In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
FINCH
finch
(noun) any of numerous small songbirds with short stout bills adapted for crushing seeds
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
finch (plural finches)
Any bird of the family Fringillidae, seed-eating passerine birds, native chiefly to the Northern Hemisphere and usually having a conical beak.
Verb
finch (third-person singular simple present finches, present participle finching, simple past and past participle finched)
To hunt for finches, to go finching.
Proper noun
Finch
A surname, from finch as a byname or for a catcher and seller of finches.
Source: Wiktionary
Finch, n.; pl. Fishes. Etym: [AS. finc; akin to D. vink, OHG. fincho, G. fink; cf. W. pinc a finch; also E. spink.] (Zoöl.)
Definition: A small singing bird of many genera and species, belonging to the family Fringillidæ.
Note: The word is often used in composition, as in chaffinch, goldfinch, grassfinch, pinefinch, etc. Bramble finch. See Brambling.
– Canary finch, the canary bird.
– Copper finch. See Chaffinch.
– Diamond finch. See under Diamond.
– Finch falcon (Zoöl.), one of several very small East Indian falcons of the genus Hierax.
– To pull a finch, to swindle an ignorant or unsuspecting person. [Obs.] "Privily a finch eke could he pull." Chaucer.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
7 May 2025
RUNNER
(noun) a person who is employed to deliver messages or documents; “he sent a runner over with the contract”
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