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51勛圖 of the Day

51勛圖 of the day

remembrancer

[ ri-mem-bruhn-ser ]

noun

a reminder; memento; souvenir.

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More about remembrancer

Remembrancer, a reminder; memento; souvenir, comes from Middle English remembrauncer, the title of one of the royal officers responsible for recording and collecting debts owed to the crown, one of the current senses of the word, used in British royal finances. In Middle English remembrauncer also referred to death, the one who enforces our obligation to die on the due date. Remembrancer entered English in the 14th century.

how is remembrancer used?

And on the few surviving steamboatsthose lingering ghosts and remembrancers of great fleets that plied the big river in the beginning of my water-career … there are still findable two or three river-pilots who saw me do creditable things in those ancient days …

Mark Twain, Is Shakespeare Dead?, 1909

I must do this as a precaution, you understand, lest the keys should fall into improper hands; into the hands of designing and unscrupulous persons, who have no claim on my brother whatever, and no right to expect more than a book or a teacup as a remembrancer.

S. Baring-Gould, The Pennycomequicks, 1889

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acme

[ ak-mee ]

noun

the highest point; summit; peak.

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More about acme

Acme, the highest point; summit; peak, comes straight from Greek 硃域鳥廎 point, highest point, extremity. 插域鳥廎 is one of many Greek words derived from the widespread Proto-Indo-European root ak-, ok– sharp, pointed, angular. Other Greek derivatives include 獺域娶棗莽 topmost, outermost, as in 硃域娶籀梯棗梭勳莽 upper city, citadel (English acropolis), 硃域娶棗莉獺喧襲莽 (English acrobat), literally height walker, and 硃域穩莽 point. Latin derives from the same root 櫻釵梗娶 (stem 櫻釵娶-) sharp, stinging, 硃釵勳襲莽 熬棗勳紳喧, acidus sour, acid,” and 硃釵贖喧喝莽 sharp, sharpened (English acute). The Proto-Germanic root from ak-, ok– is ag-. The Proto-Germanic noun 硃眶聆 becomes ecg sharpness, sharp side, blade, sword in Old English (and edge in modern English); the Proto-Germanic verb agyan becomes eggja to goad, incite in Old Norse, the source of English egg (on). Acme entered English in the second half of the 16th century.

how is acme used?

To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says, “Well done!”

Sun Tzu (flourished 5th century b.c.), The Art of War, translated by Lionel Giles, 1910

In this new era of television as high art, especially cable television, figuring out the acme of that art has been a task many have been eager to take on. We’ve mostly stayed silent, until now. That show, the best there ever was, isBreaking Bad.

Richard Lawson, "The Case for 'Breaking Bad' as Televisions Best Show," The Atlantic, July 13, 2012

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pi癡ce de r矇sistance

[ pyes duh rey-zee-stahns; English pee-es duh ri-zee-stahns ]

noun

the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.

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More about pi癡ce de r矇sistance

Pi癡ce de r矇sistance, the principal dish of a meal; the most noteworthy item of a group, entered English from French in 1789a fateful year. In French pi癡ce de r矇sistance appears at least by 1732 and refers to the main course of a meal. By 1789 the phrase was used in English to describe a person. The phrase literally means piece of resistance, but scholars disagree on how the phrase acquired its senses.

how is pi癡ce de r矇sistance used?

Last year, Americans spent four times as much money on grocery store hummus as they did a decade before, according to the latest consumer surveys, and a growing number of snacks and fast-casual concepts also feature the fiber- and protein-rich chickpea as their pi癡ce de r矇sistance.

Whitney Pipkin, "Your Hummus Habit Could Be Good For The Earth," NPR, July 10, 2019

He goes home to his apartment, takes a good, long look at himself in the mirror, and decides to slick back his hair. Then he takes a cigarette break. (Pause for dramatic music.) And, finally, he brings out the pi癡ce de r矇sistance: a black turtleneck.

Emilia Petrarca, "The Most Important Costumes in Halston Are the Black Turtlenecks," The Cut, May 18, 2021

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