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June 25, 2025
Jun 25, 2025
Word
inalienable
adjective
Definition
incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred
Example
"Just because I can use my work e-mail for personal correspondence doesn't mean I have the inalienable right to do so," Brian explained.
Origin
"Alien," "alienable," "inalienable" -- it's easy enough to see the Latin word "alius," meaning "other," at the root of these three words. "Alien" joined our language in the 14th century, and one of its earliest meanings was "belonging to another." By the early 1600s that sense of "alien" had led to the development of "alienable," an adjective describing something you could give away or transfer ownership of, and "unalienable," its opposite. By about 1645, "inalienable" was also in use as a synonym of "unalienable." "Inalienable" is the more common variant today, but it was "unalienable" that was used in the Declaration of Independence to describe rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Webster's Dictionary
Idiom
give an inch and they'll take a mile
Make a small concession and they'll take advantage of you. For example, I told her she could borrow the car for one day and she's been gone a week---give an inch! This expression, in slightly different form, was already a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection, "Give him an inch and he'll take an ell," and is so well known it is often shortened (as in the example). The use of mile dates from about 1900.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
Fun facts
  1. No two lip impressions are the same.
  2. A hummingbird weighs less than a penny.
Snapple's under-the-cap 'Real Facts'
Artist
Deng Shiru
1743 - 1805

Deng Shirú; c. 1739/1743–1805 was a Chinese calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty.

Deng was born in Huaining 懷寧 in the Anhui 安徽 province. His style name was 'Wanbo' 顽伯 and his sobriquets were 'Wanbai shanren 皖白山人, Wan bai 完白, Guhuan, Gu wanzi 故浣子, Youji daoren 游笈道人, Fengshui yuzhang 鳳水漁長, and Longshan qiaozhang 龍山樵長'. Deng studied at the Shen Chun Academy. He later learned the art of Seal cutting.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Historical figure
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Sep 20, 1758 - Oct 17, 1806

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1805 constitution. Under Dessalines, Haiti became the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery. Initially regarded as governor-general, Dessalines was later named Emperor Jacques I of Haiti by the Generals of the Haitian Revolution Army. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Haiti.

Dessalines served as an officer in the French army, when the colony was fending off Spanish and British incursions. Later he rose to become a commander in the revolt against France. As Toussaint Louverture's principal lieutenant, he led many successful engagements, including the Battle of Crête-à-Pierrot.

After the betrayal and capture of Toussaint Louverture in 1802, Dessalines became the leader of the revolution. He defeated a French army at the Battle of Vertières in 1803. Declaring Haiti an independent nation in 1804, Dessalines was chosen by a council of generals to assume the office of governor-general.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Historic event
2000 Summer Olympics
Sep 15, 2000 - Oct 1, 2000

The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and commonly known as Sydney 2000 or the Millennium Olympic Games/Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was the second time the Summer Olympics were held in Australia, and also the Southern Hemisphere, the first being in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1956. The United States topped the medal table, winning the most gold and overall medals.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture