Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
BUSKIN
buskin, combat boot, desert boot, half boot, top boot
(noun) a boot reaching halfway up to the knee
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
buskin (plural buskins)
(historical) A half-boot.
(historical) A type of half-boot with a high heel, worn by the ancient Athenian tragic actors.
(by extension) Tragic drama; tragedy.
An instrument of torture for the foot; bootikin.
Source: Wiktionary
Bus"kin, n. Etym: [Prob. from OF. brossequin, or D. broosken. See Brodekin.]
1. A strong, protecting covering for the foot, coming some distance up the leg. The hunted red deer's undressed hide Their hairy buskins well supplied. Sir W. Scott.
2. A similar covering for the foot and leg, made with very thick soles, to give an appearance of elevation to the stature; -- worn by tragic actors in ancient Greece and Rome. Used as a symbol of tragedy, or the tragic drama, as distinguished from comedy. Great Fletcher never treads in buskins here, No greater Jonson dares in socks appear. Dryden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
28 May 2025
AIR
(noun) a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; “an air of mystery”; “the house had a neglected air”; “an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate’s headquarters”; “the place had an aura of romance”
Coffee Trivia
