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irony

(Encyclopedia)irony, figure of speech in which what is stated is not what is meant. The user of irony assumes that his reader or listener understands the concealed meaning of his statement. Perhaps the simplest for...

Villèle, Jean Baptiste Séraphin Joseph, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Villèle, Jean Baptiste Séraphin Joseph, comte de zhäN bätēstˈ sāräfăNˈ zhôzĕfˈ kôNt də vēlĕlˈ [key], 1773–1854, French statesman and premier (1822–28). Elected (1815) a deputy af...

Tribal Areas

(Encyclopedia)Tribal Areas, officially the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), former administrative region, 10,510 sq mi (27,220 sq km), NW Pakistan, comprising seven agencies (or tribal areas) and six gen...

Wingate, Orde Charles

(Encyclopedia)Wingate, Orde Charles ôrd [key], 1903–44, British general. He served with the Sudan defense force (1928–33) and on special duty in Palestine (1936–39). It was in Palestine that he first used gu...

Amenhotep II

(Encyclopedia)Amenhotep II ăˌmĕnōˈfĭs [key], d. c.1420 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the XVIII dynasty; son and successor of Thutmose III. Amenhotep II succeeded (1448 b.c.) as coregent and later ruled alon...

Heliopolis, ancient city, Egypt

(Encyclopedia)Heliopolis hēlēŏpˈəlĭs [key] [Gr.,=city of the sun], ancient city, N Egypt, in the Nile delta, 6 mi (10 km) below modern Cairo. It was noted as the center of sun worship, and its god Ra or Re wa...

Napata

(Encyclopedia)Napata nəpāˈtə, –päˈ– [key], ancient city of Nubia, just below the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. From about the 8th cent. b.c., Napata was the capital of the kingdom of Cush. Many great templ...

Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Aleksey Petrovich, Count

(Encyclopedia)Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Aleksey Petrovich, Count əlyĭksyāˈ pētrôˈvĭch byĭsto͞oˈzhĕv-rēo͞oˈmyĭn [key], 1693–1766, Russian statesman. With the accession (1741) of Czarina Elizabeth, he was a...

Revelation

(Encyclopedia)Revelation or Apocalypse əpŏkˈəlĭps [key], the last book of the New Testament. It was written c.a.d. 95 on Patmos Island off the coast of Asia Minor by an exile named John, in the wake of local p...

Amon, Egyptian deity

(Encyclopedia)Amon äˈmĕn [key], Egyptian deity. He was originally the chief god of Thebes; he and his wife Mut and their son Khensu were the divine Theban triad of deities. Amon grew increasingly important in Eg...