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oblation o-BLAY-shuhn noun offering something in worship; the act of making an offering or sacrifice 1852Catherine Parr Traill Canadian CrusoesThe Indians offered the first of the birds as an oblation to the Great Spirit, as a grateful acknowledgment of his bounty in having allowed them to gather food thus plentifully for their families; sometimes distant tribes with whom they were on terms of friendship were invited to share the sport and partake of the spoils. 1932Hugh Walpole The FortressShe dropped a sixpence into the little monkey's cup as a sort of oblation. 1948Cornell Woolrich Rendezvous In BlackSuddenly, in a flash of anger, he went over to it, pitched it shoulder-high in venomous oblation, and downed it, flat as it was.Labels: Catherine Parr Traill, Cornell Woolrich, Hugh Walpole
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dolce far niente DOL-chee fawr-nee-en-tay noun, phrase happy relaxation; it is sweet to do nothing; literally: cake to make nothing 1894Jacques Casanov SeingaltFlight from London to BerlinShe was wonderfully well, eating, drinking, and sleeping to admiration, and never doing anything, not even reading or writing. She enjoyed the 'dolce far niente' in all the force of the term.1899Helen Cody WetmoreLast of the Great ScoutsThere followed for Will a period of dolce far niente; days when he might lie on his back and watch the clouds drift across the sky; when he might have an eye to the beauty of the woodland and the sweep of the plain, without the nervous strain of studying every tree and knoll that might conceal a lurking redskin.1912Jose RizalThe Social CancerThus moralized a Spanish traveler in 1842, just as that dolce far niente was drawing to its close.1926D. H. LawrenceThe Plumed SerpentMen in soiled white clothes were lounging, with folded arms and one leg crossed in front of the other, against the corner of a house, or crouching under the walls. Not by any means dolce far niente. They seemed to be waiting, eternally waiting for something.1971P. B. WaiteArduous Destiny: Canada, 1874-1896There [Victoria] the comfort of a salubrious and easy climate prodcued a delicious dolce far niente.Labels: D. H. Lawrence, Helen Cody Wetmore, Jacques Casanov Seingalt, Jose Rizal, P. B. Waite
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bantling BANT-ling noun a bratty child; a small child 1855Charles Kingsley Westward Ho! 'Oh, bathos!' said Lady Bath, while the 'prentices shouted applause. 'Is this hedge-bantling to be fathered on you, Mr. Frank?' 1920John O'RourkeThe History of the Great Irish Famine of 1847Is not the ex-officio clause in the Poor-law Bill your bantling, or that of your leader, Lord Stanley? 1934Ruth Plumly ThompsonSpeedy in OzNow attend closely, my valiant bantling.Labels: Charles Kingsley, John O'Rourke, Ruth Plumly Thompson
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jimjams JIM-jamz noun the jitters; a case of delirium tremens 1900Henry LawsonOver the SliprailsSeveral whalers watched the procession until they got the jimjams by force of imagination, and when their bodies began to float down with the bottles, the down-river people got anxious.1968Charles PortisTrue GritDon't go to sleep and don't get the 'jimjams.'1990Harry TurtledoveThe Pugnacious PeacemakerPark hurried home to take care of Eric Dunedin, who, as he'd thought, still had a case of the galloping jimjams.Labels: Charles Portis, Harry Turtledove, Henry Lawson
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gallimaufry ga-luh-MAW-free noun a hodge-podge; a jumble of things; a mixture of multiple things 1652Robert BurtonThe Anatomy of MelancholyThe event of this is common to be seen in populous cities, or in princes' courts, for a courtier's life (as Budaeus describes it) 'is a gallimaufry of ambition, lust, fraud, imposture, dissimulation, detraction, envy, pride; the court, a common conventicle of flatterers, time-servers, politicians,' &c.; or as Anthony Perez will, 'the suburbs of hell itself.'1923Max BeerbohmYet AgainA tarnished French mirror, a strip of faded carpet, some rows of battered, tattered books, a few cups and saucers that had erst been riveted and erst been dusted—all these, in a gallimaufry of other languid odds and ends, seen through this mud-splashed window, silently echoed the silent misery of the horse.1998Barbara KingsolverThe Poisonwood Bible...I am a lame gallimaufry and she remains perfect.Labels: Barbara Kingsolver, Max Beerbohm, Robert Burton
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versier vur-SEE-ur noun a person who makes verse or poetry 1954Aldous HuxleyThe Doors of PerceptionA catalogue, a bibliography, a definitive edition of a third-rate versier's ipsissima verba…1990Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth MoonSassinakHuron had proved as inventive a partner as he was a versifier - after hearing a few of his livelier creations in the wardroom one night, she could hardly believe he hadn't written the one about the captain's son and the merchant's daughter.Labels: Aldous Huxley, Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon
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tosticated TAW-sti-kay-tid adjective to be in a state of diminished mental capacity, usually as a result of consuming too much alcohol; confused; perplexed; befuddled 1682A. Marsh The Ten Pleasures of Marriage and the Confession of the New-Married CoupleAnd herewith those Gentile Pleasures, that have cost their Parents so much money, and them so much labour and time are kickt away, and totally abandoned that they may keep company with a painted Jezebel. They are then hardly arrived at this intitled happiness, but they must begin to chaw upon the bitter shell of that nut, the kernel whereof, without sighing, they cannot tast; having no sooner obtained access to the Lady, but are as suddenly possest with thousands of thoughts what they shall do to please the Sweet object. Being therewith so tosticated, that all their other business is dispersed, and totally laid aside. This is observable not only in youth of the first degree, but also in persons that have received promotion. 1766Jonathan Swift The Journal to StellaI don't know, this is not what I would say; but I am so tosticated with supper and stuff, that I can't express myself. 1855Thomas Chandler Haliburton Nature and Human Nature ''What,' said she, and she raised herself up off ob de pillar, and she larfed, and rolled ober and ober, and tosticated about almost in a conniption fit, 'you old goose,' said she, 'you onaccountable fool,' and den she larfed and rolled ober agin, I tought she would a tumbled off on de floor, 'do go way; you is too foolish to talk to, but turn my pillar again. Sorrow,' said she, 'is I showin' of my ankles,' said she, 'rollin' about so like mad?' 1891Various Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol 101, August 8, 1891 Judge ( angrily, to Second Q.C. ) So you! so everybody! ( With maudlin tenderness .) Must respect Court! ( Savagely. ) You are all disgusting—disgustingly—'tosticated! Adjourn—morrow mornin'. Usher, brandy sodah! [ Scene closes in—fortunately! Labels: A. Marsh, Jonathan Swift, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Various
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statutorily sta-CHUH-tor-il-ee adverb by law; legalistically 1908Michael F. J. McDonnellIreland and the Home Rule MovementThe jury system is discredited in Ireland by every possible means. Many crimes, which in England are classed as felonies, have been statutorily reduced to misdemeanours in Ireland so as to limit the right of challenge possessed by the accused from twenty jurors to six, and at the same time, after Lord O'Hagan's Act had withdrawn from the sheriff the power of preparing jury lists, which he used for political purposes…2000Diane Mott DavidsonTough CookieThere are six members on the state parole board, all appointed by the governor. Statutorily, two of them have to have a law-enforcement background.Labels: Diane Mott Davidson, Michael F. J. McDonnell
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urbi et orbi OOR-bee et OR-bee phrase to the city and the world; to Rome and the world; to all; to everyone 1844Honore De BalzacGaudissart IIWhat idler in the streets has not beheld the Persian, that Asiatic potentate, ruffling it above the door at the corner of the Rue de la Bourse and the Rue de Richelieu, with a message to deliver urbi et orbi, 'Here I reign more tranquilly than at Lahore'?1865Jules VerneThe Moon-VoyageThe subscription opened at Baltimore, for this end extended thence to all the world—urbi et orbi.1896Henryk SienkiewiczQuo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of NeroBut he, standing on the height, with his extended right hand made the sign of the cross, blessing in the hour of death—Urbi et orbi! (the city and the world).Labels: Henryk Sienkiewicz, Honore De Balzac, Jules Verne
