Posted on 08/26/2009 7:30:43 AM PDT by VRWCmember
In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day".
dead hand • \DED-HAND\ • noun 
1: an inalienable possession of property by a church or corporation
2: the oppressive influence of the past *
* Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence
Example sentence:
"If newspapers wish to survive," said Edward, "then editors need to wrest free from the dead hand of print journalism and embrace the more dynamic capabilities of the Web."
Did you know?
Does "dead hand" make you picture a pale dismembered hand creeping slowly toward its next unsuspecting victim? If so, you're in for a surprise -- but not a scary one. "Dead hand" is a literal translation of "mortmain," which comes from the Old French words "morte" (meaning "dead") and "main" (meaning "hand"). In very unspooky terms, both the French and English terms describe property that is left to a company, church, or charity in perpetuity. The "oppressive past influence" sense of both "mortmain" and "dead hand" developed from the idea of the dead exercising posthumous control over their property by dictating how it must be used after they die.
Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence.
The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day.
The Review threads are linked for your edification. ;-)
Practice makes perfect.....post on....
Review Threads:
Review Thread One: Word For The Day, Thursday 11/14/02: Raffish (Be SURE to check out posts #92 and #111 on this thread!)
Review Thread Two: Word For The Day, Tuesday 1/14/03: Roister
Review Thread Three: Word For The Day, Tuesday 1/28/03: Obdurate
Review Thread Four: Word For the Day, Friday 7/25/03: Potation
Review Thread Five: Word For the Day, Monday 8/19/03: Stolid
Review Thread Six: Word for the Day, Tuesday 11/09/2004: Peripatetic (Post #125 may be my best anagram post ever)
Here is my example with today's WFTD.
Some might think that the idea of modest dress is a dead hand to the church, but I think Mike Adams makes some excellent points in this piece:
No pushing at the door please!
Happy Humpday Everybody!
Only 
days left until BO's replacement is sworn in.
It's about dang time!
Way too much of the four-letter word today. Try not to burn down the classroom.
door’s finally open!
The dead hand of the Kennedy family is now truly a dead hand.
The dead hand of the lion of the Senate is reaching out to stop his fall to the fires below.
Interesting word choice.............
I knew that this word would evoke comments about the departed senator from Taxachussetts, but it is today’s word so I went with it anyway.
Ironic, isn’t it.
Perfect!
Good Catholics don’t cremate. So you figure it out. ;-)
Fox has joe biden rambling on and on.........in a near whisper.....pathetic.
He said he isn't angry about the incident and thinks the cyclists were lucky. Barish, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, was carrying a gun that day. "In another minute or so I was going to take out my gun and take a couple of them out," he said. "I don't think the whole road belongs to them."
A dead hand is useful for activating a dead man switch.
Biden is always pathetic. I turned the TV off shortly after 7, I couldn’t take it any longer. The radio station I have on now does no news whatsoever, not even top of the hour headlines.
It was actually Boca Raton. My bank is on that block. I’ve heard that bicycle riders are becoming hostile to cars, but I haven’t seen it.
Battery on a person over the age of 65 is a felony in Florida. Many elderly men also note that they are susceptible to a broken hip if knocked to the ground in a fight. A broken hip in an elderly man has a surprisingly high fatality rate. This absolutely justifies the use of deadly force for defense in this state.
Score one for the good guys. Liberals said the streets would run red with blood if Florida issued carry permits. They were lying.
I’ve read a couple of the articles about Moron’s town hall -— good grief.
i have pretty much zero tolerance for bike riders based on my experience with them in NoVA. this group in FL sounds egregious in the extreme. if i was this older gentleman, i mighta kilt me a few too!
Socialism, Obama’s dead hand
Every part of our life, he wants planned
The environment, health
His dead hand on our wealth
I can’t wait ‘til this Marxist gets canned
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