The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
FORSPEAK
Etymology 1
Verb
forspeak (third-person singular simple present forspeaks, present participle forspeaking, simple past (archaic) forspake or forspoke, past participle forspoken)
(transitive, dialectal, Northern England and Scotland) To injure or cause bad luck through immoderate praise or flattery; to affect with the curse of an evil tongue, which brings ill luck upon all objects of its praise.
(transitive, obsolete) To bewitch, to charm.
(transitive, obsolete) To forbid, to prohibit; to oppose. [15th–19th c.]
(transitive, obsolete) To say bad things about; to slander.
Usage notes
Not to be confused with forespeak (“to foretell, to predict”).
Etymology 2
Verb
forspeak (third-person singular simple present forspeaks, present participle forspeaking, simple past (archaic) forspake or forspoke, past participle forspoken)
(transitive, obsolete) Alternative spelling of forespeak
Anagrams
• farspoke, forspake, speak for
Source: Wiktionary
For*speak", v. t. Etym: [Pref. for- + speak.]
1. To forbid; to prohibit. Shak.
2. To bewitch. [Obs.] Drayton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
16 June 2025
WINEBERRY
(noun) raspberry of China and Japan having pale pink flowers grown for ornament and for the small red acid fruits
Coffee Trivia
