Wise Words for You

aul , n : A village encampment in the Caucasus, Central Asia or the Southern Urals. The Republic of Dagestan was established on this day in 1921 as the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

unpaid , adj : Not paid (for). Of work: done without agreed payment, usually voluntarily.

pooh-pooh , v : (transitive) To dismiss idly with contempt or derision. English author A. A. Milne, who created the character Winnie-the-Pooh in children’s story books, was born on this day in 1882.

knuckle sandwich , n : (slang) A punch to the face, especially to the mouth. American boxer and activist Muhammad Ali was born on this day in 1942.

cereology , n : The investigation, or practice, of creating crop circles.

cut-out , n : A hole or space produced when something is removed by cutting. Also attributive. A piece cut out of something A free-standing, rigid print (usually life-sized), often displayed for promotional purposes; a standee. A trusted middleman or intermediary, especially in espionage. […] (electronics) Any of several devices that halts the flow of a current, especially an electric current; a trip-switch or trip. (telegraphy) A switch that changes the current from one circuit to another, or for shortening a circuit. […] (US, agriculture) The separation of a group of cattle from a herd; the place where they are collected.

illapse , n : (rare) A gliding in; an immission or entrance of one thing into another. (rare) A sudden descent or attack.

Hilary term , n : The second term of the legal year, running from January to March or April, during which the upper courts of England and Wales, and Ireland, sit to hear cases. The second academic term of the universities of Oxford and Dublin, running from January to March. The term was modelled after the legal term, but does not begin and end on the same dates. Today is the feast day of Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310 – c. 367), which occurs during this term.

filibuster , n : A mercenary soldier; a freebooter; specifically, a mercenary who travelled illegally in an organized group from the United States to a country in Central America or the Spanish West Indies in the mid-19th century seeking economic and political benefits through armed force. (politics, US) A tactic (such as giving long, often irrelevant speeches) employed to delay the proceedings of, or the making of a decision by, a legislative body, particularly the United States Senate. (politics, US) A member of a legislative body causing such an obstruction; a filibusterer. One of the first filibusters in the United States Senate, involving an attempt to prevent a censure of President Andrew Jackson from being expunged from the Senate record, began on this date in 1837.

oose , n : (Scotland) Fluff, particularly from a textile source such as cotton or wool.