Bill W

Beleager is from the late 16th century: from Dutch belegeren ‘camp round’, from leger ‘a camp’ + be- ‘(all) about’ (a relative of the English be- meaning "about" or "around"). While the Dutch word, meaning "to camp around," is neutral, its descendent beleaguer implies a whole heap of fuss and bother. The word beleaguer was first used in English in the late 1500s. The earliest known use of the word was in 1589 by writer Thomas Nashe. Beleaguer has multiple meanings: To besiege, surround, or blockade OR To cause constant or repeated trouble for The word beleaguer is still used today. For example, you might describe an army as beleaguering a castle. Examples of beleaguer in a sentence are: "Seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them." "But many stresses that beleaguer us do not fall into these categories." "he attempts to answer several questions that beleaguer the industry" But most of the rest of the new budget is what Italy's beleaguered economy doesn't need. Help is in sight for New York City's beleaguered commuters.Jul 1

I'm going to compliment all of the admins, moderators, and contributors that make GA such a great place.

If you're looking for a cute, funny story in a fairy tale setting, then look no further. I'm sure you'll find everything you're looking for in this enchanting short story by Valkyrie. If you're wondering what I mean, just look at the title of the story. If "Faeries Anonymous" isn't enough to convince you of the humor in this story, than I don't know what more I can say. Read it and find out for yourself.

I caught the Mr. Tumnus as well, but I thought it was said as a way of making fun of George. I didn't think it was actually the character from "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". As for Schmetterling, I believe that's a German word for butterfly.

Deleterious comes from Greek δηλητήριος or dēlētērios ‘noxious’ + -ous, via medieval Latin to English. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known use of "deleterious" in English was in 1587, in a translation by Thomas Newton, translator and Church of England clergyman. Examples of deleterious in a sentence: "Lack of sleep can have deleterious effects on your cognitive abilities." "The company's new policy had a deleterious impact on employee morale." "Smoking has well-documented deleterious effects on health."

And cabs and cabbies are no longer hansom.

Hansom cab so named in mid 19th century: named after Joseph A. Hansom (1803–82), English architect, patentee of such a cab in 1834. The Hansom Cab rapidly gained popularity and began to replace the Hackney Carriage, offering more stability and speed than its predecessor. They could be drawn by one horse alone, improving cost-effectiveness. The Mystery of a Hansom Cab depicts a dramatic murder taking place in Colonial Melbourne, detailing the efforts that a detective of the police force must go through in order to solve this crime, serving to inspire thought into the cultural and political context of the mid-1800s. Hanson is a patronymic name that means "son of Hans". The name Hanson has multiple origins, including Scandinavian, German, English, Irish, and Jewish. Hanson is also an Americanized form of the Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, or North German name Hansen and Hanssen. Hanson is also an Americanized form of the Swedish name Hansson.

This is a wonderful gem of a Christmas story and it will give you a wonderful feeling as you read it that will linger even after you've finished reading the last sentence.

Wayne, my friend, I'm sorry I didn't read this back when you wrote it. I miss you dearly and this was an awesome Christmas tale. Thank you for your wonderful story.

Those story turned out beautifully. Great job!

The word quahog comes from the Narragansett poquauhock, meaning "hard clam." The Northern quahog (pronounced coe-hog) is a species of hard-shelled clam. They are found in intertidal and subtidal areas from Nova Scotia, Canada to Florida. The Native American name for the hard-shell clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) is Quahog (also spelled quahaug, quohog, and others) and the name is unique to the Cape and Islands as well as Rhode Island. The purple and white striations and patterns on the inside of the shell are created by minerals in the mud where the quahogs are dug. Ocean quahogs are among the longest-lived marine organisms in the world. Off the U.S. East Coast, where the fishery takes place, ocean quahogs can live for at least 200 years. They grow very slowly and do not start to reproduce until around age 6, and do not reach a commercially harvestable size until about age 20. The oldest quahog that we know of died in 2006 when researchers opened it to verify its venerable age. A team of researchers has reported that Ming the Mollusk, the oldest clam ever found, is in fact 507-years-old, 102 years older than the previous estimate of its age. But that is as old as Ming will ever get. “We thought they only came from oysters,” he says. They'd also never seen a purple pearl before. Pearls produced by quahog clams, are often button-shaped, like Overland's, and can be white, brown or purple.

Bacillus, from late Latin, diminutive of Latin baculus ‘stick. It's ’the plural of Modern Latin bacterium, from Greek bakterion "small staff," diminutive of baktron "stick, rod, staff, cudgel." So called because the first ones observed were rod-shaped. This word entered English in 1848. "Bacillus" is the name of a genus of bacteria, while "bacillus" is a general term for rod-shaped bacteria. Bacillus anthracis, the organism that causes anthrax, derives its name from the Greek word for coal, B anthrakis, because of its ability to cause black, coal-like painless ulcers on the skin.

