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fool

(Encyclopedia)fool or court jester, a person who entertains with buffoonery and an often caustic wit. In all countries from ancient times and extending into the 18th cent., mental and physical deformity provided am...

Gaster, Moses

(Encyclopedia)Gaster, Moses gäsˈtər [key], 1856–1939, Romanian Jewish scholar and writer, b. Bucharest. Expelled (1885) from Romania for championing the Jewish cause, he went to England and was lecturer at Oxf...

D'Avenant, Sir William

(Encyclopedia)D'Avenant or Davenant, Sir William dăvˈənənt [key], 1606–68, English poet, playwright, and theatrical producer. His life and work bridge the gap between the Elizabethan and Restoration ages. His...

Snorri Sturluson

(Encyclopedia)Snorri Sturluson or Sturleson snôrˈrē stürˈlüsôn, –lĕsôn [key], 1178–1241, Icelandic chieftain, historian, critic, and saga teller, the leading figure in medieval Norse literature. He was...

Sackville, Thomas, 1st earl of Dorset

(Encyclopedia)Sackville, Thomas, 1st earl of Dorset, 1536–1608, English statesman and poet. A barrister of the Inner Temple, Sackville entered Parliament in 1558, gained favor with Elizabeth I, and was created Ba...

Queen Latifah

(Encyclopedia) Queen Latifah , 1970- , African-American rapper, songwriter, and actress, b. Newark, N.J., as Dana Elaine Owens. In a musical style known for its m...

Pulitzer Prizes

(Encyclopedia)Pulitzer Prizes, annual awards for achievements in American journalism, letters, and music. The prizes are paid from the income of a fund left by Joseph Pulitzer to the trustees of Columbia Univ. They...

O'Toole, Peter

(Encyclopedia)O'Toole, Peter (Peter Seamus O'Toole), 1932–2013, British actor, b. Connemara, Ireland, grad. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London (1955). A classical stage actor, he appeared (1955–58) with the ...

Northlake

(Encyclopedia)Northlake, city (1990 pop. 12,505), Cook and Du Page counties, NE Ill., a suburb of Chicago; inc. 1949. Its has various manufactures. St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church, which is shaped like a fis...

Westmount

(Encyclopedia)Westmount wĕstˈmount [key], city (1991 pop. 20,239), S Que., Canada, on Montreal island. A primarily English-speaking western residential suburb of Montreal, it became a city in 1908. ...