Cushman, Charlotte (Saunders) (b. July 23, 1816, Boston, Mass., U.S.—d. Feb. 18, 1876, Boston)
U.S. actress. She made her opera debut in Boston at age 19, but her singing voice soon failed and she turned to acting. In 1837 she first played her most popular role, Meg Merrilies in Guy Mannering, and she became the first native-born U.S. theatre star. From 1842 she managed a theatre in Philadelphia, where she starred with William Macready in Macbeth. In 1854-55 she toured England to great acclaim. Noted for her powerful emotional reach, she portrayed Lady Macbeth and male roles such as Romeo and Hamlet.
cusk or torsk Long-bodied food fish {Brosme brosme ) of the cod fam¬ ily, found along the bottom of deep offshore waters on either side of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a small- scaled fish with a large mouth and a barbel (fleshy feeler) on its chin. It has one dorsal and one anal fin, both long and both connected to the rounded tail. It may grow to a length of 3-3.5 ft (90-110 cm). It varies from yellowish or brownish to a slaty colour and, when young, may be vertically barred with yellow.
cusp In architecture, the intersection of lobed or scalloped forms, par¬ ticularly in arches (cusped arches) and tracery. Thus the three lobes of a trefoil (cloverleaf form) are separated by three cusps. Cusped forms appear in early Islamic work and were especially common in the Moorish architecture of North Africa and Spain. The form was adopted wholeheartedly by European Gothic ARCHITECTURE.
custard apple Any of various Annona species of shrubs or small trees of the family Annonaceae, native to the New World tropics and Florida. The family is the largest in the magnolia order and contains approximately 1,100 species of plants in 122 genera. Many species in the family are valuable for their large, pulpy fruits. Others are valued
Charlotte Cushman as Meg Merrilies in Guy Mannering.
COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Custard apple (Annona reticulata).
WALTER DAWN
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
498 I Custer > Cuyp
for their timber, and still others as ornamentals. Leaves and wood are often fragrant. The fruit is a berry. The small, tropical American custard apple (Annonci reticulata) bears fruits with reddish-yellow, sweetish, custard¬ like flesh. Other species include the sweetsop (A. squamosa ) and the sour- sop (A. muricata ). Bark, leaves, and roots of many species are important in folk medicine.
Custer, George Armstrong (b. Dec. 5, 1839, New Rumley, Ohio, U.S.—d. June 25, 1876, Little Bighorn River, Montana Territory) U.S. cavalry officer. He graduated from West Point and at age 23 became a brigadier general. His vigorous pursuit of Confederate troops under Gen. Robert E. Lee in retreat from Richmond hastened Lee’s surrender in 1865. In 1874 he led U.S. troops to investigate rumours of gold in South Dako¬ ta’s Black Hills, a sacred Indian hunting ground. The resulting gold rush led to hostile encounters with the Indians. In 1876 the 36-year-old Custer commanded one of two columns of a planned attack against Indians camped near Montana’s Little Bighorn River. He rashly decided to attack without the other column, and in the Battle of the Little Bighorn he and all his troops were killed.
custom In law, long-established practice common to many or to a par¬ ticular place or institution and generally recognized as having the force of law. In England during the Anglo-Saxon period, local customs formed most laws affecting family rights, ownership and inheritance, contracts, and violence between individuals. The Norman conquerors granted the validity of customary law, adapting it to their feudal system. In the 13th and 14th centuries, English law was given statutory authority under the crown, making the “customs of the realm” England’s common law. See also culture; folklore; myth; taboo.
customs duty See tariff
customs union Trade agreement by which a group of countries charges a common set of tariffs to the rest of the world while allowing free trade among themselves. It is a partial form of economic integration, interme¬ diate between free-trade zones, which allow mutual free trade but lack a common tariff system, and common markets, which both utilize common tariffs and allow free movement of resources including capital and labour between members. Well-known customs unions include the Zollverein, a 19th-century organization formed by several German states under Prus¬ sian leadership, and the European Union, which passed through a customs- union stage on the path to fuller economic integration. See also European Community; General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; North American Free Trade Agreement; World Trade Organization.
Custoza \ku-'st6t-s3\, Battles of Two attempts at Custoza, Italy, to end Austrian control over northern Italy. In the first battle (July 24, 1848), an Austrian army under Joseph Radetzky defeated the Sardinians, led by Charles Albert. In the second battle (June 24, 1866), as part of an Italian effort to acquire Austrian-held Venetia, a disorganized Italian army of 120,000 men, led by Victor Emmanuel II, was defeated by an 80,000-man Austrian force. Despite its defeats, Italy subsequently obtained Venetia in the Treaty of Vienna (1866).
cut glass Glassware characterized by a series of facets, or patterns, cut into its surface. A marked pattern is roughed out on a glass object with a revolving abrasive wheel; the pattern is then smoothed by a sandstone wheel and polished in an acid bath. The Romans introduced a crude form of glass cutting in the 1st century ad. Modern glass cutting developed in Germany in the late 17th century with the production of a heavy, colour¬ less crystal glass. After Bohemian glass became popular, English and Irish glassmakers adopted the technique. The prismatic styles of their products, notably Waterford glass, became popular in the U.S. after 1780.
Cuthbert, Saint (b. 634/635, probably Northumbria, Eng.—d. March 20, 687, islet of Inner Fame, or House, off Northumbria; feast day March 20) English saint. A shepherd, Cuthbert entered the Northumbrian mon¬ astery of Melrose in 651 after receiving a divine vision. When plague struck 10 years later, he aided the afflicted, reportedly performing miracles. In 664 he became prior of Lindisfarne, where he instituted a severe rule. In 676 he retired to Inner Fame, where he devoted himself to prayer. His efforts to protect birds made him one of the earliest wild¬ life conservationists.
cutthroat trout Black-spotted game fish ( Salmo clarki ) of the salmon family, found in western North America. The cutthroat trout is named for the bright red streak beneath its lower jaw. Considered a good table fish, it strikes at flies, baits, and lures. It reaches a weight of 4 lb (1.8 kg).
Many cutthroat trout that live in rivers migrate to sea. Like oceanic forms of other trout species, these fish are called sea trout and may not reenter freshwater for several years.
cutting In botany, a plant section originating from the stem, leaf, or root and capable of developing into a new plant. The cutting is usually placed in warm, moist sand. Many plants, especially horticultural and garden varieties, are propagated through cuttings; by the use of new techniques, many other plants formerly not susceptible to propagation through cut¬ tings have more successfully reproduced. The plants that develop from cuttings are clones. See also graft, layering.
cutting horse Light saddle horse trained to cut (isolate) livestock, espe¬ cially cattle, from herds. Most are quarter horses, with the intelligence, speed, and ability to make quick starts, stops, and turns. A well-trained cutting horse can maneuver an animal away from a herd and into a cor¬ ner with little direction from a rider or, in some cases, without a rider.