A femme fatale character in movies or books. The character is a woman who, while not necessarily attractive, has a certain allure (usually this striking, exotic, overtly sexy glamour), and is usually a heartless, man-eating seductress.
The term is short for vampire, another term for a femme fatale.
The term is short for vampire, another term for a femme fatale.
In drama, the vamp is the sexual counterpoint for the naive, wholesome ingenue character.
The sultry lower voice of the mezzo-soprano is usually reserved for the vamp character in musicals or opera.
The sultry lower voice of the mezzo-soprano is usually reserved for the vamp character in musicals or opera.
by Lorelili December 28, 2005
Get the vamp mug.(1491-1547) A King of England who began as a handsome, sweet-natured prince and became a fat, bloated, lecherous, ruthless, narcissistic tyrant whose split from the Catholic faith to divorce his first wife and marry his second can be felt today.
He married six times, first to Katherine of Aragon (divorced), then to Anne Boleyn (beheaded), then to Jane Seymour (died), then to Anne of Cleves (divorced), then to Katherine Howard (beheaded), and finally to Katherine Parr (survived).
To his credit, he legitimized the crown after decades of the War of the Roses (warring between the two branches of the royal family), but he is remembered today for his lechery and for abusing his wives and his two daughters in a futile effort for a healthy son; only his daughter Elizabeth I would be his saving grace.
He married six times, first to Katherine of Aragon (divorced), then to Anne Boleyn (beheaded), then to Jane Seymour (died), then to Anne of Cleves (divorced), then to Katherine Howard (beheaded), and finally to Katherine Parr (survived).
To his credit, he legitimized the crown after decades of the War of the Roses (warring between the two branches of the royal family), but he is remembered today for his lechery and for abusing his wives and his two daughters in a futile effort for a healthy son; only his daughter Elizabeth I would be his saving grace.
After the death of Jane Seymour from childbirth, a new wife was sought for Henry VIII, reaching across Europe, but his reputation preceded him; he chose 16-year-old Christina of Milan first, but the widowed duchess (a great-niece of Katherine of Aragon) refused, saying that she would be happy to marry him if she had two heads. Henry next chose Marie de Guise, another young widow, since "as a big man he needed a big wife"; she rejected his offer and quipped that she may have been a big woman but she had a very little neck (in reference to Anne Boleyn) and she wasted little time in marrying Henry's nephew, James V of Scotland. Anne of Cleves became the first pick as other candidates made excuses or married.
Henry VIII seemed to have a liking for redheads named Katherine, since he married three such women.
Messenger: (to a group of young noblewomen) "His Royal Majesty Henry VIII seeketh another wife."
Young noblewomen: (screaming in horror and stampeding)
Henry VIII seemed to have a liking for redheads named Katherine, since he married three such women.
Messenger: (to a group of young noblewomen) "His Royal Majesty Henry VIII seeketh another wife."
Young noblewomen: (screaming in horror and stampeding)
by Lorelili September 21, 2011
Get the Henry VIII mug.A French noun.
1. A daughter, female offspring. Derived from the Latin word "filia".
2. A girl, although jeune fille ("young daughter") is often used. The diminutive "fillette" is used to denote a little girl.
3. Slang for a prostitute, as a shortening of terms like "fille de joie", "fille de la rue", and "fille publique".
1. A daughter, female offspring. Derived from the Latin word "filia".
2. A girl, although jeune fille ("young daughter") is often used. The diminutive "fillette" is used to denote a little girl.
3. Slang for a prostitute, as a shortening of terms like "fille de joie", "fille de la rue", and "fille publique".
1. Après elle a licenciée de son travail, Fantine était désespérée gagner l'argent à sauver sa fille aimée, sa petite Cosette(After she was fired from her job, Fantine was desperate to earn money to save her beloved daughter, her little Cosette).
2. Deux garçons et trois jeunes filles ont courus à travers le parque (Two boys and three girls ran through the park).
3. Il courait les filles au lieu d'obéir les souhaits de ses parents pour se marier (He chased the girls instead of obeying his parents' wish for him to marry).
2. Deux garçons et trois jeunes filles ont courus à travers le parque (Two boys and three girls ran through the park).
3. Il courait les filles au lieu d'obéir les souhaits de ses parents pour se marier (He chased the girls instead of obeying his parents' wish for him to marry).
by Lorelili May 24, 2009
Get the fille mug.(September, 1841-September 8, 1888) Also known as "Dark Annie", the second recognized victim of Jack the Ripper.
Born Eliza Ann Smith, she was married in 1869 to John Chapman, a coachman, had two daughters and a son (Emily Ruth, born 1870; Annie Georgina, born 1873; John Alfred, born 1880) with him, and they lived fairly comfortably for some time.
Life went awry when young John was born crippled. Then in 1882, Emily Ruth died of meningitis at age 12. Around this time, the couple began drinking heavily. About 1884, they separated.
Annie somehow fell to the slums of Whitechapel by 1886. John continued to send her 10 shillings a week until Christmas of 1886, when he died of cirrhosis. His death shattered Annie's will to live.
In her last days, Annie was a homeless alcoholic, living in lodging houses, selling flowers and crocheting and occasionally prostituting herself (despite her plain features, plump figure, and poor health) to get by.
Born Eliza Ann Smith, she was married in 1869 to John Chapman, a coachman, had two daughters and a son (Emily Ruth, born 1870; Annie Georgina, born 1873; John Alfred, born 1880) with him, and they lived fairly comfortably for some time.
Life went awry when young John was born crippled. Then in 1882, Emily Ruth died of meningitis at age 12. Around this time, the couple began drinking heavily. About 1884, they separated.
Annie somehow fell to the slums of Whitechapel by 1886. John continued to send her 10 shillings a week until Christmas of 1886, when he died of cirrhosis. His death shattered Annie's will to live.
In her last days, Annie was a homeless alcoholic, living in lodging houses, selling flowers and crocheting and occasionally prostituting herself (despite her plain features, plump figure, and poor health) to get by.
While the rest of the Ripper victims came from ordinary working class backgrounds, Annie Chapman's family had a foothold in the middle class. Known by her friends late in life as "Dark Annie", for her dark brown hair, Annie had become estranged from her surviving children and from her sisters.
Only 5 feet tall, plump, and never a classic beauty, at age 47 Annie Chapman was malnourished, a homeless streetwalker, and suffering from tuberculosis and brain diseases that would have killed her soon if Jack had not killed her.
At 1:35 AM on September 8, 1888, Annie was turned away from her lodging house since she had no money for a bed. She was last seen alive at 5:30 AM outside 29 Hanbury Street, negotiating with a man who was probably her killer. Half an hour later, her body was found in the backyard of the same house, inches from the back steps.
Her skirt was hiked to her groin and her legs pulled up and leaning outwards, implying coitus; her throat was cut to the bone, her stomach opened, her intestines pulled out and draped over her shoulder, and her uterus taken away.
Only 5 feet tall, plump, and never a classic beauty, at age 47 Annie Chapman was malnourished, a homeless streetwalker, and suffering from tuberculosis and brain diseases that would have killed her soon if Jack had not killed her.
At 1:35 AM on September 8, 1888, Annie was turned away from her lodging house since she had no money for a bed. She was last seen alive at 5:30 AM outside 29 Hanbury Street, negotiating with a man who was probably her killer. Half an hour later, her body was found in the backyard of the same house, inches from the back steps.
Her skirt was hiked to her groin and her legs pulled up and leaning outwards, implying coitus; her throat was cut to the bone, her stomach opened, her intestines pulled out and draped over her shoulder, and her uterus taken away.
by Lorelili October 07, 2012
Get the Annie Chapman mug.A fast-moving cloud of superheated volcanic gasses, ash, and rock that hug the ground and even the surface of the sea as they rush at speeds of up to 450 mph, destroying anything in their paths.