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kyphosis kai-FO-suhs noun humpback; abnormal curvature of the spine 1929S. S. Van DineThe Bishop Murder Case'I am told,' Vance continued, 'that Mrs. Drukker regards herself as responsible for her son's kyphosis; but it is my understanding that such malformations as his do not ordinarily result from mere physical injuries.'Labels: S. S. Van Dine
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quintal KWIN-tuhll noun 100 kilograms as measured using the metric system 1968Robert SilverbergNightwingsCould she have weighed more than a quintal?1990US GovernmentThe CIA World Factbook 1990quintal: 100 kilograms; 220.462 26 pounds, avdp.Labels: Robert Silverberg, US Government
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pertinacious pur-ten-AY-shuhs adjective obstinate; sticking resolutely to an opinion; extreme persistence in a course of action 1886John MorleyOn CompromiseThough England counts her full share of fearless truth-seekers in most departments of inquiry, yet there is on the whole no weakening, but a rather marked confirmation, of what has become an inveterate national characteristic, and has long been recognised as such; a profound distrust, namely, of all general principles; a profound dislike both of much reference to them, and of any disposition to invest them with practical authority; and a silent but most pertinacious measurement of philosophic truths by political tests.1913J. WilhelmThe Catholic EncyclopediaPertinacity, that is, obstinate adhesion to a particular tenet is required to make heresy formal.1924Katharine Symonds FurseSki-runningA strict code has been adopted, mainly as a result of the suffering from pertinacious runners, who put their standard higher than is admitted by others.Labels: J. Wilhelm, John Morley, Katharine Symonds Furse
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laity LAY-uh-tee noun a group of ordinary persons not possessing the particular professional credentials or specific skills of another group; non-clergy members of a religious group 1859Washington IrvingThe Life of George WashingtonHunting came next to war in those days, as the occupation of the nobility and gentry. The clergy engaged in it equally with the laity.1901Anna M. GalbraithThe Four Epochs of Woman's LifeThe author takes this opportunity to thank the medical profession and the laity for the very cordial reception which has been tendered the first edition of this small volume. The necessity for the use of technical expressions in a book written expressly for the laity must always be a matter of regret.1903Johann George BuehlerOn the Indian Sect of the JainasAs their doctrine, like Buddha's, is originally a philosophical ethical system intended for ascetics, the disciples, like the Buddhists, are, divided into ecclesiastics and laity.Labels: Anna M. Galbraith, Johann George Buehler, Washington Irving
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execrable EK-si-kruh-bul adjective absolutely inferior; very bad; hateful 1789Jane AustenLove and FriendshipOh! consider that a few weeks will at once put an end to every flattering Hope that you may now entertain, by uniting the unfortunate Victim of her father's Cruelty to the execrable and detested Graham.1897E. W. HornungDead Men Tell No TalesThat, however, will surprise you the less when I pause to declare that I have paid as much as four shillings and sixpence for half a loaf of execrable bread; that my mate and I, between us, seldom took more than a few pennyweights of gold-dust in any one day; and never once struck pick into nugget, big or little, though we had the mortification of inspecting the 'mammoth masses' of which we found the papers full on landing, and which had brought the gold-fever to its height during our very voyage.1981James ClavellNoble House'Where ship now?' Four Finger Wu had asked in execrable pidgin English.Labels: E. W. Hornung, James Clavell, Jane Austen