The lake effect snowstorms in western New York can be lifechanging in many ways. The storm may cause accidents to happen, especially if the wind is reducing visibility, or it might cause vehicles to become stranded. If stranded, it may cause the occupants to either freeze to death when the car runs out of fuel, or be overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning if they leave their car running and the snow blocks the exhaust. It might also land you in a church, school, or shelter for a few days while you wait for the roads to be cleared. This is what happens in this story and it places two strangers together as they wait out the storm. These strangers, however, share something in common, which they explore as they wait for the storm to end and the roads to be cleared. In fact, it causes each of them to do some soul searching and admit to things about their lives. This is not only an interesting story, especially for those of you who've never been caught in a blizzard, but there's an unexpected twist at the end. If you like a good romance with some drama along the way, then click on the link for this short story and settled in for a story that may open your eyes to issues you'd never considered before.

Another provocative story, Val. Those lake effect snow snowstorms (blizzards) can be lifechanging in many ways, and this turned out to be one of them. When a child grows up in an abusive home, one of two things will happen - either he'll repeat the pattern of abuse or he'll be so horrified by it that he'll get sick at the thought of ever doing anything like that. I think Ivan started out repeating the pattern, but after Kenny's death, he went to the other extreme. In fact, if he had actually beaten Brian, it wouldn't have changed Brian, but Dana would never have returned to look for him. Dana would have seen Ivan punching Brian as Ivan's inability at self-control and would, therefore, hopefully decided not to jump into another abusive relationship. However, I think they'll be fine now. Thanks for causing all of us to look closely at this problem, and maybe a few to take a good look at themselves.

Thanks, Danilo.

Even though many good things are sent to Capitol Hill to die, I don't believe that would solve the current problem, unless the evil skinwalkers have a similar group making decisions for them. It does, however, make me wonder if all the wolf hunts in the western US is a screen for killing evil skinwalkers without scaring the public. 🤪 Yes, it would be a problem is the evil skinwalkers are able to use a form of mind control to reproduce, so let's hope it's not a frequently used practice, nor are other shamans producing more evil skinwalkers for whatever reason.

Yes, the hunt was successful and Elmer Fudd would have been proud, even though they didn't kill any wabbits. Evil skinwalkers yes, but not wabbits were harmed in this chapter. 😁

This is not only a historical short story, but it's also a romance. The author skillfully and successfully transitions between the present and the past as he tells the stories of two men, a grandfather and grandson. It is both a touching and heartbreaking tale, and when you read it you will be deeply moved, so do yourself a favor and check out this wonderful short story.

A beautiful and interesting story and I love how you intertwined Mike and Grandpa Jacob's stories. The letters were very realistic for the time period and accurately described what the soldiers might have encountered. You also accurately conveyed how nearly every soldier, no matter the time period, looked forward to getting a letter, an email, or video chat with someone from back home while they were serving in one of the branches of the armed forces when they were deployed far from home. Thank you for this wonderful story.

The Latin word inauspicatus means "without auspices" or "with bad auspices". In the 17th century, the Latin word inauspicatus was used in English as inauspicate for a short time. The earliest known use of the adjective inauspicious is in the late 1500s. OED's earliest evidence for inauspicious is from 1599, in the writing of William Shakespeare, playwright and poet. Inauspicious used in a sentence: "it was an inauspicious beginning to the long and complex entanglement" "Most influential, however, are the inauspicious occurrences that bode disaster." Despite its inauspicious beginnings, the company eventually became very profitable.

We all deal with different issues in our lives, but what do you do when the issues are totally beyond your control? Worse yet, how do you deal with them when whatever you do affects others as well? Those are some of the situations that this story deals with. If you love a good story with plenty of drama and suspense, then you'll want to read this sensitively written and heart-wrenching short story.

Val, you tackled a tough story with your usual brilliance. Not every story needs a happy ending, and although it was a happy ending for Ben and Jake, there was plenty of sadness for Richard, Lee, and Lee & Steven (Jake's) children. I know Carlos had said Jake and Lee didn't need a divorce, but since since their marriage had taken place using the name Steven Hanson and it was unwitting, due to the amnesia, and not deceptive, then I believe they did need the divorce. Anyway, awesome job dealing with a thorny situation.

Yes, it is worrisome, because we have no idea about how many of them are out there. Obviously there are more evil skinwalkers than good skinwalkers currently, but at least the evil skinwalkers aren't working in concert with each other. 😲 That's and interesting idea, since I assume you're referring to the "creature feature" anthology. I'll give it some thought.

It isn't easy to kill a skinwalker, but they had the firepower to do it. If you noticed, the skinwalker survived several hits and might not have been killed if it wasn't for the headshot. It's difficult to continue living without a head and a brain. 🤪 I loved your comment about American women and American men, but I'm certain the same thing happens in other countries and cultures as well.

Yes, Butcher, they were able to complete their task, but it doesn't mean this will be the last skinwalker they have to deal with. Remember, there's still the one the boys saw on their vacation and got Mac to expose himself, both physically and his ability, while they were on vacation. The women were good cooks and working with mutton isn't easy. It's good that they've developed ways to make their meals palatable. Now, the four of them are off to see what's in the cave and discover if there is or ever was a treasure.