snaphance (plural snaphances)
A spring lock for discharging a firearm.
The firearm to which it is attached.
(obsolete) A trifling or second-rate thing or person.
(obsolete) A snappish retort.
Source: Wiktionary
Snap"hance`, n. Etym: [D. snaphaan a gun, originally, the snapping cock of a gun. See Snap, and Hen.]
1. A spring lock for discharging a firearm; also, the firearm to which it is attached. [Obs.]
2. A trifling or second-rate thing or person. [Obs.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
22 September 2024
(noun) a beginning from which an enterprise is launched; “he uses other people’s ideas as a springboard for his own”; “reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions”; “the point of departure of international comparison cannot be an institution but must be the function it carries out”
Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.
