Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
WHITTLE
Whittle, Frank Whittle, Sir Frank Whittle
(noun) English aeronautical engineer who invented the jet aircraft engine (1907-1996)
whittle, pare
(verb) cut small bits or pare shavings from; “whittle a piece of wood”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
whittle (plural whittles)
A knife; especially, a pocket knife, sheath knife, or clasp knife.
Verb
whittle (third-person singular simple present whittles, present participle whittling, simple past and past participle whittled)
(transitive or intransitive) To cut or shape wood with a knife.
(transitive) To reduce or gradually eliminate something (such as a debt).
(transitive, figurative) To make eager or excited; to excite with liquor; to inebriate.
Etymology 2
Noun
whittle (plural whittles)
(archaic) A coarse greyish double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl.
(archaic) A whittle shawl; a kind of fine woollen shawl, originally and especially a white one.
Proper noun
Whittle (plural Whittles)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Whittle is the 4828th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 7307 individuals. Whittle is most common among White (80.22%) and Black/African American (13.14%) individuals.
Source: Wiktionary
Whit"tle, n. Etym: [AS. hwitel, from hwit white; akin to Icel. hvitill a white bed cover. See White.] (a) A grayish, coarse double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl. C. Kingsley. (b) Same as Whittle shawl, below. Whittle shawl, a kind of fine woolen shawl, originally and especially a white one.
Whit"tle, n. Etym: [OE. thwitel, fr. AS. pwitan to cut. Cf. Thwittle, Thwaite a piece of ground.]
Definition: A knife; esp., a pocket, sheath, or clasp knife. "A butcher's whittle." Dryden. "Rude whittles." Macaulay. He wore a Sheffield whittle in his hose. Betterton.
Whit"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whittled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whittling.]
1. To pare or cut off the surface of with a small knife; to cut or shape, as a piece of wood held in the hand, with a clasp knife or pocketknife.
2. To edge; to sharpen; to render eager or excited; esp., to excite with liquor; to inebriate. [Obs.] "In vino veritas." When men are well whittled, their tongues run at random. Withals.
Whit"tle, v. i.
Definition: To cut or shape a piece of wood with am small knife; to cut up a piece of wood with a knife. Dexterity with a pocketknife is a part of a Nantucket education; but I am inclined to think the propensity is national. Americans must and will whittle. Willis.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Word of the Day
27 November 2024
NAUSEATING
(adjective) causing or able to cause nausea; “a nauseating smell”; “nauseous offal”; “a sickening stench”
Coffee Trivia
