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"Abeyance really means something gaped after (French, bayer, to gape). The allusion is to men standing with their mouths open, in expectation of some sight about to appear." From Dict.Phrase and Fable http://www.bootlegbooks.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable/data/115.html
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Acme The crisis of a disease. Old medical writers used to divide the progress of a disease into four periods: the ar-che, or beginning; the anabasis, or increase, the acme, or term of its utmost violence, and the pa-rac-me, or decline. Figuratively, the highest point of anything.
"anabasis" as a term for stage of an illness I never heard of before I remember it only from:
Xenophon: Anabasis, or March Up Country
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Acrobat means one who goes on his extremities , or uses only the tips of his fingers and toes in moving
about. (It is from the two Greek words, akros baino, to go on the extremities of one's limbs.)
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Yes, these are surprises, wwh. Acrobats have always seemed to go to extremeties in my way of thinking. Especially the ones who move upward to flying in the air. It makes me nuts thinking about the things they do, especially the ones who have done so without nets. Nuts without nets. Deaths without nets. Come to think of it, would you still call the person who is a highwire artist an acrobat? And is there any connection between "baino" and the bat itself that truly does go flying through the air with the greatest of ease?
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I have never before seen translation of "auto da fé"
Act of Faith (auto da fé) in Spain, is a day set apart by the Inquisition for the punishment of heretics, and
the absolution of those who renounce their heretical doctrines. The sentence of the Inquisition is also so
called; and so is the ceremony of burning, or otherwise torturing the condemned.
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Where in the "a's" are you reading, wwh?
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Dear WW: I'm at "adore" . It surprised me:
Adore (2 syl.) means to "carry to one's mouth" "to kiss" (ad-os, ad-orare). The Romans performed
adoration by placing their right hand on their mouth and bowing. The Greeks paid adoration to kings by
putting the royal robe to their lips. The Jews kissed in homage: thus God said to Elijah he had 7,000 in
Israel who had not bowed unto Baal, "every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1 Kings xix. 18; see also
Hos. xiii. 2). "Kiss the Son lest He be angry" (Psalm ii. 12), means worship, reverence the Son. Even in
England we do homage by kissing the hand of the sovereign.
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I never thought of this before:
Adroit properly means "to the right" (French, à droite). The French call a person who is not adroit
gauche (left-handed), meaning awkward, boorish.
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Æolic Digamma An ancient Greek letter (F), sounded like our w. Thus oinos with the digamma was
sounded woinos; whence the Latin vinum, our wine. Gamma, or g, hence digamma = double g.
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Affront properly means to stand front to front. In savage nations opposing armies draw up front to front
before they begin hostilities, and by grimaces, sounds, words, and all conceivable means, try to provoke
and terrify their vis-à-vis. When this "affronting" is over, the adversaries rush against each other, and the
fight begins in earnest.
Affront. A salute; a coming in front of another to salute.
"Only, sir, this I must caution you of, in your affront, or salute, never to move your hat." -
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