In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
BIGGING
Etymology
Verb
bigging
present participle of big
Noun
bigging (plural biggings)
(obsolete) A home. [13th-18th c.]
(Scotland, northern England) A building, especially an outbuilding. [from 14th c.]
Alternative form of biggin (coffee pot with strainer)
Source: Wiktionary
Big"gin, Big"ging, n. Etym: [OE. bigging. See Big, Bigg, v. t.]
Definition: A building. [Obs.]
BIG
Big, a. [compar. Bigger; superl. Biggest.] Etym: [Perh. from Celtic; cf. W. beichiog, beichiawg, pregnant, with child, fr. baich burden, Arm. beac'h; or cf. OE. bygly, Icel. biggiligr, (properly) habitable; (then) magnigicent, excellent, fr. OE. biggen, Icel. byggja, to dwell, build, akin to E. be.]
1. Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large. "He's too big to go in there." Shak.
2. Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; -- often figuratively. [Day] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome. Addison.
3. Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride. God hath not in heaven a bigger argument. Jer. Taylor.
Note: Big is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, big-boned; big-sounding; big-named; big-voiced. To talk big, to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously. I talked big to them at first. De Foe.
Syn.
– Bulky; large; great; massive; gross.
Big, Bigg, n. Etym: [OE. bif, bigge; akin to Icel. bygg, Dan. byg, Sw. bjugg.] (Bot.)
Definition: Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind. "Bear interchanges in local use, now with barley, now with bigg." New English Dict.
Big, Bigg, v. t. Etym: [OE. biggen, fr. Icel. byggja to inhabit, to build, b (neut.) to dwell (active) to make ready. See Boor, and Bound.]
Definition: To build. [Scot. & North of Eng. Dial.] Sir W. Scott.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
4 April 2025
GUILLOTINE
(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”
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