(Encyclopedia) Roddenberry, Gene (Eugene Wesley Roddenberry), 1921–91, American television writer and producer, b. El Paso, Tex. After being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal…
(Encyclopedia) hedging, in commerce, method by which traders use two counterbalancing investment strategies so as to minimize any losses caused by price fluctuations. It is generally used by traders…
(Encyclopedia) populism, in politics, a movement or political strategy that purports to endorse the will of the common or ordinary people, especially when distinguished from and opposed to a corrupt…
(Encyclopedia) deliquescencedeliquescencedĕlˌəkwĕsˈəns [key], conversion of a solid substance into a liquid as a result of absorption of water vapor from the air. Since impurities in a solid lower…
(Encyclopedia) figure, in music, short melodic or rhythmic pattern, the smallest grouping of notes that will produce a single distinct impression. In this sense figure is synonymous with motive. In…
(Encyclopedia) Oberlin College, at Oberlin, Ohio; coeducational; opened 1833 as Oberlin Collegiate Institute, became Oberlin College in 1850. It includes a college of arts and sciences and a well-…
(Encyclopedia) levitationlevitationlĕvĭtāˈshən [key], the raising of a human or other body in the air without mechanical aid. The idea is ancient; holy men, both pagan and Christian, were reputed to…
(Encyclopedia) Torbay, borough and unitary authority (1991 pop. 54,430), SW England. The borough comprises the towns of Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham. On Tor Bay is a noted tourist resort area,…
(Encyclopedia) pun, use of words, usually humorous, based on (a) the several meanings of one word, (b) a similarity of meaning between words that are pronounced the same, or (c) the difference in…
(Encyclopedia) blackjack, one of the world's most widely played gambling card games; also known as twenty-one or vingt-et-un. Despite contesting claims between the French and Italians, its origins…
