Erhard Horst Bellermann(*1937), deutscher Bauingenieur, Dichter und Aphoristiker

noun: An official letter. adjective: For wide circulation.

Definition: (noun) A moral fable, especially one having animals or inanimate objects as characters. Synonyms: allegory, parable, fable. Usage: The minister liked to incorporate apologues into his sermons, thinking the moral tales about sly foxes and witty rabbits would appeal to the children in the congregation. Discuss

Werner Hadulla(1926 – 2018), Journalist, Radio- und Fernsehautor

adjective: Greatly exceeding what’s considered reasonable, especially in cost or price.

Definition: (noun) A reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages. Synonyms: dry. Usage: She was a tireless prohibitionist who raided saloons and destroyed bottles of liquor with a hatchet. Discuss

Oscar Wilde(1854 – 1900), eigentlich Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills, irischer Lyriker, Dramatiker und Bühnenautor

noun: 1. A circular diagram with 12 parts, each named after a constellation, used in astrology. 2. A circle, circuit, etc.

Definition: (noun) A woman's loose-fitting dressing gown. Synonyms: neglige, wrapper, housecoat. Usage: The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her peignoir no longer served to dry them. Discuss

Prof. Querulix(*1946), deutscher Aphoristiker und Satiriker

adjective: Wheel-shaped.

Definition: (noun) A soft yellow wax secreted by glands in the ear canal. Synonyms: earwax. Usage: A buildup of cerumen was irritating Billy's ear, so his mother gently cleaned the area with a cotton swab. Discuss

« Di un grande, grande, grande, grande. Di un uomo verticale che ha dovuto lottate non solo sulle piste di tutto il mondo, ha dovuto lottare anche contro l'incomprensione di un ambiente, che è molto egoista. Ha dovuto sempre correre e fare il suo mestiere con pochissimi soldi. Per lui non c'erano mai soldi. Poi,…

Franz Friedrich Kovacs(*1949), deutscher Schriftsteller und Lyriker

adjective: Relating to the wheel or the rotary motion.

Definition: (adjective) That cannot undergo mixing or blending. Synonyms: unmixable. Usage: When two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water, are shaken together, an emulsion is produced. Discuss

Matthias Claudius(1740 – 1815), deutscher Dichter, Redakteur, Erzähler und Herausgeber des Wandsbecker Boten, Pseudonym Asmus

Definition: (noun) An enlisted person in the US or British Navy. Synonyms: sailor. Usage: The big steam pinnace went off to her ship to bring over a few bluejackets to furl my sails for me. Discuss

«Si ama ciò che è simile, ma anche ciò che è opposto.» (Tommaso d’Aquino)

Otto Ernst(1862 – 1926), eigentlich Otto Ernst Schmidt, deutscher Erzähler, ursprünglich Volksschullehrer

Definition: (noun) A person with great powers and abilities. Synonyms: superman, Ubermensch. Usage: The saints and demigods whom history worships we are constrained to accept with a grain of allowance. Discuss

«Si ama ciò che è simile, ma anche ciò che è opposto.»

Wolfgang Buschmann(*1943), Lehrer und Autor

noun: A land of promise, abundance, and fulfillment.

Definition: (noun) A person who shows no gratitude. Synonyms: thankless wretch, ungrateful person. Usage: This bird was a godsend to us, and I should be an ingrate if I forgot to make honorable mention of him in these pages. Discuss

noun: A place of perfect happiness.

Definition: (noun) A small, scattered amount or number. Synonyms: handful. Usage: Her skin had a healthy glow, and her nose was dotted with a smattering of freckles. Discuss

«Se avessi un fiore per ogni volta che ti penso, potrei camminare nel mio giardino per sempre.»

Friedrich von Schiller(1759 – 1805), Johann Christoph Friedrich Schiller, ab 1802 von Schiller, deutscher Arzt, Dichter, Philosoph und Historiker; gilt als einer der bedeutendsten deutschsprachigen Dramatiker und Lyriker

noun: A state of servitude or bondage.

Definition: (noun) A tiresome or unwelcome moral lecture or discourse; tedious sermonizing. Synonyms: homily. Usage: Don't torment me with your preachments now, unless you want to kill me outright. Discuss

Christian Ferch(*1966), Dr. phil., Philosoph und Künstler

noun: A rack with open top and slatted partitions for magazines, sheet music, documents, etc.