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nocuous NAWK-kyoo-uhs adjective noxious; not innocuous 1922Elizabeth AtkinsThe Poet's PoetThere is perhaps nothing nocuous in his creed, as he expressed it in a formal interview: 'I hope ... poetry ... is reflecting faith ... in God and His Son and the Holy Ghost.'1998David BrinHeaven's ReachFrom certain visible furnishings and wall-mounted data units, he could tell it was still the Jophur dreadnought, but invaders had taken over this portion, filling it with their own nocuous atmosphere.Labels: David Brin, Elizabeth Atkins
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internecine in-tur-NES-een adjective struggle within a group or country; a mutually destructive conflict 1881Andrew CarnegieRound the WorldHer withdrawal would be the signal for internecine strife, and such a saturnalia of blood and rapine as the world has never known; but were the question whether Britain should to-day accept India as a gift, and I had the privilege of replying, then, 'Declined with thanks;' and yet it is the fashion just now to call India 'the brightest jewel in the crown.'1994Noam ChomskyKeeping the Rabble in LineYet the left, if I can call it that, when not bogged down in internecine warfare, is seemingly in a reactive mode only.2000Nick PollottaPandora's ReboubtInternecine, the most uncivil of wars.Labels: Andrew Carnegie, Nick Pollotta, Noam Chomsky
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minnesinger mi-NUH-sing-ur noun an ancient German troubadour; a medieval poet or singer 1847Hans Christian AndersenThe True Story of My LifeI approached that land which had been rendered sacred by Luther, by the strife of the Minnesingers on the Wartburg, and by the memory of many noble and great events.1855Charles KingsleyWestward Ho!'I am a bad sleeper,' said he; 'I spend more time, I fear, in burning the midnight oil than prudent men should. Come and be my jongleur, my minnesinger, and tell me about Andes, and cannibals, and the ice-regions, and the fire-regions, and the paradises of the West.'1890Vernon LeeHauntingsAs to Tannhäuser, he was a real knight, and a sorry one, and a real Minnesinger not of the best.1934Knut HamsunThe Road Leads OnHolm followed as best he could and got in many a splendid howl, though as a minnesinger he held no brief for his own powers.Labels: Charles Kingsley, Hans Christian Andersen, Knut Hamsun, Vernon Lee
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ratiocinate ra-shee-AW-sen-ayt verb to reason through something methodically; to think methodically 1858Edward Bulwer-LyttonWhat Will He Do With ItThe Cobbler put the forefinger of the right hand on the forefinger of the left; it is the gesture of a man about to ratiocinate or demonstrate, as Quintilian, in his remarks on the oratory of fingers, probably observes; or if he has failed to do so, it is a blot in his essay.1886Hiram CorsonAn Introduction to the Study of Browning's PoetrySome speaker is made to reveal his character, and, sometimes, by reflection, or directly, the character of some one else—to set forth some subtle and complex soul-mood, some supreme, all-determining movement or experience of a life; or, it may be, to ratiocinate subtly on some curious question of theology, morals, philosophy, or art.1925Sinclair LewisMartin ArrowsmithWell, Leory, I suppose you and Martykins here have now ratiocinated all these questions of polo and, uh, Monte Carlo and so on.Labels: Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Hiram Corson, Sinclair Lewis
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orison AWR-uh-suhn noun a prayer 1846Dinah CraikThe OgilviesIt was as the one amen to the universal love-orison which every young heart breathes at its first awakening.1880Albion W. TourgeeBricks Without StrawThe mocking birds, one after another, were responding to each other's calls, at first sleepily and unwillingly, as though the imprisoned melody compelled expression, and then, thoroughly aroused and perched upon the highest dew-laden branches swaying and tossing beneath them, they poured forth their rival orisons.1900John BuchanFrom the Pentlands Looking North and SouthO Thou to whom man's heart is known, | Grant me my morning orison. | Grant me the rover's path—to see | The dawn arise, the daylight flee.Labels: Albion W. Tourgee, Dinah Craik, John Buchan
