noun: 1. An extremely old man. 2. An oversized wine bottle holding approx. 6 liters.
Etymology After biblical figure Methuselah, who was said to have lived 969 years.
Usage 'Five restaurant years would be about equivalent to 30 human years, so Bambino's, which has been around since 1983, is a veritable Methuselah among eateries.' — A.C. Stevens; Why Cook Tonight?; The Boston Herald; Feb 11, 2001.
'Meet Frank Ahern, the Methuselah of Seattle high-school coaches, a revered urban legend in his second half-century of helping city youth.' — Craig Smith; A Coach For The Ages; The Seattle Times; Feb 27, 2000.
verb tr. 1. To haul under the keel of a ship. 2. To rebuke sharply.
Etymology From Dutch kielhalen, from kiel (keel) + halen (to haul). In the olden times this form of punishment was inflicted in the Dutch and British navies. The punished sailor was tied to a rope looped under the ship and thrown in the water. Then he was dragged along the bottom of the ship to the other side. The result was either severe injuries from brushing against the barnacles on the ship's bottom or death from drowning. Thankfully, in modern times keelhauling is performed only metaphorically
verb tr., intr.: To divert or amuse (oneself). noun: A diversion or amusement.
Etymology From Old French desporter (to divert), from dis- + porter (to carry).
Usage 'On the island, as on a stage, the people of Paris disport themselves in every attitude of summer recreation.' — T.J. McNamara; Seurat's Grand Triumph of Light; New Zealand Herald; Jan 23, 2010.
verb intr.: To avoid telling the truth by being ambiguous, evading, or misleading.
Etymology From Latin praevaricari (to straddle, to collude), from varicare (to straddle), from varus (knock-kneed, bent outwards). To prevaricate is to straddle the boundary between truth and falsehood.
Usage 'Our presidents and their advisors, from Kennedy to Nixon and Ford, prevaricated, invented and outright lied for years about the course and casualties of the war.' — Clancy Sigal; Caught in a Fantasy Amid Subterfuge; Los Angeles Times; Jun 29, 2001.