In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
TRAPDOOR
Etymology
Noun
trapdoor (plural trapdoors)
A hinged or sliding door set into a floor or ceiling.
(theater) Such a trap set into the floor of a stage to allow fast exits and entrances.
(computing) A secret method of obtaining access to a program or online system; a backdoor.
(mathematics, cryptography) The special information that permits the inverse of a trapdoor function to be easily computed.
(mining) A door in a level for regulating the ventilating current; weather door.
Synonyms
• drop
Source: Wiktionary
Trap"door`, n.
1. (Arch.)
Definition: A lifting or sliding door covering an opening in a roof or floor.
2. (Mining)
Definition: A door in a level for regulating the ventilating current; -- called also weather door. Raymond. Trapdoor spider (Zoöl.), any one of several species of large spiders which make a nest consisting of a vertical hole in the earth, lined with a hinged lid, like a trapdoor. Most of the species belong to the genus Cteniza, as the California species (C. Californica).
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
22 February 2025
ANALYSIS
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’
Coffee Trivia
