July 24, 2016
Word of the Day
|
|
|
Definition:
|
(noun) A selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend. |
| Synonyms: |
scrooge, churl, niggard
|
| Usage: |
He had earned for himself the reputation of an awful skinflint, of a miser in the matter of living. |
Idiom of the Day
—
The final amount after adding several different numbers or sums.
More...
|
Article of the Day
|
|
|
Long sought as the "holy grail" of Western alchemy, the philosopher's stone is a legendary substance that is supposedly capable of turning inexpensive metals into gold and is believed by some to have the power to restore youth. At one time, alchemists believed a key ingredient of the stone was a mythical element called "carmot." According to legend, to whom did 13th-century scientist Albertus Magnus give the philosopher's stone after discovering it shortly before his death?
More...
|
This Day in History
Hiram Bingham III Locates Machu Picchu (1911)
|
Discuss
|
|
|
Bingham was an American archaeologist who explored the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, which he incorrectly identified as the "lost city" of Vilcabamba, bringing them to the attention of the outside world for the first time. Ironically, he was also the first modern explorer to reach Espiritu Pampa, found 60 mi (110 km) east of Machu Picchu, a site now widely recognized as the actual remains of Vilcabamba. A Yale University lecturer, Bingham may have been the inspiration for what fictional character?
More...
|
Today's Birthday
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald (1900)
|
Discuss
|
|
|
Zelda Sayre was an aspiring writer when she married F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1920. A glamorous and witty couple, they lived an extravagant life in New York City that F. Scott unsuccessfully attempted to support with his writing. They eventually moved to Europe, where they became part of a celebrated circle of American expatriates known as the Lost Generation. After 1930, Zelda was intermittently confined to sanatoriums for schizophrenia but still managed to publish short stories and what novel?
More...
|
Today's Holiday
Manitoba Sunflower Festival
|
Discuss
|
|
|
The Mennonites were members of an evangelical Protestant sect named for Menno Simons, a Dutch priest. A number of Russian Mennonites settled in Manitoba, Canada, where their heritage is still celebrated. Because the Mennonites were the first to extract the oil from sunflower plants, the city of Altona honors its Mennonite heritage with an annual Sunflower Festival, offering a number of Mennonite foods such as veriniki, borscht, and rollkuchen. Activities include the Great Ping Pong Ball Drop, motorcross races, pancake breakfasts, and a huge farmers' market.
More...
|
Quote of the Day
|
|
|
The distinction between freedom and liberty is not accurately known; naturalists have never been able to find a living specimen of either.
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
|
In the News
What Made the Right Eye of the 'Man in the Moon'?
|
Discuss
|
|
|
Where did the "Man in the Moon" come from, that fabled face that stares down at us from the lunar surface? We may not have all the answers, but new research has at least shed some light on one of the eyes – his right one, to be exact. Or, the left one, if ...
More...
|
Mobile apps from TheFreeDictionary.com
|
The classic free version, downloaded more than 6 million times!
- Multiple dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauruses in one place.
- 14 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian.
- Online translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other translation options.
|
|
|
|
The PRO version, with expanded offline content.
- No ads.
- A more comprehensive English offline dictionary, plus 13 other offline dictionaries: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian.
- Offline translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other offline translation options.
- Plus all the content of the classic free app!
|
|
|
|
