toga

An often understood garment from ancient Rome; the "toga" of a toga party is much scantier and flimsier than the toga that ancient Romans wore.

The toga was basically a large wrap worn over a tunic.
In the early days of the empire, the toga was worn by both sexes, but after 200 BC the toga was reserved for men while women were expected to wear the stola; a woman wearing a toga was generally a prostitute or an adultress, to distinguish them from "respectable" women.
by Lorelili November 07, 2012
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peasantry

From French "paysannerie", meaning "place of the country dwellers".

The class consisting of peasants and serfs (country people, mostly farm workers) in an agricultural society, in which peasants are the most common type of people (can be anywhere from fifty to ninety-five percent of the people).

Peasants are usually poor and live in villages and work farmland which practically belongs to them but is owned by lords.
Thanks to the incompetence of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the peasantry were losing their land and suffered from inflated prices for bread.

The peasantry worked hard, but at least they knew their place and their allies. Appearances were minimal for farm workers, their operations were small scale; they had nothing to lose. The nobility had everything to lose.
by Lorelili December 14, 2010
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wench

1. (archaic) A girl or woman of the peasant class, especially one who works as a servant.

2. (archaic) An easy woman.

Verb: To chase women, to womanize
The serving wench, all of eighteen years, glanced slyly at the lord of the manor, knowing that he was given to wenching when his wife was absent.
by Lorelili September 03, 2010
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frowzy

1. Of a room, musty and stale.

2. Of one's appearance, unkempt and dingy; a scuzzy or messy appearance.
The rustic cabin smelled frowzy after being closed for six months. The campers looked just as frowzy as the threadbare furniture and moth-eaten carpets.
by Lorelili May 01, 2011
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Anne of Cleves

(1515-1558) The fourth wife of Henry VIII. After the death of Jane Seymour, a new wife was sought for Henry, but his reputation preceded him; his main choices rejected him, making Anne of Cleves the front runner. The daughter of a German Duke, Anne was 24 when she married Henry in early 1540 but, unknown to her until later, Henry was repulsed by her. Described as pretty by everyone else, Henry (who was nearly fifty, obese, and had leg ulcers by then) said of his first sight of her "I like her not". Their introduction was a disaster, owing to mutual misunderstanding, beginning the marriage on a tenuous note.

After six months of marriage, Henry had the marriage annulled and offered to Anne property and estates in exchange that she remain in England. Initially devastated, Anne accepted and lived her days in wealth, answering to no man but to Henry, now as his "dear sister".
Anne of Cleves was olive-skinned, unlike the pallid Jane Seymour, and lacked the sophistication of Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Her unfamiliar German manners, exotic clothes, and German speech did not help matters. Henry, put off by her body, whined incessantly about how "ugly" that she was, suspecting that she wasn't a virgin, disregarding her sheltered upbringing and overprotective mother; at 24, Anne believed that a kiss from a man would make her pregnant.
Anne of Cleves, humiliated and hurt by the king, outlived Henry and his other wives, enjoyed the love of her stepchildren and her people, and died a contented woman.
by Lorelili January 04, 2011
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antisocial

Often confused with "asocial", which is very different; "asocial" means one who seeks to avoid society, somebody who refuses to or cannot socialize with others, like someone on the autism spectrum.

Antisocial means "against society" or "anti-society"; hostile and antagonistic toward society. This includes behavior that disrespects and violates the rights and feelings of others as well as the order and principles of society, behavior that includes theft, bullying, rape, deception, murder, and general criminal behavior.

An antisocial personality knows the difference between right and wrong but does not care; as long as they get what they want, they don't care who they have to walk over. Any means- manipulation, flattery, intimidation, cruelty, theft, murder- is perfectly justified to them
Robert Hare, revising his psychopathy checklist, says that all psychopaths are antisocial personalities but not all antisocial personalities are psychopaths. Similar to the autism spectrum, antisocial personalities range from obvious sociopaths to extreme (and well-hidden) psychopaths.
by Lorelili July 01, 2011
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soprano

The high female singing voice in opera, choir, and music in general, with a singing range from C4 (middle C) to D6 (D over a woman's high C) just over two octaves above.

Situated over the mezzo-soprano (who often plays her rival), the soprano usually plays the female lead in opera and musical theater, usually the heroine.

Many pop and broadway singers are sopranos, although the vocal subcategories used in opera are not applied to them. Examples include Amy Adams, Sarah Brightman, Julie Andrews, Allison Crowe, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Jayma Mays, Charlotte Church, Mariah Carey, Minnie Riperton, Floor Jansen and Kristin Chenoweth.
According to vocal weight/voice type and range, sopranos are usually divided into five different categories:

Soubrette: usually a beginner whose voice is developing, a light voice with less strength in extreme high and low notes, she plays flirtatious and sassy but sweet comical characters.

Coloratura: a flexible, flute-like voice with a very high range, she performs vocal acrobatics. Examples include Sumi Jo, Natalie Dessay, and Beverly Sills

Lyric soprano: A strong, sweet, lightweight voice usually reserved for the ingenue and other likable characters. Examples include Renee Fleming, Tarja Turunen, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Mirella Freni.

Spinto soprano: A lyric voice with a strong dramatic edge, a bridge between lyric and dramatic. Examples include Leontyne Price, Renata Tebaldi, and Roxana Briban.

Dramatic soprano: A powerful, emotive, edgy voice which is suited to bold, desperate, tragic heroines. Examples include Maria Callas, Floor Jansen, Karita Mattila and Deborah Voigt.
by Lorelili July 06, 2011
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