espouse
verb

- to become involved with or support an activity or opinion

- to take up and support as a cause, become attached to

- to marry

The Cambridge Dictionary / The American Heritage Dictionary

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ORIGIN

“Espouse” appeared in the mid 15th century and meant “to take as spouse, to marry”. It derived from Old French (11th century) éspouser “marry, take in marriage, join in marriage”, from Latin sponsare, “to make an offering, perform a rite, promise secretly”.

The extended sense of “adopt, embrace, support” a cause, a party, etc., is from the 1620s.

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“ART ALWAYS WINS!” – Al Hansen

During the 1960s, Al Hansen was among the leading members of the so-called Fluxus art movement, a dadaesque precursor to Conceptual Art whose members (Yoko Ono among them) ESPOUSED an iconoclastic ideology and specialized in “happenings”. Happenings were interactive performances, often using video and “found” objects.

Hansen was born in New York City in 1927. He joined the US Air Force and served as a paratrooper in World War II. During his time with the "Army Of Occupation" in Frankfurt, Germany, he pushed a piano off the top of a 5-story bombed out building. Later, back in New York City and all over the world, he performed this act many times, naming it “The Yoko Ono Piano Drop”.

In the early 1980’s Hansen moved to Cologne, Germany and established an art school – the Ultimate Akademie. Many artists from all over the world have participated in exhibitions and events at the Ultimate Akademie. Most, credit Hansen’s influence for their continued commitment to the artistic process and it’s rewards.

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SYNONYMS
- to accept, support, or take on as one’s own (an idea or a cause)

advocate for, ally oneself with, applaud, argue for, assist the progress of, bang the drum for, battle for, be a patron of, be in favour of, be true to, campaign for, champion, crusade for, endorse, ESPOUSE, eulogise, hold a torch for, keep faith with, nail your colors to the mast, patronise, propagandise, regard highly, ride shotgun, root for, rubber-stamp, sponsor, stand behind, take the side of, take up cudgels for, throw your weight behind, thumbs up, vouch for

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“There are few people these days who don’t ESPOUSE the value of renewable energy.”

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40