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desultory DE-suhl-tor-ee adjective done haphazardly; done without planning; disconnected action or thought 1907Stewart Edward WhiteArizona NightsBehind him the punchers relieved the tedium of the march, each after his own manner. In an hour the bunch of loose horses lost its early-morning good spirits and settled down to a steady plodding, that needed no supervision. Tom Rich led them, now, in silence, his time fully occupied in rolling Mexican cigarettes with one hand. The other three dropped back together and exchanged desultory remarks. Occasionally Jim Lester sang.1988Graham MastertonRitualThe maids made a desultory attempt to look through their black plastic trash bag.1989Fred SaberhagenFarslayer's StoryGradually the remnants of the meal were cleared away, and winecups were refilled. As desultory efforts to clean up the room continued around them, talk among the surviving family members turned, as it was wont to do again and again, to that damned cowardly relative of theirs, Cosmo.1991Carl HiaasenNative TongueSeveral of the most popular animal characters—Robbie Raccoon, Petey Possum and Barney the Bison—were summoned from desultory lunch breaks in The Catacombs to greet and be photographed with the big winner.1997James CameronThe TitanicEXT. KELDYSH DECK A desultory wrap party for the expedition is in progress.Labels: Carl Hiaasen, Fred Saberhagen, Graham Masterton, James Cameron, Stewart Edward White
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lurdane LUR-den adjective ancient term for a stupid and lazy person 1759David HumeThe History of EnglandWe are told that the name lurdane, Lord Dane, for an idle lazy fellow, who lives at other people's expense, came from the conduct of the Danes, who were put to death.1823Sir Walter ScottQuentin DurwardA fine thing it would be for me, who can neither read nor write, to be afraid of a fat lurdane, who has done little else all his Life!1891Charlotte M. YongeTwo Penniless PrincessesAnd here's this other great lurdane knave been striking the poor rogues down right and left!Labels: Charlotte M. Yonge, David Hume, Sir Walter Scott
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neé nay adjective born; identifier placed before a woman's maiden name 1993Dorothy Gilman Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief'Bernard,' he said, 'I've only one question: is our old friend Aristotle, neé Rashad Bimms, still in prison over there?' 1996David IrvingGoebbelsBefore his first wife Antoine, neé Ewald, died in 1918 she bore him two sons—Hellmut and Herbert, born Jun 22, 1918 at Pritzwalk.Labels: David Irving, Dorothy Gilman
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laconic luh-KAWN-ik adjective terse; quiet; of few words 1914Algernon BlackwoodThe DamnedAnd then, while that dreadful house stood listening about us in the early hours of this chill morning upon the edge of winter, she told me, with laconic brevity, things about Mabel that I heard as from a distance.1922Zane GreyTo The Last ManThe tone was impersonal, dry, easy, cool, laconic, and yet it could not have been more pregnant with meaning.1985Carl SaganContactShe was troubled that in their haste to do a full sky survey in less than a human lifetime, to listen to all of the sky at a billion frequencies, they had abandoned both the frantic talkers and the laconic plodders.Labels: Algernon Blackwood, Carl Sagan, Zane Grey
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ragmatical rag-MAT-ik-uhl adjective poorly behaved; uncouth; low class 1771Tobias SmollettThe Expedition of Humphry ClinkerHe has not only got my skin, but, moreover, my butter-milk to fatten his pigs; and, I suppose, the next thing he gets, will be my pad to carry his daughter to church and fair: Roger gets this, and Roger gets that; but I'd have you to know, I won't be rogered at this rate by any ragmatical fellow in the kingdom—And I am surprised, docter Lews, you would offer to put my affairs in composition with the refuge and skim of the hearth.Labels: Tobias Smollett
