December 8, 2005

intransigent – adj. Refusing to moderate a position, especially an extreme position; uncompromising.

December 7, 2005

acumen – n. Quickness of perception or discernment; penetration of mind; the faculty of nice discrimination; shrewdness shown by keen insight

Post-revolution revolutionary

François-Noël Babeuf (November 23, 1760 – May 27, 1797), known as Gracchus Babeuf, was a French political agitator and journalist of the revolutionary period. The conspiracy of equality organised by Babeuf and his followers aimed at provoking an armed uprising of the plebeian masses against the bourgeois regime of the Directory and establishing a revolutionary dictatorship as a transitional stage to “pure democracy” and “egalitarian communism.” The conspiracy was disclosed in May 1796 and he was later executed for his role in the Conspiracy of the Equals. Although the words “socialist” and “communist” did not exist in Babeuf’s lifetime, they have both been used to describe his ideas by later scholars.

December 4, 2005

booboisie – A class of people regarded as stupid or foolish.

Booboisie is a blend of boob and bourgeoisie. It was coined by H. L. Mencken, American editor and critic.

December 3, 2005

usury – n. 1. The practice of lending money and charging the borrower interest, especially at an exorbitant or illegally high rate.
2. An excessive or illegally high rate of interest charged on borrowed money.
3. Archaic. Interest charged or paid on a loan.