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chemin de fer

(Encyclopedia)chemin de fer shəmănˈ də fûr, Fr. shəmăNˈ də fĕr [key] [Fr.,=railroad], the most popular gambling card game in Europe. The present day versions are variations of Italian baccara which Charle...

Elphinstone, William

(Encyclopedia)Elphinstone, William ĕlˈfĭnstən, –stōnˌ [key], 1431–1514, Scottish prelate, founder of the Univ. of Aberdeen. He was trained in the law and was employed on many political missions before bec...

Hume, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Hume, Joseph, 1777–1855, English politician and reformer. Although a Tory in early life, he sat in Parliament from 1818 to 1855 (with only one interruption) as an indefatigable Radical. Hume was a l...

Hoel, Sigurd

(Encyclopedia)Hoel, Sigurd sēˈgo͝or hōˈəl [key], 1890–1960, Norwegian novelist. Hoel's sophisticated novels of urban life include the witty satire Sinners in Summertime (1927, tr. 1930) and the more serious...

Miller, William

(Encyclopedia)Miller, William, 1782–1849, American sectarian leader, b. Pittsfield, Mass. He was the founder of the sect of Second Adventists, sometimes called Millerites. In 1831, convinced from study of the Bib...

mugwumps

(Encyclopedia)mugwumps mŭgˈwŭmpsˌ [key], slang term in U.S. political history for the Republicans who in 1884 deserted their party nominee, James G. Blaine, to vote for the Democratic nominee, Grover Cleveland....

Nicomedia

(Encyclopedia)Nicomedia nĭkōmēˈdēə [key], ancient city, NW Asia Minor, near the Bosporus, in present-day Turkey. Refounded (264 b.c.) by Nicomedes I of Bithynia to replace Astacus as his capital, it flourishe...

Nollekens, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Nollekens, Joseph nŏlˈĭkənz [key], 1737–1823, English sculptor, b. London. He studied in Rome and in 1770 returned to London, where he became the most fashionable portrait sculptor of his day. A...

Olesha, Yuri

(Encyclopedia)Olesha, Yuri, 1899–1960, Russian novelist and dramatist. In his novel Envy (1927; tr. 1936) and in his other writing, Olesha focused on the conflict between the demands of an industrialized world an...

Patti, Adelina

(Encyclopedia)Patti, Adelina ădəlēˈnə pătˈē [key], 1843–1919, coloratura soprano, b. Madrid, of Italian parents. She was trained in New York City, where she made her debut in 1859, thereafter singing with...