Burke - plus, check out the current trending words

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [October 23, 2017](#none) burke [Audio pronunciation]( verb | BERK Definition 1 : to suppress quietly or indirectly 2 : [bypass](, [avoid]( Scroll down for more about burke WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [The Exceptions Quiz III]( Which of these things doesn't belong? [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Plus: [SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW! [>]]( Did You Know? When an elderly [pensioner]( died at the Edinburgh boarding house of William Hare in 1827, the proprietor and his friend William Burke decided to sell the body to a local anatomy school. The sale was so lucrative that they decided to make sure they could repeat it. They began luring nameless wanderers (who were not likely to be missed) into the house, getting them drunk, then smothering or strangling them and selling the bodies. The two disposed of at least 15 victims before murdering a local woman whose disappearance led to their arrest. At Burke's execution (by hanging), irate crowds shouted "Burke him!" As a result of the case, the word burke became a [byword]( first for death by suffocation or strangulation and eventually for any cover-up. Examples of BURKE The mob boss dropped a few well-timed bribes to prosecutors in an effort to burke any investigation into possible wrongdoing. "There is, however, a respectable and reasonable ethical argument against clinical trials of correctional treatment methods which must not be burked in our enthusiasm for the acquisition of knowledge." — Norval Morris, "Should Research Design and Scientific Merits Be Evaluated?," in Experimentation with Human Beings, 1972 Name That Synonym Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of burke: s _ _ el _ h. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( MERCH NEW Merriam-Webster Swag! Show off your smarts with M-W gear [CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](