In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
TAUT
taut, tight
(adjective) pulled or drawn tight; “taut sails”; “a tight drumhead”; “a tight rope”
taut
(adjective) subjected to great tension; stretched tight; “the skin of his face looked drawn and tight”; “her nerves were taut as the strings of a bow”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
taut (comparative tauter, superlative tautest)
(also, figuratively) Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
Synonyms: nonslack, stretched, tense, tensioned, Thesaurus:taut
Antonyms: untaut, Thesaurus:loose
(of a body, muscles, etc.) Not flabby; firm, toned; (of a person) having a lean, strong body.
(of music, writing, etc.) Containing only relevant parts; brief and controlled.
Synonyms: concise, crisp, terse, tight, Thesaurus:concise
Antonym: Thesaurus:verbose
(figuratively) Experiencing anxiety or stress.
Synonyms: nonrelaxed, strained, tense, unrelaxed
(nautical, of a sailor, a ship, etc.) Neat and well-disciplined; (by extension) efficient and in order.
(oenology) Strong; uncompromising.
Verb
taut (third-person singular simple present tauts, present participle tauting, simple past and past participle tauted)
(transitive) To make taut; to tauten, to tighten.
Anagrams
• Ta Tu, Ta-tu, tatu
Source: Wiktionary
Taut, a. Etym: [Dan. tæt; akin to E. tight. See Tight.]
1. (Naut.)
Definition: Tight; stretched; not slack; -- said esp. of a rope that is tightly strained.
2. Sung; close; firm; secure. Taut hand (Naut.), a sailor's term for an officer who is severe in discipline.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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