Pyroclastic flows are usually the result of centuries of pent-up stress within the volcano; thick, sticky magma plugs the vent of the volcano and thus builds greater and greater pressure until it explodes.
Usually the flow is denser than the surrounding air and instead of flowing vertically, they rush along the ground, sweeping over hills and ridges like the said hills and ridges don't even exist.
Pyroclastic flows can reach temperatures as high as 1830 degrees F, and the average temperature is about half that; hot enough to boil the blood in one's body and effectively flash-cook you alive. Some victims are charred while others get fatal steam burns.
In short, a far more forceful and dangerous force than lava and more difficult to escape, due to their speed and intense heat.
Pyroclastic flows are usually the result of centuries of pent-up stress within the volcano; thick, sticky magma plugs the vent of the volcano and thus builds greater and greater pressure until it explodes.
Usually the flow is denser than the surrounding air and instead of flowing vertically, they rush along the ground, sweeping over hills and ridges like the said hills and ridges don't even exist.
Pyroclastic flows can reach temperatures as high as 1830 degrees F, and the average temperature is about half that; hot enough to boil the blood in one's body and effectively flash-cook you alive. Some victims are charred while others get fatal steam burns.
In short, a far more forceful and dangerous force than lava and more difficult to escape, due to their speed and intense heat.
Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed in 79 CE when Mount Vesuvius exploded, sending a pyroclastic flow barreling toward both towns, searing the lungs and burning the flesh of anybody who would not or could not flee.
May 8, 1902, about 30,000 people were killed in St. Pierre, Martinique, when Mt. Pelee sent a pyroclastic flow over the city.
Mount St. Helens famously erupted with a pyroclastic flow turning the surrounding forest into a lunar landscape.
The fringes of the pyroclastic flow do not always cut a clear line between life and death; survivors at the fringes often endure hideous burns.
May 8, 1902, about 30,000 people were killed in St. Pierre, Martinique, when Mt. Pelee sent a pyroclastic flow over the city.
Mount St. Helens famously erupted with a pyroclastic flow turning the surrounding forest into a lunar landscape.
The fringes of the pyroclastic flow do not always cut a clear line between life and death; survivors at the fringes often endure hideous burns.
by Lorelili August 19, 2012
Get the pyroclastic flow mug.Noun: a building where animals, especially horses, are housed.
Adjective: relatively permanent or unchanging, firmly fixed or established; unlikely to be unbalanced, changed, destroyed or altered. Consistent, dependable, and moderate.
Adjective: relatively permanent or unchanging, firmly fixed or established; unlikely to be unbalanced, changed, destroyed or altered. Consistent, dependable, and moderate.
The stable rang with the sounds of a young mare in labor; the yelps of the other horses brought the farmer running. He and his wife remained calm and stable as they helped the mare give birth to her first foal, a beautiful chestnut filly.
by Lorelili July 29, 2011
Get the stable mug.A band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high.
The term is from Dutch, roughly translated as "lost troop".
While the Donner Party was trapped in the mountains, a team of the fifteen strongest immigrants (five women, nine men, and a boy of twelve) set out on December 16, 1846, to find help, using makeshift snowshoes made by an old farmer, Franklin Graves. Later known as the "Forlorn Hope", the group consisted of:
*Luis and Salvador (19, 28), Miwok guides, murdered for food.
*Antonio (23), a teamster, died
*Patrick Dolan (35), died
*William Foster (31), survived
*Sarah Murphy-Foster (20), survived; she and William lost their toddler, Jeremiah (2.5)
*Harriet Murphy-Pike (18), survived; lost her baby, Catherine
*Lemuel Murphy (12), died despite his sisters; his mother, Levina (37), and brother, John (17), also lost
*William Eddy (28), survived; lost his wife, Eleanor (25), and both children, James and Margaret (3, 1)
*Franklin Graves (57), died; his wife, Elizabeth (46), and three youngest children, Jonathan, little Franklin, and little Elizabeth (7, 5, 1), were lost.