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in hoc signo vinces in hok SIG-no WIN-kays phrase by this sign you shall conquer; with this sign you shall win 1890J. H. HillAstral WorshipHelena, good at finding lost things, also claimed to have discovered the veritable cross upon which the Saviour had been crucified; and her son, worthy of such a mother, claimed, as recorded by Eusebius, that he had seen with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, bearing the inscription: 'In Hoc Signo Vinces,' signifying 'Under this sign, conquer.'1903Joseph FurphySuch is LifeThe—standard is the Labarum of modern civilisation. By this sign shall we conquer. Since that night by the Murray, methinks each pair of—I see hanging in front of a draper's shop seems to bear aright, in hoc signo vinces! scrolled in haughty blazonry across its widest part1917Edgar Rice BurroughsThe Oakdale Affair'Some artist!' cried the man. 'And to think that I doubted your ability to make a successful touch! Forgive me! You are the ne plus ultra, non est cumquidibus, in hoc signo vinces, only and original kind of hand-out compellers.'Labels: Edgar Rice Burroughs, J. H. Hill, Joseph Furphy
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esurient i-SUR-ee-uhnt adjective greedy; avaricious; hungry 1903George MooreThe Untilled FieldFather Maguire remembered the theological debates, sometimes prolonged till after three o'clock, and the passionate scholiast of Maynooth seemed to him unrecognisable in the esurient Vicar-General, only occasionally interested in theology, at certain hours and when he felt particularly well.1987John NormanVagabonds of GorHe heard Ina gasping and crying out, now totally at the mercy of the esurient males who so masterfully fondled and exploited her.Labels: George Moore, John Norman
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syncretistic sing-kruh-TIS-tik adjective the fusion of disparate beliefs into one new belief; to combine disparate things 1915Sir Rabindranath TagoreSongs of KabirIn fifteenth-century Benares the syncretistic tendencies of Bhakti religion had reached full development.1933S. S. Van DineThe Dragon Murder CaseVahagn, the most popular of all the Armenian deities, was known far and wide as the 'dragon-reaper,' and in later syncretistic times he was identified with Heracles.1961Robert A. HeinleinStranger In A Strange LandThat might be where Mike picked it up, since all the forms he uses are openly syncretistic, especially that Earth-Mother ritual.2002Zoë BrânEnduring CubaSantería, 'the worship of saints', a Cuban syncretisation of Spanish Catholicism and Yoruba religion, is a merging of tradition and magic.Labels: Robert A. Heinlein, S. S. Van Dine, Sir Rabindranath Tagore, Zoë Brân
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orotund OR-uh-tuhnd adjective pompous; sonorous 1927Sinclair LewisElmer GantryBut he had learned his role of dignity now, and though he observed, 'Dandy day, Shorty!' he was quick to follow it up unhesitatingly with an orotund, 'I trust that you have been able to enjoy the beauty of the vernal foliage in the country this week.'1989Gore VidalHollywood'Will we hear your magnificent voice this evening, Senator?' Hitchcock was orotund.1996Laurence JamesKeeper of the Sun'I think that Master Cawdor is probably correct in this,' Doc said in his best orotund voice.Labels: Gore Vidal, Laurence James, Sinclair Lewis
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magnanerie mag-na-NAER-ee noun raising silkworms in order to harvest raw silk; a silkworm farm 1920Lord Frederic HamiltonThe Days Before YesterdayThree old women, celebrated for their skill in rearing silkworms, came down from the mountains, and the magnanerie, as lofts devoted to silkworm culture are called, was filled with huge trays fashioned with reeds.Labels: Lord Frederic Hamilton
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koan KO-awn noun a paradox; a paradox or problem meditated upon in Zen Buddhism to illustrate the need to abandon reason in the quest for enlightenment 1978Dennis SchmidtWay-FarerOn the wall was a scroll bearing his favorite koan, brushworked by a 13th Century Japanese master.1995Allen WattsPhilosophies of AsiaWhat is called the Zen problem, or koan, is likened to a person who has swallowed a ball of red-hot iron. He cannot gulp it down and he cannot spit it out.Labels: Allen Watts, Dennis Schmidt
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