Erhard Blanck(*1942), deutscher Heilpraktiker, Schriftsteller und Maler

noun: A punctuation mark (?) formed by a question mark (?) superimposed on an exclamation point (!).

Definition: (noun) A large warship that carries planes and has a long flat deck for take-offs and landings. Synonyms: aircraft carrier. Usage: Before the invasion, the general ordered a large flattop to anchor several miles offshore to facilitate a swift aerial attack. Discuss

noun: A glut of mostly unreliable, rapidly spreading information relating to an event, crisis, disease, etc.

Definition: (noun) A person who has recently attained high position or great power but not general acceptance or respect; an upstart. Synonyms: nouveau-riche, parvenu, upstart. Usage: The arriviste tried to gain acceptance into society through ostentatious displays of his newfound wealth, but his actions only inspired resentment. Discuss

«È forse questo che si cerca nella vita, nient'altro che questo, la più gran pena possibile per diventare se stessi, prima di morire.» (Louis-Ferdinand Céline)

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

noun: An icicle-like formation of rust, as on an underwater shipwreck.

Definition: (noun) A horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets. Synonyms: whalebone. Usage: Baleen, formerly used in buggy whips, parasol ribs, and corsets, has largely been replaced by plastic in these items. Discuss

Definition: (noun) A facing, as of masonry, used to support an embankment. Synonyms: stone facing. Usage: Like seawalls, revetments armor and protect the land behind them. Discuss

«Non importa quanto ben fatta sia una racchetta di legno: non ce ne sono due uguali. C'è sempre una differenza di tocco o di bilanciamento. Con l'acciaio è possibile produrre racchette che concordano nelle più piccole specifiche.» (René Lacoste)

Walter Jakoby(*1958), Wissenschaftler, Manager und Autor

Definition: (noun) A painful sore with a hard pus-filled core. Synonyms: boil. Usage: His doctor referred him to a dermatologist who would examine the furuncle on his leg. Discuss

Elbert Hubbard(1856 – 1915 (auf der Lusitania)), Elbert Green Hubbard, amerikanischer Schriftsteller, Essayist, Philosoph und Verleger

noun: A place that is very busy, crowded, or noisy.

Definition: (noun) An instrument for measuring wind force and velocity. Synonyms: wind gauge. Usage: The storm chasers loaded their van with high-tech gear, including a number of powerful anemometers. Discuss

Willy Meurer(1934 – 2018), deutsch-kanadischer Kaufmann, Aphoristiker und Publizist, M.H.R. (Member of the Human Race), Toronto

noun: A reduction in value.

Definition: (noun) A label bearing the owner's name or other identification that is pasted usually on the inside cover of a book. Synonyms: ex libris. Usage: I learned from the bookplate that the previous owner of my copy of <i>Gone with the Wind</i> had been a woman named Scarlett. Discuss

«Ognuno di noi ha un pezzettino di Dio dentro di sè che aspetta solo di essere scoperto.» (Tina Turner)

«La gente pensa che la mia vita sia stata dura, ma io penso che sia stato un viaggio meraviglioso. Più invecchi, più ti rendi conto che non è quello che succede, ma come lo affronti. »

Paul Kunad(1864 – 1912), deutscher Journalist und Lyriker

«Tatiana è l'amica mia grassa, tarmente grassa che l'altro giorno sono andata a trovarla all'ospedale e affianco a lei c'era un auto botte e gli ho chiesto: a Tatià ma ch stai a fa?… no niente me sto a fa na flebo!!!» (Gabriele Cirilli)

noun: 1. In a ball game, a ball that moves close to the ground. 2. A horse that lifts its feet very little off the ground. 3. A bomb powerful enough to flatten a large area, such as a forest.

Definition: (adjective) Generally incompetent and ineffectual. Synonyms: inept. Usage: Much to his wife's dismay, Jim refused to call a professional, and continued his feckless attempts at repairing the plumbing in the house. Discuss

Klaus D. Koch(*1948), Dr. med., deutscher Mediziner und Aphoristiker

noun: Nonsense, such as foolish, deceptive, or pretentious talk.

