Definition: (noun) A person who acts independently or remains neutral, especially in politics.
Synonyms: fencesitter, independent.
Usage: The public relations firm believed that the key to victory was to capture the hearts and minds of the mugwumps who would otherwise remain passive.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Pluto is hiding a very big secret some 3 billion miles away from Earth: a vast ocean of liquid water. If you could suck all of the liquid from below the dwarf planet’s icy shell, it might amount to a sphere up to 780 miles wide, or about 75% of all of … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The original Covent Garden playhouse, called the Theatre Royal, was built in 1732 and hosted performances of plays, pantomimes, and opera. Twice destroyed by fire and rebuilt, the theater that stands today is the third built on the site. The Royal Ballet began performing there in 1946. The Royal Opera House reopened in 1999 after an 18-month renovation. It seats 2,268 people and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies. What actor financed the construction of the original theater in 1732? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Chaomos is the winter festival of the Kalasha people, who live in valleys in the northwestern corner of Pakistan, about 20 miles north of Chitral. The festival honors Balomain, a demigod said to have once lived among the Kalasha. The celebration begins with the purification of women and girls. A man waves burning juniper over the head of each woman, murmuring, “Sooch” (“Be pure”). On the following day, the men and boys are purified. The celebration continues with singing and chanting, a torchlight procession, dancing, bonfires, and festive eating of special bread and goat tripe. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Bird was an American basketball player. After spending most of his collegiate career at Indiana State University, he was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1978 and became a perennial all-star. He led the Celtics to three championships and was named the league’s most valuable player as many times. He retired after winning gold with the 1992 US Olympic “Dream Team.” What future rival did Bird face in a college basketball championship game and then again in three professional championship series? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The historical referents of the term “assassin,” the Hashshashin were a secret society of Ismaili Shia Muslims who specialized in politically motivated killings of Crusaders and Muslim rulers. Much of the lore surrounding the feared sect, which originated in Persia and was active from 1090 to 1272, stems from Marco Polo’s likely fictional account of his visit to the city of Alamut in 1273. What drug is believed to be the root of the term “Hashshashin,” and what was its connection to the sect? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A wooden or metal strip.
Synonyms: slat.
Usage: Humidity and weathering had caused the spline on the edge of the door to detach.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
For the first time, researchers have found a functional link between the bacteria in the gut and the onset of Parkinson’s disease, one of the world’s most common debilitating brain disorders. A team of scientists from several institutions in the United … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1783, Congress passed a resolution approving an equestrian statue of George Washington. Plans were made to erect it at the site of the present Washington Monument, but Washington objected to the idea. After his death in 1799, plans for a memorial were discussed but none was adopted until 1832, when blocks of stone began to be collected from each state, some foreign countries, and private individuals. The 555-ft (169-m) monument was finally completed in 1884. Its tip is made of what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Finnish people lived under Russian control beginning in 1809. The Finnish nationalist movement grew in the 1800s, and when the Bolsheviks took over Russia on November 7, 1917, the Finns saw a time to declare their independence. They did so on December 6 of that same year. This day is a national holiday celebrated with military parades in Helsinki and performances at the National Theater. It is traditionally a solemn occasion that begins with a parade of students carrying torches and one flag for each year of independence. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary