Place of the day today…

Guarded by the Patronesses, Almack’s was the place for the best of the best in the ton to gather each Wednesday night during the three month London season for a night of dancing, dining, drinking punch and playing cards. The subscription fee to gain entrance was 10 guineas a year. That was the easy part. Gaining a voucher wasn’t — one had to pass the Patronesses’ muster. Hopes and dreams could be made by receiving a voucher to Almack’s — or be dashed by being blackballed. As the heart of the marriage mart, a voucher to Almack’s was more precious than gold.

Strict rules were enforced, including dress and arrival time by 11pm (dinner). If you didn’t follow the rules, you didn’t gain entry to the rooms. Even Wellington was said to have been turned away one night for not adhering to the code. Alcohol was not allowed, and Almack’s was renowned for serving tea and lemonade along with sliced bread and cakes. Almack’s is referred to in literature and personal accounts as everything from a beautifully decorated, genteel club with fabulous food and drink, to a sparse, unfriendly place with tepid lemonade and dull conversation.

In either case, Almack’s was definitely a colorful part of the Regency period.

Patronesses from around 1814 onward (the ones you will read about most often):
Lady Jersey
Lady Cowper
Lady Castlereagh
Mrs. Drummond-Burrell
Countess Lieven
Princess Esterhazy
Lady Sefton

Wikipedia – interesting bits

Almack’s Assembly Rooms were the only thing in 18th and early 19th century London like a club that was not for men only.
They opened in King Street, St. James, in London, on the 20th of February, 1765. Established by William Macall, to avoid the onus of a Scottish name, then considered foreign and uncouth, he reversed the syllables.

“I hope Lord Stepping asks me to waltz tonight.”
“He is a marvelous dancer. And he keeps his hands in the proper position, with his left hand at the upper back. He maintains an appropriate distance, with none of that pulling his partner too close that the rakes seem to attempt at every opportunity.”
“Though, truth is I wouldn’t mind if his hand traveled to my waist. Twirling about the floor with Lord Stepping is any lady’s dream. He never steps on his partner’s foot and he leads with grace and agility. I don’t believe we’ve ever bumped into another couple while whirling around on the floor.”
“Yes, waltzing can be quite the hazard. Especially with Mr. Footrot.”
“Oh, yes. I couldn’t dance for a week after dancing with him. And he counted the steps under his breath. A man of good ton should know how to dance.”

Merriam-Webster

A ballroom dance in 3/4 time with strong accent on the first beat and a basic pattern of step-step-close.

Wikipedia

The waltz is a dance in 3/4 time, done primarily in closed position, the commonest basic figure of which is a full turn in two measures using three steps per measure. It first became fashionable in Vienna in about the 1780s, then spread to many other countries within the next few years.

So, yeah. Yesterday after about 10am PST the web servers went back down. The owner of the hosting company flew from NY to Orlando, and then drove to Boca Raton to make sure it was fixed properly. If the servers go down again, he may torch the responsible parties with dragon fire — how he will obtain a dragon is unclear at this time.

The last two days’ worth of Word of the Day are now up, and tomorrow’s will hopefully be brought to you bright and early.

A dance or a group of dancers.

“Oh, dear, they need two more to complete the set.”
“My chess set is in the carriage. What do they need, rooks or pawns?”
“No, the set forming on the dance floor. There are three couples, they need a fourth. Hurry, go ask the Gillingham girl to dance.”
“But mother, I don’t want to dance. I want to go to the gaming room.”
“Absolutely not, Frankie. And don’t think I haven’t heard about your thirty pound loss at baccarat the other day.”
“Mother! We don’t talk about these things.”
“And if you go ask Cynthia Gillingham to dance, we won’t have to.”

Merriam-Webster

The basic formation in a country-dance or square dance

Wikipedia

Set dancing is based on quadrilles…Four couples are arranged in a square to dance, with each couple being in the middle of the sides of the square. Both the eight dancers in the group and the dance itself are called a ’set’. The dance is a sequence of several dance figures, which usually have a common theme or structure.