Related:

• OCCASIONAL, adj. Afflicting us with greater or less frequency.
  That, however, is not the sense in which the word is used in the phrase "occasional verses," which are verses written for an "occasion," such as an anniversary, a celebration or other event....
• HADES, n. The lower world; the residence of departed spiri
  he place where the dead live. Among the ancients the idea of Hades was not synonymous with our Hell, many of the most respectable men of antiquity residing there in a very comfortable kind of way....
• CERBERUS, n. The watch-dog of Hades, whose duty it was to guard the entrance -- against whom or what does not clearly appea
  everybody, sooner or later, had to go there, and nobody wanted to carry off the entrance....
• TEDIUM, n. Ennui, the state or condition of one that is bored.
  Many fanciful derivations of the word have been affirmed, but so high an authority as Father Jape says that it comes from a very obvious source -- the first words of the ancient Latin hymn _Te Deum Laudamus_....
• OVATION, n. n ancient Rome, a definite, formal pageant in honor of one who had been disserviceable to the enemies of the nation.
  A lesser "triumph." In modern English the word is improperly used to signify any loose and spontaneous expression of popular homage to the hero of the hour and place....
• LOSS, n. Privation of that which we had, or had not.
  Thus, in the latter sense, it is said of a defeated candidate that he "lost his electio...
• DIE, n. The singular of "dice." We seldom hear the word, because there is a prohibitory proverb, "Never say die.
  At long intervals, however, some one says: "The die is cast," which is not true, for it is cut....
• Long's Notes 1) Always store beer in a dark place.
  2) Any priest or shaman must be presumed guilty until proved innocent....
• FINANCE, n. The art or science of managing revenues and resources for the best advantage of the manager.
  The pronunciation of this word with the i long and the accent on the first syllable is one of America's most precious discoveries and possessions....