Definition: (noun) An employee of a department store who supervises sales personnel and assists customers.
Synonyms: shopwalker.
Usage: Although Bill thoroughly enjoyed the raise associated with his promotion to floorwalker, he disliked answering customer complaints and sometimes wished he had remained a cashier.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The first part of a now-viral video shows a sea lion swimming near a dock in Steveston, a seaside community on Canada’s western coast. The sound of cameras clicking can be heard in the background as onlookers marveled at its size. The animal swims … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Kola Superdeep Borehole project was an attempt to dig as far as possible into the Earth’s crust. It began when, in 1970, following setbacks in the Space Race, Soviet scientists looked downward. Digging on the remote Kola Peninsula for some 20 years, they reached a depth of 40,230 feet (12,262 m)—about a third of the way through the Earth’s crust—before being forced to stop due to higher-than-expected temperatures of 350° F (180° C). Surprisingly, water was found at what depth? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Jerusalem Day commemorates the capture and reunification of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War (on 28 Iyyar 5727 on the Jewish calendar—June 7, 1967), after which Israel gained possession of the Old City of Jerusalem and other Arab lands. Although there are no specific rituals connected with this holiday, it is common to recite the Hallel (Psalms 115-118), Psalm 107, and the Aleinu, or concluding prayer. Because this day falls during the Lag ba-Omer period, the mourning customs traditionally observed during this time are suspended for the day. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Soon after Brodsky began writing poetry in the USSR in the 1950s, he was accused by the government of “social parasitism” and sentenced to hard labor. Exiled in 1972, he settled in New York and began writing in English. He was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1987 and was poet laureate of the US for a time. His poetry, with its themes of loss and exile, is highly regarded for its intensity, depth, and wit. What was his retort when a Soviet judge once asked him, “Who enrolled you in the ranks of poets?” Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building that one does not own, rent, or have permission to use. Many of the slums and shanty towns found in the world’s poorest countries began as squats established on illegally occupied land. Commonly seen in urban areas the world over, squats function as residences as well as social centers. According to one source, there may be as many as one billion squatters globally. What is the international squatters’ symbol? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Not lasting or durable; not permanent.
Synonyms: temporary.
Usage: After weeks of carefully constructing the beautiful sand mandala, the Tibetan monks quietly swept it away in a ceremony emphasizing the impermanent nature of existence.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
There’s hardly anything on Earth that has escaped human influence—from the oceans to the atmosphere. But a new study suggests that human activity is also influencing the space around our planet; this is on top of the space junk already swirling around … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
When former New York governor Samuel J. Tilden died in 1886, he left $2.4 million in his will for the creation of a grand public library. At that time, there were two other important libraries in New York City—the Astor and the Lenox—but they were struggling. With Tilden’s gift, they were merged in 1895. The new library’s cornerstone was laid in 1902 at the old Croton Reservoir on Fifth Avenue, and it finally opened to the public in 1911. By 1910, how many miles of shelves had been installed? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Clooney was an American singer popular in the 1950s with hits such as “Come On-a My House.” She also appeared in several movies, including White Christmas (1954), which co-starred Bing Crosby. In the 1960s, mental illness and drug addiction took a toll on her career, but she made a comeback in the mid-1970s and performed until her death in 2002. Her 1968 mental breakdown was precipitated by the assassination—as she stood nearby—of what personal friend? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary