The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
EXTRICATE
extricate, untangle, disentangle, disencumber
(verb) release from entanglement of difficulty; “I cannot extricate myself from this task”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
extricate (third-person singular simple present extricates, present participle extricating, simple past and past participle extricated)
(transitive) To free, disengage, loosen, or untangle.
(rare) To free from intricacies or perplexity
Source: Wiktionary
Ex"tri*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Extricated(); p. pr. & vb. n. Extricating().] Etym: [L. extricatus, p. p. of extricare to extricate; ex out + tricae trifles, impediments, perplexities. Cf. Intricate.]
1. To free, as from difficulties or perplexities; to disentangle; to disembarrass; as, to extricate a person from debt, peril, etc. We had now extricated ourselves from the various labyrinths and defiles. Eustance.
2. To cause to be emitted or evolved; as, to extricate heat or moisture.
Syn.
– To disentangle; disembarrass; disengage; relieve; evolve; set free; liberate.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
25 June 2025
DETENTION
(noun) a state of being confined (usually for a short time); “his detention was politically motivated”; “the prisoner is on hold”; “he is in the custody of police”
Coffee Trivia