*Mary Graves (20), survived
*Sarah Graves-Fosdick (22), survived
*Jay Fosdick (23), died
*Amanda McCutchen (23), survived; lost her baby, Harriet
*Charles Stanton (30), died
The term is from Dutch, roughly translated as "lost troop".
While the Donner Party was trapped in the mountains, a team of the fifteen strongest immigrants (five women, nine men, and a boy of twelve) set out on December 16, 1846, to find help, using makeshift snowshoes made by an old farmer, Franklin Graves. Later known as the "Forlorn Hope", the group consisted of:
*Luis and Salvador (19, 28), Miwok guides, murdered for food.
*Antonio (23), a teamster, died
*Patrick Dolan (35), died
*William Foster (31), survived
*Sarah Murphy-Foster (20), survived; she and William lost their toddler, Jeremiah (2.5)
*Harriet Murphy-Pike (18), survived; lost her baby, Catherine
*Lemuel Murphy (12), died despite his sisters; his mother, Levina (37), and brother, John (17), also lost
*William Eddy (28), survived; lost his wife, Eleanor (25), and both children, James and Margaret (3, 1)
*Franklin Graves (57), died; his wife, Elizabeth (46), and three youngest children, Jonathan, little Franklin, and little Elizabeth (7, 5, 1), were lost.
*Mary Graves (20), survived
*Sarah Graves-Fosdick (22), survived
*Jay Fosdick (23), died
*Amanda McCutchen (23), survived; lost her baby, Harriet
*Charles Stanton (30), died
The Forlorn Hope wandered from December 16, 1846, until January 17, when a Miwok village helped the seven survivors to the safety of Johnson's Ranch, where they called for a rescue mission.
On Christmas Day, hopelessly lost and their starvation rations gone, the idea of cannibalism was first discussed, but nobody could bear to kill anybody. As a blizzard lashed them that night, Antonio died, followed by Graves, who died in the arms of his daughters; Dolan went mad before he slipped into a coma. Those remaining butchered and ate the flesh of their dead companions, sobbing in shame as they ate; Luis and Salvador, plus William Eddy, refused to eat. Taking pains to avoid eating their dead relatives, the party trudged on, cursing the man whose shortcut had led them to this.
William Foster, crazed by hunger, suggested killing Luis and Salvador for food; Eddy unsuccessfully tried to discourage him before warning the two men, who ran as far as they could.
Sarah Fosdick, a newlywed, had just lost her father and then had to watch her husband die and then see his heart roasting on a stick.
"What to do we did not know. Some of those who had children and families wished to go back, but the two Indians said they would go on. I told them I would go too, for to go back and hear the cries of hunger from my brothers and sisters was more than I could stand. I would go as far as I could, let the consequences be what they might." -Mary Graves (1826-1891)
On Christmas Day, hopelessly lost and their starvation rations gone, the idea of cannibalism was first discussed, but nobody could bear to kill anybody. As a blizzard lashed them that night, Antonio died, followed by Graves, who died in the arms of his daughters; Dolan went mad before he slipped into a coma. Those remaining butchered and ate the flesh of their dead companions, sobbing in shame as they ate; Luis and Salvador, plus William Eddy, refused to eat. Taking pains to avoid eating their dead relatives, the party trudged on, cursing the man whose shortcut had led them to this.
William Foster, crazed by hunger, suggested killing Luis and Salvador for food; Eddy unsuccessfully tried to discourage him before warning the two men, who ran as far as they could.
Sarah Fosdick, a newlywed, had just lost her father and then had to watch her husband die and then see his heart roasting on a stick.
"What to do we did not know. Some of those who had children and families wished to go back, but the two Indians said they would go on. I told them I would go too, for to go back and hear the cries of hunger from my brothers and sisters was more than I could stand. I would go as far as I could, let the consequences be what they might." -Mary Graves (1826-1891)
by Lorelili January 04, 2012
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