Monthly Archives: February 2019

Word of the Day – February 16, 2019

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occultation

(ŏk′ŭl-tā′shən)

n.

1. The act of occulting or the state of being occulted.
2. Astronomy

a. The passage of a celestial object across the line of sight between an observer and another celestial object, as when the moon moves between Earth and the sun in a solar eclipse.
b. The progressive blocking and unblocking of light or other electromagnetic radiation from a celestial source during such a passage: a lunar occultation of a quasar; a planetary occultation of a star.
c. An observational technique for determining the position or radiant structure of a celestial source undergoing such occultation or of the object causing the occultation.

Word of the day – February 9, 2019

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Hackles

1. Any of the long, slender, often glossy feathers on the neck of a bird, especially a male fowl.
2. hackles The erectile hairs along the back of the neck of an animal, especially of a dog.
3. A feather, usually from the neck of a chicken, used in trimming a fishing fly.
tr.v. hack·led, hack·ling, hack·les

To trim (an artificial fishing fly) with a hackle.

Idiom:

get (one’s) hackles up

To be extremely insulted or irritated.