Definition: (noun) A holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing.
Synonyms: thole, tholepin, peg, pin, oarlock.
Usage: It was that dull kind of a regular sound that comes from oars working in rowlocks when it's a still night.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Scientists have found that the Tasmanian devil had somehow developed resistance to a cancer that researchers previously believed would wipe the species off the planet. The study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications gives hope that the … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Thanks to the poignant and insightful diary she left behind, Anne Frank is one of the most renowned and discussed victims of the Holocaust. Her family emigrated to Amsterdam in 1933 to escape the Nazis but was forced into hiding after the Nazis occupied the Netherlands. Betrayed to the Germans in 1944, the Franks were soon sent to Auschwitz, where they were separated by gender. Later, Anne and her sister were moved to Bergen-Belsen, where both died. Did any members of the Frank family survive? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
This is the official foundation day of the Republic of San Marino, a landlocked area of less than 30 square miles on the Adriatic side of central Italy. The oldest independent country in Europe, San Marino takes its name from St. Marinus. According to legend, he was a deacon and stonemason when one day a woman wrongly identified him as the husband who had deserted her. He barricaded himself in a cave until she gave up, and he spent the rest of his life on Monte Titano as a hermit. The present-day city of San Marino was built on the site where his original hermitage was believed to be. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Sullivan is considered the father of modern American architecture. After working for several Chicago firms, he joined the office of Dankmar Adler in 1879, becoming Adler’s partner at age 24. Their 14-year association produced more than 100 buildings, many of them landmarks. During this period, Frank Lloyd Wright spent six years as an apprentice to Sullivan, who would be a major influence on the younger architect. What famous phrase did Sullivan coin to express his architectural philosophy? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In one of the first trials followed by the public through daily newspaper reports, Frenchwoman Marie-Fortunée Lafarge, who stood accused of poisoning her husband with arsenic, was found guilty of murder. Her conviction in 1840 was the first to be based heavily on direct forensic toxicological evidence. During the trial, local experts presented contradictory testimony regarding the presence of arsenic in the victim’s body, and it was ultimately exhumed and tested using what new detection method? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) An old, dilapidated motor vehicle, especially an automobile.
Synonyms: heap, bus.
Usage: The jalopy didn't even make it to the junkyard, breaking into a thousand pieces as soon as we climbed inside.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
When you praise a dog, it’s listening not just to the words you say but also how you say them. That might not be huge news to dog owners. But now scientists have explored this phenomenon by using an imaging machine to peek inside the brains of 13 dogs … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The CBS Evening News is the chief nightly news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast the program since 1948, when it was called The CBS-TV News. Legendary journalist Walter Cronkite took over as the program’s anchor in 1962, and the following year, the show was expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, becoming network television’s first half-hour nightly news program. When Cronkite retired in 1981, who replaced him as the show’s anchor? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The highlight of the Grape Festival held each year in Nauvoo, Illinois, is the historical pageant known as the Wedding of the Wine and Cheese, celebrating the union of cheese and wine. The festival also includes parades, a grape stomp, and historical tours. In the late 1840s, Nauvoo was occupied by French and German Icarians. The Icarians brought wine-making to the area, and several of their original wine cellars are still used to make the blue cheese that this festival has celebrated for over 50 years. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary