Lorelili's definitions
Refers to the legendary French singer, Edith Piaf (b. Dec. 15, 1915-d. Oct. 11, 1963), who was known for her petite appearance; her chaotic personal life; and her powerful, husky, emotive voice.
Born into poverty in Paris as Edith Giovanna Gassion, her mother abandoned her at two months of age, leaving her in the "care" of her alcoholic maternal grandparents. Her father, a noted acrobat, sent his daughter to live with his mother, who was a madam in a Normandy brothel, while he went to war; he reclaimed her when he returned from the war and took her with him on his travels- because of this, she received very little formal education.
Edith allegedly lost her sight for a short time between ages 3 and 7, possibly due to an infection.
At 15, Edith left him to return to Paris, where she earned a living singing in the streets and in seedy cabarets. As luck had it, a proprieter spotted her and launched her career, billing her as La Mome Piaf (Parisian slang for "The Little Sparrow," from which she took her stage name); the name suited her tiny, frail figure. With a voice that wrung out every last drop of emotion, the waif with the heartbreaking voice took France by storm.
As successful as her career, Edith, eager to find love, went through a string of lovers, failing to find the right one. Her only child, Marcelle, died in infancy, and the great love of her life, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, was killed in a plane crash. Edith herself was in three car crashes. Edith took to drugs and alcohol to ease her suffering. She would also lose almost all of her fortune and was virtually penniless when she died.
The melancholy, anguished songs that she sung (many of which she composed) reflected many of her losses. Her most well known songs were La Vie en Rose; Milord; Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien; Mon Legionnaire; L'Accordioniste; Mon Dieu; and L'Hymne A L'Amour.
Born into poverty in Paris as Edith Giovanna Gassion, her mother abandoned her at two months of age, leaving her in the "care" of her alcoholic maternal grandparents. Her father, a noted acrobat, sent his daughter to live with his mother, who was a madam in a Normandy brothel, while he went to war; he reclaimed her when he returned from the war and took her with him on his travels- because of this, she received very little formal education.
Edith allegedly lost her sight for a short time between ages 3 and 7, possibly due to an infection.
At 15, Edith left him to return to Paris, where she earned a living singing in the streets and in seedy cabarets. As luck had it, a proprieter spotted her and launched her career, billing her as La Mome Piaf (Parisian slang for "The Little Sparrow," from which she took her stage name); the name suited her tiny, frail figure. With a voice that wrung out every last drop of emotion, the waif with the heartbreaking voice took France by storm.
As successful as her career, Edith, eager to find love, went through a string of lovers, failing to find the right one. Her only child, Marcelle, died in infancy, and the great love of her life, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, was killed in a plane crash. Edith herself was in three car crashes. Edith took to drugs and alcohol to ease her suffering. She would also lose almost all of her fortune and was virtually penniless when she died.
The melancholy, anguished songs that she sung (many of which she composed) reflected many of her losses. Her most well known songs were La Vie en Rose; Milord; Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien; Mon Legionnaire; L'Accordioniste; Mon Dieu; and L'Hymne A L'Amour.
Edith Piaf had a terrible life... but she had a wonderful one too, for she loved life all the same. Her stellar success contrasts with her tragic personal life, as well as her tiny, black-clad figure with the resonating power of her voice.
by Lorelili September 24, 2005
Get the Piaf mug.1. crazy, insane, demented, nuts, deranged, out of one's mind, bonkers, lost one's marbles.
2. angry (usually limited to the United States)
3. extremely, very
2. angry (usually limited to the United States)
3. extremely, very
-"I get up before dawn, go to bed at midnight, work until I'm half-mad, and what do I get for it?!"
-"Ophelia's gone mad and she's run off! We have to catch her!"
-"Wow, your mom's really mad!"
-"This book is mad boring!"
-"Ophelia's gone mad and she's run off! We have to catch her!"
-"Wow, your mom's really mad!"
-"This book is mad boring!"
by Lorelili April 5, 2008
Get the mad mug.Somebody who plays the piano...
It's starting to sound like another word: a word for part of the male reproductive anatomy. A favorite among men (nudge nudge, wink wink)
It's starting to sound like another word: a word for part of the male reproductive anatomy. A favorite among men (nudge nudge, wink wink)
The pianist walked onto the stage, carrying a candleabra.
The boy happily hugged his pianist, eager to start with playing the organ.
The boy happily hugged his pianist, eager to start with playing the organ.
by Lorelili December 28, 2005
Get the pianist mug.Having a very attractive body.
(Especially of a female) being full-bodied, large-bosomed, and appealing to the eyes of lesbians or heterosexual men.
Pleasing to the senses, sensuous.
(Especially of a female) being full-bodied, large-bosomed, and appealing to the eyes of lesbians or heterosexual men.
Pleasing to the senses, sensuous.
"Her flowing raven hair was a stark contrast to her milky complexion. Her amber eyes... almost catlike, her figure voluptuous."
by Lorelili March 17, 2005
Get the voluptuous mug.Originally meant a female courtier, a woman of a royal or noble court. By the Renaissance, the connotations of the word had acquired that of the mistress or concubine of a king or a noble.
