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entail

(Encyclopedia) entail, in law, restriction of inheritance to a limited class of descendants for at least several generations. The object of entail is to preserve large estates in land from the…

Oedipus

(Encyclopedia) OedipusOedipusĕdˈĭpəs, ēˈdĭ– [key], in Greek legend, son of Laius, king of Thebes, and his wife, Jocasta. Laius had been warned by an oracle that he was fated to be killed by his own…

McEwan, Ian

(Encyclopedia) McEwan, Ian (Ian Russell McEwan)McEwan, Ianməky&oomacr;ˈən [key], 1948–, English novelist, b. Aldershot, B.A. Univ. of Sussex, 1970, M.A. Univ. of East Anglia, 1971. His early…

Lehmann, John

(Encyclopedia) Lehmann, JohnLehmann, Johnlāˈmən [key], 1907–89, English poet, editor, and publisher. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he began working at Virginia and Leonard Woolf's Hogarth…

Cassavetes, John

(Encyclopedia) Cassavetes, John 1929–89, American film actor and director, a pioneer of independent filmmaking, b. New York City. The son of Greek immigrants, he attended the American Academy of…

Taylor, James Vernon

(Encyclopedia) Taylor, James Vernon, 1948-, American singer-songwriter, b. Boston, Ma. Taylor was born in Boston but raised in Chapel Hill, N.C. As a…

screamer

(Encyclopedia) screamer, common name for gregarious, aquatic birds comprising three species in the family Anhimidae. Although they are related to the ducks and geese, they do not resemble them in…

sphinx

(Encyclopedia) sphinxsphinxsfĭngks [key], mythical beast of ancient Egypt, frequently symbolizing the pharaoh as an incarnation of the sun god Ra. The sphinx was represented in sculpture usually in a…

Super-sized Americans

Many Americans eat too much and don’t exercise enough. If you have a hard time believing that, look around. About 16% of kids ages 12 to 19 are obese and 30% are overweight. As for adults, 31% are…