Dactyloscopy dac·ty·los·co·py Noun Identification by the comparison of fingerprints. I might even need this one if I write another murder mystery play, but I really do not care where it came from.
Word of the Week
My Word! November 7
by Betsey Ellis •
Aioli Ai-o-li Noun A mayonnaise flavored with garlic and sometimes other flavors as well. Aioli seems to have become the new salsa in the condiment world. While this one can be traced to 1846 coming from the Occitan words ai (garlic) and oli ( oil).
Word of the Week
My Word! September 19
by Betsey Ellis •
Tauromachy Tau-rom-a-chy Noun The art or practice of bullfighting Tauromachy is still practiced in Spain, but has lost a great deal of its popularity. We got it from the Spanish word tauromaquia (meaning bullfight). They cobbled it together from the Greek taurus and machia.
States Well Stated
Has Hugh Jackman Ever Visited the Wolverine State?
by Betsey Ellis •
Let’s get the really mundane stuff out of the way off the top. Michigan became the 26th State on January 26, 1837. The original capitol was Detroit, but it was moved to Lansing in 1847 to provide better defense against the British in nearby Canada. I am not quite sure why this was an issue…
Word of the Week
My Word! August 15
by Betsey Ellis •
Oneiromancy one·iro·man·cy Noun Divination by means of dreams, or the interpretation of dreams. Joseph gained favor with the Pharaoh by means of oneiromancy and helped avert the effects of famine in the land. People have been trying to interpret dreams for quite some time now since this word first was used in English in 1652. …
Word of the Week
My Word! August 8
by Betsey Ellis •
Niccolic Nic-colic Adjective Composed of, or pertaining to, nickel We all know that pennies are no longer 100% copper, but are nickels still niccolic? As nickel goes back a long time, so does the word about things being made of nickel. Yep, it’s from the Latin word niccolum (meaning nickel) with the English “ic” on…
Word of the Week
My Word! July 4
by Betsey Ellis •
Initiative In-i-ti-a-tive Noun an introductory step energy or aptitude displayed in initiation of action, enterprise the right to initiate legislative action; a procedure enabling a specified number of voters by petition to propose a law and secure its submission to the electorate or to the legislature for approval Many believe the Battle of Bunker Hill was the initiative of…
States Well Stated
MASSACHUSETTS – BIRTHPLACE OF PRESIDENTS, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THE DIGITAL COMPUTER AND THANKSGIVING
by Betsey Ellis •
Given the patriotic season upon us, it is more than past time for me to resume our review of these United States with one of the oldest original 13 colonies, Massachusetts! Of course, there were native tribes in the area before Europeans arrived in the 17th century. If there hadn’t been how else would…
Word of the Week
My Word! June 27
by Betsey Ellis •
Hypothesis Hy-poth-e-sis Noun an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument an interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences the antecedent clause of a conditional statement The earlier hypothesis that Machu Picchu was the birthplace of the Inca empire is no…
States Well Stated
Remember the What?
by Betsey Ellis •
Maine used to be a lot of things. It used to be the northernmost State. It used to have the most coastline (it has more than 3500 miles of coastline). It was even included in the original United States, as part of Massachusetts until 1820. Not wanting to be dominated by the megalopolis of Boston,…