Definition: (adjective) Repetition of the same sense in different words.
Synonyms: redundant, tautological.
Usage: "A true fact" and "a free gift" are pleonastic expressions.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Month: April 2015
Netherlands Becomes First Country to Allow Same-Sex Marriage (2001)
In 1997, a Dutch parliamentary commission tasked with investigating the advisability of same-sex unions concluded that same-sex couples should be given the right to enter into civil marriages. Legislation was finalized in late 2000, and at the stroke of midnight on April 1, 2001, four same-sex couples were married by the mayor of Amsterdam, making the Netherlands the first nation to legally recognize same-sex marriages. How many same-sex couples took advantage of the new law in that first year? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
April Fools’ Day
There are many names for this day, just as there are many practical jokes to play on the unsuspecting. The simplest pranks usually involve children who, for example, tell each other that their shoelaces are undone and then cry “April Fool!” when the victims glance at their feet. Sometimes the media broadcast fictitious news items. British television, for example, once showed Italian farmers “harvesting” spaghetti from trees. The French call it Fooling the April Fish Day (the fool being the poisson d’avril) and try to pin a paper fish on someone’s back without getting caught. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Otto von Bismarck (1815)
Bismarck was a 19th-century Prussian and German statesman. Under his leadership, Prussia defeated Austria and France, and Germany was united. He was appointed premier in 1862 and became chancellor of the North German Confederation in 1867. When the new German Empire formed in 1871, he became its first chancellor, gaining almost complete control of foreign and domestic affairs and eventually earning the nickname “Iron Chancellor.” What was the Kulturkampf, and why did he encourage it? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima is the title given to the Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima, Portugal, in 1917, at a time when many young men, including relatives of the children, were fighting in WWI. She reportedly exhorted the children to do penance, and they wore tight cords around their waists and abstained from water on hot days. She also reportedly confided to them three secrets. One of these was a vision of Hell. What were the others? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
diaphanous
Definition: (adjective) Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent.
Synonyms: filmy, gauzy, sheer, vaporous.
Usage: She wore a hat with a diaphanous veil that did not obscure her features.
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Source: The Free Dictionary