(greyn-juh-rahyz)
• to augment the illustrative content of (a book) by inserting additional prints, drawings, engravings, etc., not included in the original volume.
• to mutilate (books) in order to get illustrative material for such a purpose.
etymology: 1880–85; after James Granger (1723–1776), English clergyman whose Biographical History of England (1769) was arranged for such illustration; see -ize
I am going to take a page from (see what I did there?) our
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stonepicnicking_okapi and leave you with a photo to illustrate this word:
art by Brian Dettmer
Thanks, WikiMedia!
This one's old, going back to the late 13th century, from Anglo-French, from Old French, where it's the diminutive of crue, earthen pot, of Germanic origin (cognate of Middle High German krūche, pitcher).
---L.
: a twining stem or flexible shoot (as of the hop)
also : a plant (such as woodbine) whose shoots are bines
(as distinguished from vine, which climbs using suckers)
Etymology:
Alteration of bind
First known use: 1707
This is a clipping (dating to the 1820s) of navigator, in the now obsolete meaning of someone who labored building navigating canals, now known as just canals. When railroads started being built, the name for diggers carried over, and the meaning expanded further to any type of (so-called unskilled) construction labor. Fun fact: when the steam-powered excavator was introduced in the 1870s, it was sometimes called a steam navvy.
Admin note: Posting might get spotty over the next week or so due to external obligations.
---L.
Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad)
Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 4 servings, about 1 cup each
Ingredients
2 medium cucumbers, or 1 large English cucumber
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (see Tip)
Directions
Peel cucumbers to leave alternating green stripes. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise; scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Using a sharp knife or wide vegetable peeler, cut into very thin slices. Place in a double layer of paper towels and squeeze gently to remove any excess moisture.
Combine ¼ cup rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add the cucumbers and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds; toss well to combine. Serve immediately.
Superyacht (noun)
superyacht [soo-per-yaht]
noun
1. a yacht of extraordinary size, power, or luxury.
Origin: At the beginning of the 20th century, when wealthy men ordered large private yachts for personal use, some manufacturers, such as Cox & King and Charles L. Seabury and Company, were noted for their large steam yachts. The first half of the 20th century saw the first large motor yachts, including Charles Henry Fletcher's Jemima F. III (1908) at 34 metres (111 ft), Savarona (1931) at 136 metres (446 ft), and Christina O (1947 conversion) at 99 metres (325 ft).
Example Sentences
A superyacht linked to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key allies has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the ongoing blockade of the critical shipping channel.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
In all, the superyacht world includes over 6,200 vessels, up from 4,550 a decade ago.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
There was his new superyacht, which drew public outcry in the Netherlands in the midst of concern a historic bridge was going to have to be dismantled to allow it to pass through.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025
Marshals Service, is auctioning off a superyacht, the $300-million-plus Amadea, which currently sits in a San Diego harbor, with a bid deposit starting at $10 million.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025
Guests traveled by water taxis, private jets and even Bezos’s superyacht moored nearby.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2025
Can be complementary, actually, and used affectionately. This is an Americanism dating to around 1905 (with a completely obscure origin), which makes it interesting that it shows up in an exceedingly British 1938 novel. Looking at the entry in Green's, the UK citation from 1922 suggests transmission through the armed forces during the Great War -- but this is hardly conclusive evidence.
---L.
Forever Knight: FKFicFest (a challenge-style ficathon)
May. 19th, 2026 07:39 ambrightknightie posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandomcalendarMultifandom: Epidem-Fic! Sickfic & Art Exchange - Nominations Open
May. 19th, 2026 12:56 amjamez posting in fandomcalendarnoun
1. a framework spanning a railroad track or tracks for displaying signals.
2. any of various spanning frameworks, as a bridge-like portion of certain cranes.
3. a frame consisting of scaffolds on various levels used to erect vertically launched rockets and spacecraft.
4. a frame-like stand for supporting a barrel or cask.
examples
1. "On the field there were a couple of large gantry cranes, a rocket pad, three warehouses, a truck garage, and a dormitory." The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin.
2. Inspired by natural cave formations, the 6-meter (20-feet) tall, 50-square-meter (538-square-foot) house took just 14 days to print on site — from foundation to rooftop parapet — using a giant gantry printer, says Igarashi. Rebecca Cairns, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
origin
Middle English gauntree, reshaping of ganter, borrowed from Anglo-French ganter (Old French —Picard— gantier, Old French chantier), going back to Latin cantērius, canthērius "horse of poor quality, rafter, prop for vines," akin to Greek kanthḗlia "panniers," (ónos) kanthḗlios "pack ass," both loanwords from an undetermined Mediterranean language
[MULTIFANDOM] SUMMER OF HORROR EXCHANGE 2026 NOMINATIONS OPEN
May. 18th, 2026 01:04 pmsummerofhorrorexchange posting in fandomcalendarchiffonier (shif-uh-NEER) - n., any of several pieces of furniture, esp. (a) (UK) a low set of shelves, sometimes protected by a grille door, or (b) (US) a tall, narrow chest of drawers, typically with a mirror attached on top.
The American version:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
.jpg){kind=link}
Also historically, a shallow, tall set of shelves for the display of china, and one can imagine divergent streams of modifications that give us the two most common modern meanings. Also, I've no idea what the word means in Canada, as up there they sometimes follow North American usage and sometimes British. From French, obviously, where the original meaning was rag-picker (from chiffon, rag/scrap), suggesting the original furniture so named was for storing odds and ends.
---L.
efficacious [ef-i-key-shuhs]
adjective:
capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc
Examples:
And on a less efficacious, more aesthetic note, many of these natural exfoliating formulas often deliver the same sleek aesthetics in their packaging and experience as prestige skin-care products. (Conçetta Ciarlo, Why I'm Opting for Exfoliating Deodorants This Spring, Vogue, March 2026)
At the end of the day, to suggest that plant medicine is not efficacious feels pretty silly to me. (Rachel King, The founder of wellness startup Mab & Stoke on the growth of 'pay what you can' options during the pandemic, Fortune, September 2020)
The muses may hold a pen in one hand and a smoke, or steaming mug, in the other - herbal remedies continue to be efficacious for writer’s block. (Alison Habens, A Brief History of the Muses, JSTOR Daily, October 2024)
Certainly the myth of the cowboy is an efficacious myth, one based first of all upon a deep response to nature. (Larry McMurtry, American Cowboys, Harper's Magazine, September 1968)
One of the best and most efficacious remedies would be for the person who has taken possession of them to go there to live. (Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince)
Origin:
'sure to have the desired effect' (often of medicines), 1520s, from Latin efficaci-, stem of efficax 'powerful, effectual, efficient,' from stem of efficere 'work out, accomplish' + -ous. (Online Etymology Dictionary)
Efficacious came to English from the Middle French word efficace (or that word's Latin source, efficāc- or efficāx), meaning 'effective'. (These words ultimately trace back to the Latin verb efficere, 'to make, bring about, produce, carry out'.) English speakers added -ious to effectively create the word we know today. Efficacious is one of many, er, eff words that mean 'producing or capable of producing a result'. Among its synonyms are the familiar adjectives effective and efficient. Efficacious is more formal than either of these; it's often encountered in medical writing where it describes treatments, therapies, and drugs that produce their desired and intended effects in patients. (Merriam-Webster)