Now it generally means a high-class prostitute whose clients are wealthy men.
Now it generally means a high-class prostitute whose clients are wealthy men.
"Christian, I'm a courtesan; I'm paid to make men believe what they want to believe." -Satine, Moulin Rouge
Thaïs, Empress Theodora, Diane de Poitiers, Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn, Madame du Pompadour, Marie Duplessis, and Mata Hari are but a few of many famous courtesans.
Thaïs, Empress Theodora, Diane de Poitiers, Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn, Madame du Pompadour, Marie Duplessis, and Mata Hari are but a few of many famous courtesans.
by Lorelili January 17, 2011
Get the courtesan mug.Son of a bitch in different languages:
Gaelic: Mac ghalla
Welsh: Ap ast
Spanish: Hijo de una puta
Portuguese: Filho de una puta
Italian: Figlio di una puta
French: Fils de une putain
Dutch: Zoon van een kutwijf
German: Sohn eines Schlampe
Gaelic: Mac ghalla
Welsh: Ap ast
Spanish: Hijo de una puta
Portuguese: Filho de una puta
Italian: Figlio di una puta
French: Fils de une putain
Dutch: Zoon van een kutwijf
German: Sohn eines Schlampe
by Lorelili January 9, 2006
Get the son of a bitch mug.(1516-1558) The only surviving child of Henry and Katherine of Aragon and half-sister of Elizabeth I. Henry's desperation to have a son as an heir led him to not only divorce and banish Katherine (making Mary a bastard) but also barred mother and daughter from each other until they acknowledged homewrecker Anne Boleyn as the true Queen, which they refused. When Katherine died in 1536, she had last seen her daughter over two years before.
Devastated at her mother's death, barred from her mother's funeral by Henry, and bearing a mutual hatred for Anne (who made Mary her daughter's maidservant), Mary's luck turned when Anne was put to death and her father married Jane Seymour, who was deeply loyal to Mary. Sadly, the birth of Edward VI killed Jane.
Constantly fearful for her life due to court intrigue and the new power of the Protestants of the court, Mary's solace was her Catholic faith, despite the friendship of Anne of Cleves.
Her fundamentalist Protestant brother, Edward, died in 1553, swallowing his misogyny to let his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, take the throne. Nine days later, Mary ejected her and became Queen Mary I.
Mary would wed Philip II of Spain (11 years her junior), suffer two phantom pregnancys, and become wildly unpopular for her persecution and execution of Protestants, earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary".
Devastated at her mother's death, barred from her mother's funeral by Henry, and bearing a mutual hatred for Anne (who made Mary her daughter's maidservant), Mary's luck turned when Anne was put to death and her father married Jane Seymour, who was deeply loyal to Mary. Sadly, the birth of Edward VI killed Jane.
Constantly fearful for her life due to court intrigue and the new power of the Protestants of the court, Mary's solace was her Catholic faith, despite the friendship of Anne of Cleves.
Her fundamentalist Protestant brother, Edward, died in 1553, swallowing his misogyny to let his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, take the throne. Nine days later, Mary ejected her and became Queen Mary I.
Mary would wed Philip II of Spain (11 years her junior), suffer two phantom pregnancys, and become wildly unpopular for her persecution and execution of Protestants, earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary".
By the time Henry died, Mary Tudor was a spinster of 31, sickly and angry. By then, she refused to associate with her brother and sister, whom she resented. Her father had married increasingly younger women (Katherine Howard was at least five years younger than Mary) while his eldest daughter, once his pride and joy, was kicked to the curb by her own father, was still unmarried; Mary must have thought in fury, "When will this bastard stop worrying about his future and worry about mine?!"
Mary Tudor has become known as "Bloody Mary" for her fundamentalist Catholic regime and merciless persecution of Protestants (she pursued Bishop Thomas Cranmer with particular cruelty, since he had destroyed her mother's marriage), although her father and sister were not exactly saints themselves and Henry was far bloodier.
Mary died in 1558 of cancer, a defeated and deeply disappointed woman. She had failed to restore England to the Catholic faith, her marriage to Philip was a travesty, and she failed to produce heirs.
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary/ How does your garden grow?/ With silver bells and cockle shells/ And pretty maids all in a row."
Mary Tudor has become known as "Bloody Mary" for her fundamentalist Catholic regime and merciless persecution of Protestants (she pursued Bishop Thomas Cranmer with particular cruelty, since he had destroyed her mother's marriage), although her father and sister were not exactly saints themselves and Henry was far bloodier.
Mary died in 1558 of cancer, a defeated and deeply disappointed woman. She had failed to restore England to the Catholic faith, her marriage to Philip was a travesty, and she failed to produce heirs.
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary/ How does your garden grow?/ With silver bells and cockle shells/ And pretty maids all in a row."
by Lorelili September 25, 2011
Get the Mary Tudor mug.