Definition: (noun) A tourist who is visiting sights of interest. Synonyms: rubberneck, sightseer, tripper. Usage: The city's economy depends on tourism, and an influx of enthusiastic excursionists is always welcome. Discuss

«Le cose che ci sfuggono sono più importanti di quelle che possediamo.» (William Somerset Maugham)

Phil Bosmans(1922 – 2012), belgischer Ordenspriester, Telefonseelsorger und Schriftsteller (›der moderne Franziskus‹). Die Texte von Phil Bosmans liegen in deutscher Sprache im Verlag Herder vor, (c) Verlag Herder GmbH, Freiburg. Wiedergabe mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Verlags

adjective: Luxurious.

Definition: (noun) A mean-spirited miserly person. Synonyms: niggard, skinflint, churl. Usage: The old scrooge was married to his money, and spending a penny was, to him, as traumatic as divorce. Discuss

«Ai miei tempi riuscivo a capire chi faceva uso di cocaina: mi accorgevo se davanti al bagno c'era la fila per tirare, e infatti il ceto era alto, era una droga elitaria. Oggi, da quello che mi raccontano, ne fanno uso anche gli impiegati.» (Jerry Calà)

Billy(1932 – 2019), eigentlich Walter Fürst, Schweizer Aphoristiker

Definition: (noun) A memorandum setting forth the major points of a proposed discussion or agreement, used especially in diplomatic communications. Synonyms: position paper. Usage: After the conference, they wrote an aide-memoire and sent copies of it to everyone in the department who had been unable to attend the meeting. Discuss

Wolfgang Mocker(1954 – 2009), deutscher Journalist und Autor

noun: The back part of the head or skull.

Definition: (noun) A sudden attempt by a group to overthrow a government. Synonyms: coup, coup d'etat, takeover. Usage: The people had been expecting a putsch for years, but they were surprised to wake up one morning and find themselves the subjects of a new government. Discuss

Manfred Hinrich(1926 – 2015), Dr. phil., deutscher Philosoph, Philologe, Lehrer, Journalist, Kinderliederautor, Aphoristiker und Schriftsteller

noun: The time between two new moons, about 29 and a half days. A lunar month.

Definition: (adjective) Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic. Synonyms: lordly, grand. Usage: He was of august lineage, and was widely admired for his family connections. Discuss

adjective: Relating to the leap year or the extra day in a leap year. noun: Leap year.

Definition: (noun) Haughtiness in bearing and attitude. Synonyms: arrogance, haughtiness, lordliness. Usage: There was no trace of hauteur in her expression, and she seemed humbled and meek. Discuss

«Non mi sono allenato per formare la squadra olimpica fino al 1968. Mi sono semplicemente allenato per il momento. Non ho mai nemmeno immaginato di essere un atleta olimpico. Sembrava sempre evolversi.» (Dick Fosbury)

adjective: Marked by unrestrained revelry, overindulgence, licentiousness, etc.

Definition: (adjective) Originating or existing during the same period; lasting through the same era. Synonyms: coetaneous, contemporaneous. Usage: The range was composed of grand, solid, abrupt masses of granite, which appeared as if they had been coeval with the beginning of the world. Discuss

«La pena e la grandezza sono il destino dell’artista.» (Franz Liszt)

Margarete Seemann(1893 – 1949), österreichische Roman-, Kinder- und Jugendbuchautorin, veröffentlichte auch unter dem Pseudonym Margarete Margmann

noun: The act of giving a monetary value to something.

Definition: (noun) A thin, fetid, greenish fluid consisting of serum and pus discharged from a wound, ulcer, or fistula. Synonyms: pus, festering, ichor, purulence, suppuration. Usage: The doctor bandaged my hand and told me to call him if sanies began to ooze from the wound. Discuss

«La pena e la grandezza sono il destino dell’artista.»

Henri-Frédéric Amiel(1821 – 1881), französisch-schweizerischer Philosoph, Essayist und Lyriker

Definition: (adjective) Capable of being farmed productively. Synonyms: arable, tillable. Usage: Though she had inherited a large farm, it was practically worthless because of the lack of cultivable land. Discuss

«Bella Italia, amate sponde, | Pur vi torno a riveder | Trema in petto, e si confonde | L'alma oppressa dal piacer. Tua bellezza, che di pianti | Fonte amara ognor ti fu, | Di stranieri e crudi amanti | T'avea posta in servitù. » (Vincenzo Monti)

Deutsches Sprichwort

Definition: (noun) A margin of freedom or variation, as of activity, time, or expenditure; latitude. Synonyms: margin, allowance, tolerance. Usage: Lisa's parents gave her a lot of leeway with her curfew, but they expected her to finish all her chores before she left the house. Discuss

Lucius Annaeus Seneca(ca. 4 v. Chr. – 65 n. Chr.), genannt Seneca der Jüngere; römischer Philosoph, Stoiker, Schriftsteller, Naturforscher und Politiker; Selbsttötung auf Geheiß seines ehem. Schülers Nero (Römischer Kaiser von 54 – 68)

noun: A babbler.

