In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
QUICKSILVERING
Verb
quicksilvering
present participle of quicksilver
Noun
quicksilvering (uncountable)
An amalgam of mercury and tin formerly applied to the backs of mirrors.
Source: Wiktionary
Quick"sil`ver*ing, n.
Definition: The mercury and foil on the back of a looking-glass.
QUICKSILVER
Quick"sil`ver, n. Etym: [Quick living + silver; -- so called from its fluidity; cf. G. quecksilber, L. argentum vivum. See Quick, a.] (Chem.)
Definition: The metal mercury; -- so called from its resemblance to liquid silver. Quicksilver horizon, a mercurial artificial horizon. See under Horizon.
– Quicksilver water, a solution of mercury nitrate used in artificial silvering; quick water.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Word of the Day
18 November 2024
AWRY
(adjective) not functioning properly; “something is amiss”; “has gone completely haywire”; “something is wrong with the engine”
Coffee Trivia
