The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
banshee, banshie
(noun) (Irish folklore) a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death
Source: WordNet® 3.1
banshee (plural banshees)
(Irish folklore) A female spirit, usually taking the form of a woman whose mournful wailing warns of an impending death.
(derogatory) A noisy or ill-tempered woman.
• A banshee was originally merely a fairy woman who sang a caoineadh (lament) for recently-deceased members of certain families. Translations of Irish works into English made a distinction between the banshee and other fairy folk that the original language and original stories do not seem to have, but from which sprung the current image of the banshee.
• has-been, shabeen, shebean
Source: Wiktionary
Ban"shee, Ban"shie, n. Etym: [Gael. bean-shith fairy; Gael. & Ir. bean woman + Gael. sith fairy.]
Definition: A supernatural being supposed by the Irish and Scotch peasantry to warn a family of the speedy death of one of its members, by wailing or singing in a mournful voice under the windows of the house.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
26 December 2024
(noun) personal as opposed to real property; any tangible movable property (furniture or domestic animals or a car etc)
The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.