Definition: (noun) A fancy twist or curl, such as a flourish made with a pen. Synonyms: squiggle. Usage: Her penmanship was beautiful, but with so many curlicues, it was hard to read. Discuss

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749 – 1832), gilt als einer der bedeutendsten Repräsentanten deutschsprachiger Dichtung

Definition: (noun) A show, pretense, or display. Synonyms: pose, mannerism. Usage: Strickland would not go near them, not from any affectation of stoicism, for I found him seated on a three-legged stool when I went into the studio one day and he was alone, but because he did not like them. Discuss

Otto Ernst(1862 – 1926), eigentlich Otto Ernst Schmidt, deutscher Erzähler, ursprünglich Volksschullehrer

noun: Pregnancy.

Definition: (noun) The part of the respiratory tract between the pharynx and the trachea, having walls of cartilage and muscle and containing the vocal cords enveloped in folds of mucous membrane. Synonyms: voice box. Usage: By cunning operations on tongue, throat, larynx, and nasal cavities a man's whole enunciation and manner of speech could be…

André Brie(*1950), Dr. rer. pol., deutscher Diplom-Politikwissenschaftler, von 1999 bis 2009 Europaabgeordneter der Linkspartei, Präsident der Chile-Delegation des Europäischen Parlaments, von 2011 bis 2016 Abgeordneter im Landtag von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Aphoristiker

verb tr., intr.: To shed or cast off.

Definition: (noun) A painted or carved screen placed above and behind an altar or communion table. Synonyms: altarpiece. Usage: The artist is best known for the reredos he painted for the church in his hometown. Discuss

Otto Weiß(1849 – 1915), Wiener Musiker und Feuilletonist

noun: 1. Punctuation. 2. A punctuation mark. 3. The insertion of punctuation marks in a text.

Definition: (noun) Something that is utterly stupid or silly. Synonyms: absurdity, fatuousness, silliness. Usage: In his fatuity, the beggar believed the princess to be in love with him. Discuss

Definition: (noun) Something, such as a skin or peel, that has been pared off. Synonyms: shaving, sliver. Usage: We do not mourn over the parings of our nails nor the cut locks of our hair, though they were once part of ourselves. Discuss

Alexander Engel(1868 – 1940), österreichischer Schriftsteller

Definition: (verb) To give vent to angry disapproval; protest vehemently. Synonyms: rail. Usage: The detective had, indeed, good reasons to inveigh against the bad luck which pursued him. Discuss

Otto Pötter(*1948), Dichter, Aphoristiker, Mystiker, Schriftsteller

noun: 1. Any of various long-necked large waterbirds, usually in white plumage. 2. Someone or something of unusual beauty, grace, purity, etc. verb intr.: 1. To move about in an idle, aimless way. 2. To declare or to swear.

Definition: (noun) A stopping. Synonyms: cessation. Usage: More than anything else in the world, my frayed and frazzled mind wanted surcease from weariness in the way it knew surcease would come. Discuss

«Se penso alle tappe storiche della mia vita, capisco meglio l'esigenza di radicalità che avverto sul piano personale e su quello politico. Uso il termine «radicalità» in senso etimologico, intendendo un cambiamento da operare alla radice. L'opposto della continuità, dei timidi aggiustamenti tattici dell'esistente, e anche l'opposto della celebre strategia enunciata dal nipote del principe…

Peter F. Keller(*1949), Schweizer Autor

verb intr.: To rise or lift by, or as if by, a wave. noun: The rising movement of a wave or a ship on a wave.

Definition: (noun) A spectacular public display. Synonyms: ostentation. Usage: Because they were considered hometown heroes, the returning astronauts were greeted with much fanfare. Discuss

«Se penso alle tappe storiche della mia vita, capisco meglio l'esigenza di radicalità che avverto sul piano personale e su quello politico. Uso il termine «radicalità» in senso etimologico, intendendo un cambiamento da operare alla radice. L'opposto della continuità, dei timidi aggiustamenti tattici dell'esistente, e anche l'opposto della celebre strategia enunciata dal nipote del principe…

Unbekannt

noun: A person having a bad reputation. verb tr.: To defame: to attack the reputation or to disgrace. adjective: Having a bad reputation.

Definition: (verb) Ask for and get free; be a parasite. Synonyms: bum, grub, mooch, sponge. Usage: Though she had a pantry full of groceries, Sheila loved to cadge her meals from her sister. Discuss

«Era un mattino di marzo, e un sole impaziente s'era alzato troppo presto, spargendo per l'aria azzurra e già calda l'oro della sua luce, il tepore del suo fiato.»