Definition: (verb) Reject with contempt.
Synonyms: freeze off, spurn, disdain, scorn, turn down.
Usage: Rose was troubled with nausea, but Martin pooh-poohed, as childish, the notion of dropping some of her responsibilities.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Can you die of a broken heart? Broken heart syndrome is not a term Hollywood made up, it’s a real heart condition that’s often brought on by stressful situations, like a heart-wrenching breakup or the death of a loved one.The syndrome, also known as takotsubo … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Nearly three years after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel, former US Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested on unrelated charges of treason. Though the exact details of his plan were a mystery even then, he was accused of plotting to establish an independent country of his own, possibly in the American Southwest. He was treated well while imprisoned at Fort Stoddert and was eventually acquitted, but his political career was destroyed. Which of his co-conspirators turned on him? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A devout Hindu, Shivaji grew up hating the Mughal Empire that controlled most of his native India. Around 1655, he began making guerrilla attacks on the Muslim kingdom of Bijapur, gradually carving out his own domain. He lured the Bijapur army to its destruction, becoming a formidable warlord overnight by taking the army’s equipment. He then established the Maratha Empire, which was noted for its religious tolerance. How did he once make a daring escape from the Mughal emperor’s palace? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Charles-Michel de l’Épée was born to a wealthy French family in 1712. He trained to be a Catholic priest but was denied ordination and went on to study law before returning to the Church. A chance encounter with two deaf sisters who communicated using a signed language inspired Épée to dedicate himself to the education and salvation of the deaf. In the 1750s, he founded a shelter that eventually became the world’s first free school for the deaf. What are some criticisms of his signing system? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) Feelings of great warmth and intensity.
Synonyms: ardor, fire.
Usage: She spoke about the shelter with so much fervency that you could not help but develop a similar passion for the cause.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
In the future, your robot babysitter will be able to tell if your child has a fever. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder say they’ve developed the first fully rehealable and recyclable electronic skin, or e-skin. The technology mimics the … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In Hindu scripture, the age of Kali Yuga is the last of the four cyclic stages of the world and is currently ongoing. It is thought to have begun on the same day that Krishna left the Earth and is said to be marked by greed and murder. The scriptures predict that during Kali Yuga, unreasonable rulers will impose burdensome taxes and people will migrate to wheat-producing countries, become addicted to alcohol, and exhibit flexible morals. How long is the age expected to last? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Propelled to fame by her 1962 bestseller Sex and the Single Girl, Brown became editor-in-chief of the struggling Cosmopolitan magazine. By directing the magazine toward single, young career women and by being an outspoken advocate of women’s sexual freedom, she not only revived the publication but also played a part in the sexual revolution. By the end of her 32-year tenure with Cosmopolitan, the magazine ranked sixth at the newsstand but first in what other kind of store? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Since Henry David Thoreau first recorded the details of his encounter with a “winged cat” in 1842, there have been over 138 reported sightings of such creatures. Some explain the phenomenon as the result of improper grooming, which can lead cats to develop winglike mats of fur, but there are also a few medical conditions that can give cats a winged appearance. One is feline cutaneous asthenia, a skin deformity characterized by abnormal elasticity and stretching of the skin. What is the other? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary