As Tuesday's go, this was a really long day. Nothing bad, just long. Tiring. Chilly. And speaking of derelict properties, this house (I am pretty sure) has been abandoned ever since we have been living out here on the Edge of Nowhere. Generally, the grass is grown up all around it. For about 18 months, there was a bike (bicycle) parked not far from the house near what I think was once a driveway. The bike stayed there and was never touched. Never moved. It did not fall over in winds or rain. Nobody stole the bike (as far as I know). It was just there. I passed it by almost every day. The other interesting thing about this abandoned property is, it is less than 100 yards from a brand new upscale subdivision. Big homes. Controlled access gates. Alarm systems. Modern technology. Stuff. I am somewhat alarmed that the grass and brush has been cleared from around this house, it kind of makes me think there are plans for the property. Growth is happening all around us, and this could well be the next victim.Revanche -- Noun: revenge; especially: a usually political policy designed to recover lost territory or status. The queen plotted a strategy of revanche to bring her country back to the ranks of a world power.
Did You Know? Revanche first appeared in English in the mid-19th century, deriving along with our noun revenge, from the Middle French verb revenchier ("to revenge"). The word developed its specific political application in the years following the Franco-German war (1870 - 1871), which resulted in France losing the territory known as Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. (The territory was returned to France following World War I and then twice switched hands again during World War II.) Although revanche appears occasionally in English today, you are more likely to encounter its relatives revanchism, which refers to a government's policy of revanche, and revanchist, referring to a follower of such a policy.
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