be content to tak him.
Jan 20th
naturalize, v.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1559 in J. KNOX Hist. Ref. in Wks. (1846) I. 440 Frenche men could nott be justlie called strangearis, seeing that thei war naturalized.
Jan 18th
@jonathancoulton The Elf needs food badly.
Jan 18th
haut-gout: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: c1645 HOWELL Lett. I. V. xxxviii, He can marinat fish, make gellies, he is excellent for a pickant sawce, and the Haugou.
Jan 18th
Rentals are another matter entirely. Sure if you are interested in watching SD content, $2.99 is fine but I have an HDTV. It will show SD content with no trouble but the point is that it is made for HD content. That means $4.99 rentals and 24 hours to watch after the movie is pulled down. Compare this to $15.99 for unlimited rentals from Netflix including HD versions. The choice is clear. The...
Jan 17th
If my internet connection was worth anything I would jump at it because the other option would be BT. Unfortunately, BT just isn’t feasible with a 1.5Mb connection. HD programming takes too long to pull down no matter how many seeds there are.
Jan 17th
If the NBC/Universal TV shows were still available on iTunes, that would make the new Apple TV very tempting. But the lack of Heroes, The Office, Battlestar: Galactica, et. al., spoil the deal for me.
Jan 17th
stewpot: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1542 BOORDE Dyetary xii. (1870) 263 Sewe and stewpottes, and grewell made with otmell..can do lytel displeasure.
Jan 16th
FX, n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1954 S. MILLIGAN in Goon Show Scripts (1972) 23 This is the BBC Home Service. F.X.: Penny in mug.
Jan 15th
Apple Store is down leading up to MacWorld keynote
Jan 15th
monomode, adj.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1968 IEEE Jrnl. Quantum Electronics 4 874/1 A monomode carbon dioxide laser..has been achieved by control of the cavity frequency and of the gain.
Jan 15th
fadge, v.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1573 G. HARVEY Letter-bk. (Camden) 142 Nothing fadgith, that with them is at variaunce.
Jan 14th
tawny, a. and n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1377 LANGL. P. Pl. B. v. 196 {Th}anne cam coueytise..in a tauny tabarde of twelue wynter age.
Jan 13th
spiritualize, v.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1631 R. H. Arraignm. Whole Creature xiii. {section}I. 173 The Soules food, if I may so say, is spiritualized to the sustentation of the spirit.
Jan 12th
Oorlam, n. and adj.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1815 J. CAMPBELL Trav. in S. Afr. 284 In his kraal there are, of persons who speak the Dutch language, and who are called Orlams{em}215.
Jan 11th
marquis, n.1: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) 5171 Herhaud of Ardern, {th}e gode marchis.
Jan 10th
liquefied, ppl. a.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1598 FLORIO Worlde of Wordes 108/3 Disquagliato, melted, vnthawed, liquified.
Jan 9th
victim, n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1497 BP. ALCOCK Mons Perfect. Ciij/2 Obedyence excellith al vyctyms [printed vyayms] and holocaustis in the whiche was sacrefyced ye flesshe of other creatures.
Jan 7th
discharge, n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: c1460 FORTESCUE Abs. & Lim. Mon. ix, Wich encrease, any subget desirith ffor his owne discharge off {th}at he beyrith to the sustenance off his prince.
Jan 7th
organizer, n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1801 W. DUPRE Lexicographia-neologica Gallica 209 Organisateur, an organizer, one who organizes.
Jan 6th
cross-tree: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1626 CAPT. SMITH Accid. Yng. Seamen 12 The trussell trees or crosse trees.
Jan 5th
playset, n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1922 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 31 Aug. 7/1 (advt.) A pleasing play set… Play time will be a gay time with a pretty apron and cap as here illustrated.
Jan 4th
Euro, n.2: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: 1980 W. RUSHTON (title) The reluctant Euro: Rushton versus Europe.
Jan 3rd
doing, vbl. n.: OED Word of the Day →
Today’s word from the OED has the following earliest quotation: c1325 Song Mercy 129 in E.E.P. (1862) 122 In vre doinge.
Jan 2nd
Texas Tech had yet another come from behind victory today in the Gator Bowl. Go Raiders!
Jan 2nd