Definition: (adjective) Showing poise and confidence in your own worth.
Synonyms: self-confident.
Usage: He's a self-assured negotiator, and his confidence helps him make sales that no one else can.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
University researchers are hoping that $3,500 will convince enough people to risk possibly suffering through a bout of diarrhea, fever, body aches and other flu symptoms in the name of science. The pitch is for volunteers to willingly expose themselves … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Mortara, the son of a Jewish couple living in the Papal States, was secretly baptized Catholic as an infant by a panicked servant during an infantile illness. The baptism was deemed valid by the Catholic Church and, because canon law forbade non-Christians from raising Christian children, Pope Pius IX ordered the six-year-old Mortara to be taken to Rome as his ward. Several countries objected to the pope’s decision and called for the boy to be returned to his parents. What became of Mortara? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Stonehenge, the ancient stone circle located in Wiltshire, England, is believed to have been built between about 3050 and 1600 BCE. At the Summer Solstice, when viewed from the center of the monument, the sun rises through the entrance and just between two of the large stones. Today, modern Druids and other Neopagans gather at Stonehenge for Summer Solstice ceremonies. Wearing white robes and scarlet hoods, when the first rays of the rising sun shine on the Altar Stone, they walk in procession around the circle, gathering at the Altar Stone to recite prayers and salute the rising sun. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field in a single Olympic Games. She accomplished this despite having contracted numerous serious illnesses as a child, including polio, which damaged her leg and required her to wear a brace for some time. At the 1960 Games, she won gold in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and as part of the 4×100 meter relay. She finished the 100-meter dash in world-record time but was not credited with the record. Why? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Wayang—a classical form of Indonesian puppet theater—has been an important part of the local culture for centuries, with the puppeteers regarded as repositories of moral and aesthetic values. Hindu narratives featured prominently in early wayang. Later, Islamic restrictions against representations of God or gods led to the development of wayang kulit, a style of wayang in which only the shadows of the puppet figures, projected onto a screen, are seen by the audience. What does kulit mean? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation.
Synonyms: exorbitant, usurious, outrageous, steep, unconscionable.
Usage: The extortionate price of designer clothes makes them all the more desirable to those that can afford them.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Humans aren’t the only species who can ponder abstract mathematical concepts like nonexistence. Honeybees understand that the number zero is less than 1, according to a new study. Dolphins, African grey parrots and non-human primates also understand … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
On the morning of June 22, 1918, a locomotive pulling empty passenger cars rear-ended the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus train near Hammond, Indiana. The wreck and subsequent fire—likely ignited by the oil lamps in the circus train’s wooden sleeping cars—resulted in 86 deaths and 127 injuries. Most of the dead were buried five days later in a nearby cemetery, their graves marked with nicknames like “Baldy” and “Smiley” since many bodies could not be formally identified. What caused the collision? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Swedish begin their Midsommar celebration on the Friday before Midsummer Eve and continue through Sunday. Every town and village sets up a maypole, or Majstang, which is decorated with flowers, leaves, and flags. The province of Dalarna, where some of Sweden’s oldest wooden cottages have been preserved, is a popular place to spend the Midsommar festival weekend. The Swedes call Midsommar “the day that never ends,” because the sun doesn’t begin to set until 10:00 p.m. and it rises again at 2:00 a.m. In areas that lie above the Arctic Circle, the sun shines 24 hours a day for six weeks. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary