Definition: (noun) Something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity.
Synonyms: blind.
Usage: The manner in which he said this made Ned feel sure that Tom had had other thoughts, and that he had used a little subterfuge in his answer.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
It’s said the flood looked like “endless boiling water,” surging across the landscape. A wave as tall as a 30-story building would have crashed over the banks of the Yellow River, demolishing everything in its path. It soaked the streets of ancient … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Pueblo Revolt was an uprising of Native American communities against Spanish colonization in New Mexico. Organized by a medicine man called Popé and other Pueblo leaders, the uprising led to the deaths of some 400 colonists and missionaries and forced the surviving Spaniards to retreat to El Paso, freeing the Pueblo of Spanish rule for the first time in 82 years. However, internal dissension and Apache raids soon weakened the unity of the Pueblo. What happened in 1692 after Popé’s death? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Independence Day, or National Day, in Ecuador celebrates its independence movement of 1809. Freedom from Spanish rule was finally achieved on May 24, 1822. (That event is commemorated each year on May 24 with another holiday called Battle of Pichincha Day.) Patriotic festivities are held throughout the country, but particularly in the colorful capital city of Quito. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Darrow was a heating engineer who is generally credited with developing “Monopoly,” a board game in which players compete to purchase real estate and bankrupt their opponents, though there is evidence that he merely adapted Elizabeth Magie’s realty and taxation game “The Landlord’s Game.” “Monopoly” was initially rejected by Parker Brothers, but after Darrow met with success selling the game himself, the toy firm reconsidered and bought it in 1935. What were their initial objections? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Ominously known as the “ghost chili” or “poison chili,” the naga jolokia was once the hottest chili pepper in the world, as certified by Guinness World Records in 2007. Originally grown in northeastern India and Bangladesh, the naga jolokia has measured over 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale, a system developed to measure the “hotness” or piquancy of chili peppers. In comparison, jalapeño peppers range from 2,500 to 8,000. What pepper has since surpassed it as the world’s hottest? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A shortened version of a written work.
Synonyms: condensation, capsule.
Usage: In a word, I gave him an abridgment of this whole history; I gave him a picture of my conduct for fifty years in miniature.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
At dawn, whole fields of sunflowers stand at attention, all facing east, and begin their romance with the rising sun. As that special star appears to move across the sky, young flowers follow its light, looking up, then over and westward, catching one final … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
During WWII, Nagasaki became the target of the second atomic bomb ever detonated on a populated area. Three days after the US dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima, a more powerful plutonium device, code-named “Fat Man,” was dropped on Nagasaki. Approximately 40,000 people were killed outright, and a total of 75,000 were killed or wounded. More than a third of the city was devastated. The necessity of the attack is still debated. The “Fat Man” was supposedly named after a character in what film? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
On August 9, 1956, a protest march was held at the Union BuildingsUnion Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa. Approximately 20,000 women participated in a peaceful march to protest against policies that restricted the rights of African women. Every year on August 9, people gather at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Amphitheatre in Cape Town to celebrate National Women’s Day. This day celebrates the contributions and achievements women have made to society and for women’s rights, and to acknowledge the difficulties and prejudices many women still face. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary