Definition: (adjective) Joyously unrestrained.
Synonyms: ebullient, exuberant.
Usage: These beer busts were a diversion of these high-spirited young fellows whereby they whiled away the tedium of existence by making fools of their betters.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979), a violinist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, started this outdoor concert series on July 4, 1929. Held at the Hatch Memorial Shell since 1940, the concerts are free, and it is not uncommon for hundreds of thousands to gather on the grassy riverbank or listen to the concerts from boats moored in the Charles River lagoon for the Fourth of July holiday. A musically synchronized fireworks display follows the concert. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Developed in 1884 by US-British inventor Hiram Maxim, the Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun. Capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute, the water-cooled weapon profoundly altered modern warfare. It inflicted heavy casualties during the Russo-Japanese War, and guns modeled after its design dominated the WWI battlefield. The gun was lighter and easier to transport than earlier hand-cranked ones, but military authorities were initially reluctant to use it because of what issue? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Free from artificiality.
Synonyms: natural.
Usage: The mannequin’s appearance is so lifelike that customers often mistake it for a salesperson.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Held since the 1970s, this festival brings music of the Baroque period and beyond to today’s audiences using historically accurate instruments and performance practices. The mission of this annual event in the Berkshires of Massachusetts is “to enrich the appreciation of music of the past and the understanding of the cultural, political, and social contexts in which it was composed and experienced.” For five consecutive weekends, a 21st-century audience can enjoy a musical experience closely resembling that of an earlier era. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Chartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, the British East India Company was founded to break the Dutch monopoly on the spice trade. It gradually acquired unequalled trade privileges in India, reaping huge profits. Guarding against foreign and domestic competition, it began to intervene in Indian politics, sometimes with military force. The British government came to increasingly control the company. What prompted the government to finally take over the company—and India—in 1858? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom.
Synonyms: heartsick.
Usage: I did my best to take Mike’s mind off his problems, but he was too despondent to smile at my corny jokes.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The legendary Swiss hero William Tell symbolized the struggle for individual and political freedom. When he defied the Austrian authorities, he was forced to shoot an apple off his son’s head in order to gain his freedom. The story of his test as a marksman has passed into folklore, and German dramatist J. C. Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) wrote a play about Tell in 1804. Set in the environs of Altdorf, the legendary site of the apple-shooting incident, Schiller’s play has been performed at an open-air theater in Interlaken, Switzerland, since 1912. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Also known as Butter Week, Cheesefare Week, and Pancake Week, Maslenitsa is a Russian folk and religious holiday. Originally a pagan festival celebrating the end of winter, it was later adopted by Orthodox Christians to mark the final week that dairy, eggs, parties, and dancing may be enjoyed before Great Lent. A weeklong pancake party, the festival is presided over by Lady Maslenitsa, a colorful woman made of straw. What happens to her and the leftover pancakes on the festival’s last day? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) Lower someone’s spirits; make downhearted.
Synonyms: cast down, deject, depress, dismay, demoralize.
Usage: I try to maintain a positive outlook, but the sad stories that are often featured on the nightly news inevitably dispirit me.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary