To force someone to do something he or she does not want to do, especially by the use of threats or intimidation (not necessarily with an actual gun). Watch the video
dispirit
Definition: (verb) Lower someone's spirits; make downhearted.
Synonyms: cast down, deject, depress, dismay, demoralize.
Usage: I try to maintain a positive outlook, but the sad stories that are often featured on the nightly news inevitably dispirit me.
Discuss Continue reading “dispirit”
magician
magus – A person regarded as having great wisdom or powers likened to those of a magician. More…
archimage – A great magician, from Greek archi-, "chief, principal," and Latin magus, "magician." More…
fascinate, fascinator – Fascinate is derived from Latin fascinare, "to bewitch or enchant," and a fascinator was a magician. More…
mage, magian – Mage and magian are two other ways to say magician. More…
hoist by (one’s) own petard
To be injured, ruined, or defeated by one’s own action, device, or plot that was intended to harm another; to have fallen victim to one’s own trap or schemes. (Note: “hoist” in this instance is the simple past-tense of the archaic form of the verb, “hoise.”) Watch the video
The Giant Weta
One of the heaviest insects in the world, the giant weta is an example of island gigantism—the phenomenon in which isolated species evolve to become unusually large in the absence of restraints such as predators. Giant wetas are found primarily on New Zealand’s offshore islands, having been driven almost to extinction elsewhere in New Zealand by introduced mammalian predators. They are fairly tame, passive insects that resemble giant grasshoppers. How heavy are the largest wetas?
Continue reading “The Giant Weta”