talaria, noun pl.(Roman Mythology.)
the winged sandals or small wings on the ankles
of some gods, especially Mercury (Hermes).



machan, noun.(Anglo-Indian.) a platform built into
a tree, used by hunters to await a tiger driven
toward them by beaters.


excursive, adjective.
1. off the subject; wandering; rambling.
(SYN) erratic, digressive.
2. of the nature of an excursion.
3. (Figurative.) desultory. Ex. excursive reading.


boniface, noun.
1. the keeper of an inn.
2. the owner of a hotel, restaurant, or other
public house.


invidious, adjective.
1. likely to cause ill will or resentment;
giving offense because unfair or unjust.
Ex. invidious comparisons or distinctions.
Wise teachers avoid invidious rules.
The highest court stated that districts cannot
be apportioned arbitrarily, irrationally, or
with "invidi

straiten, transitive verb.
1. to limit by the lack of something; restrict.
(SYN) hamper, impede.
2. to make narrow; contract.
3. (Archaic.) to confine within narrow limits; confine.


Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud;
Under the bludgeoning of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid,
It matters not how strait the gate
Or how charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.