Definition: (verb) To cause to expand by or as if by internal pressure; dilate. Synonyms: dilate. Usage: It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Discuss

Pavel Kosorin(*1964), tschechischer Schriftsteller und Aphoristiker

Definition: (noun) A tool used by an engraver. Synonyms: pointel. Usage: The jewelry designer's studio was attached to her shop, so customers could watch her hammer metals and draw elegant designs with her graver. Discuss

Definition: (noun) A tiny or scarcely detectable amount. Synonyms: iota, scintilla, shred, smidgeon, whit. Usage: Sydney Carton drank nothing but a tittle coffee. Discuss

«Le aggressioni che non incontrano opposizione diventano malattie contagiose.» (Jimmy Carter)

«Ascolta | come mi batte forte il tuo cuore.»

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

noun: 1. A contest too close to call. 2. An undecided situation or one with no preference.

Definition: (adjective) Reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence. Synonyms: faded, weakened. Usage: She placed a record in the player, and the attenuate tones of the old recording swept through the house. Discuss

«È possibile che non abbia mai preso l'Oscar perché i miei film lasciano più spazio alla storia che alla singola interpretazione. A me interessa che il film sia buono nel suo complesso, non avere il mio momento di gloria.» (Harrison Ford)

«Le aggressioni che non incontrano opposizione diventano malattie contagiose.»

Arthur Schnitzler(1862 – 1931), österreichischer Dramatiker und Erzähler

noun: 1. An enclosed area on a boat or ship that houses the steering wheel. 2. In baseball, the area in which it’s easiest for the batter to hit the ball with the most power. 3. One’s area of interest or expertise.

Definition: (noun) Boastful, unwarranted pride in one's accomplishments or qualities. Synonyms: boastfulness. Usage: I share my substance with the poor, making no display of good works, lest I let hypocrisy and vainglory, those enemies that subtly take possession of the most watchful heart, find an entrance into mine. Discuss

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

Definition: (adjective) Having a dark complexion or color. Synonyms: dusky, swart, dark-skinned. Usage: He is a noble of very lofty carriage, black hair, swarthy complexion, piercing eye, white teeth, and has a scar on his temple. Discuss

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg(1742 – 1799), deutscher Physiker und Meister des Aphorismus

noun: A last-ditch attempt, made in desperation, having little chance of success, but potentially resulting in a big payoff.

Definition: (noun) A section of DNA that contains the genetic code for a single polypeptide and functions as a hereditary unit. Synonyms: gene, factor. Usage: When cistrons are located in reproductive cells, they pass their information to the next generation. Discuss

William Cowper(1731 – 1800), englischer Dichter, Wegbereiter der Romantik. Aus seinen »Olney hymns« (1779) blieben viele als Kirchenlieder lebendig

Definition: (noun) An affectionate or humorous nickname. Synonyms: cognomen, moniker, nickname, soubriquet. Usage: Usually he saw things long before others were aware that there was anything to see—a trait that had won for him the sobriquet of Hawk. Discuss

«Ho comprato un buon paio di scarpe, girerò tutta Roma, lo faccio ritualmente, per incontrare le persone.» (Enrico Michetti)

Definition: (noun) A painful burning sensation in the chest caused by gastroesophageal reflux (backflow from the stomach irritating the esophagus); symptomatic of an ulcer or a diaphragmatic hernia or other disorder. Synonyms: heartburn. Usage: Even after he swore off spicy foods, his pyrosis kept him up at night. Discuss

Alexander Engel(1868 – 1940), österreichischer Schriftsteller

verb tr.: 1. To praise or flatter. 2. To hang someone.

Heinz Potthoff(1875 – 1945), deutscher Sozialreformer und liberaler Politiker

noun: 1. A naive and inept trainee or worker. 2. An undesirable hospital patient, one who may be unpleasant, senile, or unresponsive to treatment. 3. A conical chamber used in guns and mortars.

Definition: (noun) A brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary deficiency of oxygen in the brain; a swoon. Synonyms: deliquium, faint, swoon. Usage: She was an enormous flirt, laughing at all the men's jokes and even feigning syncope to garner their concern. Discuss

«Quando con certe persone si è fatto il possibile per conquistarle, se la cosa non riesce c’è ancora una risorsa: non far più nulla.» (Jean de La Bruyère)

Maria Hecht(*1973), Lageristin

adjective: 1. Wise or learned. 2. Relating to wisdom, knowledge, or learning.

Definition: (noun) A journalist who writes editorials. Synonyms: columnist. Usage: He grew so weary of armchair-general editorialists that he stopped reading the Op-Ed pages altogether and picked up a book on political theory. Discuss

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

noun: 1. A method of analyzing workflow for process optimization. Also known as scientific management. 2. A modified form of Calvinism. Also known as New Haven theology.

Definition: (noun) A very small amount; a trace. Synonyms: mite, tinge, jot, hint, pinch, speck, touch. Usage: This dish could use a soupcon of salt. Discuss

«Un attimo e sono subito da lei! » (I Soliti Idioti)

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

noun: 1. A blacksmith or a metalworker. 2. A miner. 3. A person whose leg is broken or deformed. 4. A cuckold: a man whose wife is unfaithful. 5. One who is extremely logical and shows a lack of emotions, humor, etc. adjective: Extremely logical, unemotional, etc.

Definition: (noun) A restaurant that specializes in steaks. Synonyms: steakhouse. Usage: The best steak we ever ate was at a small chophouse in California. Discuss

«È l'ingordigia che fa apparire gli animali, agli occhi degli uomini, privi di ragionamento.» (Porfirio)

Emanuel Wertheimer(1846 – 1916), deutsch-österreichischer Philosoph und Aphoristiker ungarischer Herkunft

Definition: (noun) A consecrated mixture of oil and balsam, used for anointing in church sacraments such as baptism and confirmation. Synonyms: holy oil, sacramental oil. Usage: Though his parents told him it was unlikely, he believed he could remember the smell of the chrism used in his baptism. Discuss

Stephan Sarek(*1957), deutscher Schriftsteller

Definition: (noun) Any of the relatively cool dark spots appearing periodically in groups on the surface of the sun that are associated with strong magnetic fields. Synonyms: macula. Usage: Come, cheer up, old man; there's no use in losing your grip and going back to this child's play merely because this big sunspot is drifting…

Unbekannt

noun: 1. The side that’s dark or unlit. 2. The side that’s undesirable or evil.

“I can think of many reasonable excuses for needing a cocktail, but Cinco De Mayo is always a no-brainer.”

Richard Münzer(1864 – 1930), österreichischer Jurist, Bühnenschriftsteller und Erzähler

noun: 1. An apprentice or student. 2. A naive, ignorant, or untrained person.

Definition: (verb) To oppose, especially by contradiction. Synonyms: challenge, dispute. Usage: In vain did the poor old father weep and implore her pity; she was firm, and he dared not gainsay her. Discuss

Justus Vogt(*1958), denkender Lebender und lebender Denker

noun: Someone having great skills and powers.

Definition: (verb) Make something more diverse and varied. Synonyms: vary. Usage: After the third consecutive dinner of mashed potatoes, we began to hope that the cook would begin to variegate the menu. Discuss

noun: 1. A humanoid robot. 2. A person who behaves in a robot-like manner, showing little emotion or personality.

Definition: (noun) A bag carried over one shoulder to transport supplies, as on a hike. Synonyms: backpack, knapsack. Usage: She carried the heavy haversack for most of the hike. Discuss

Walter Jakoby(*1958), Wissenschaftler, Manager und Autor

Definition: (verb) To subject to smoke or fumes, usually in order to exterminate pests or disinfect. Synonyms: fume. Usage: When we found out there was an infestation next door, we considered fumigating our house too. Discuss