The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
BRAILING
Verb
brailing
present participle of brail
Source: Wiktionary
BRAIL
Brail, n. Etym: [OE. brayle furling rope, OF. braiol a band placed around the breeches, fr.F. braies, pl., breeches, fr.L. braca, bracae, breeches, a Gallic word; cf. Arm. bragez. Cf. Breeches.]
1. (Falconry)
Definition: A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk's wing.
2. pl. (Naut.)
Definition: Ropes passing through pulleys, and used to haul in or up the leeches, bottoms, or corners of sails, preparatory to furling.
3. A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched.
Brail, v. t. (Naut.)
Definition: To haul up by the brails; -- used with up; as, to brail up a sail.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
17 June 2025
RECREANT
(adjective) having deserted a cause or principle; “some provinces had proved recreant”; “renegade supporters of the usurper”
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