The U.S. Open is the final tournament in the four events that make up the Grand Slam of tennis. The games are played on hard courts at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York. The U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association was established in 1881, and the first official U.S. National Championship was played under its auspices that year in Newport, Rhode Island. The first women’s championship was played in 1887. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The ingredient that gives shark fin soup its name actually lends little flavor to the dish. Instead, it is added to improve the soup’s texture—and the perceived status of the consumer. Considered a delicacy in Asia, where it is often served at weddings as a symbol of prosperity, the soup has led to an increased demand for fins, and shark populations have been decimated as a result. After their fins are removed, the still-living sharks are often returned to the water, where what happens to them? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) An improvised substitute for something lacking; a temporary expedient.
Synonyms: make-do, makeshift.
Usage: This is not an acceptable long term solution, just a stopgap.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The St. Giles Fair, held in Oxford, England, dates back even further than Oxford University. It is the only one remaining of the five great fairs once held in Oxford, and it still occupies its original site on St. Giles Street. Today it features sports and popular amusements, including “dodgem” cars, swing-boats, and gaily painted roundabouts. Booths sell holiday foods and other merchandise, and visitors flock to the fair from throughout Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties. The Fair is held on the Monday and Tuesday after the Sunday following St. Giles‘ feast day, September 1. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Green roofs are rooftops that are covered with vegetation. Though more expensive than conventional roofs, green roofs can reduce heating and cooling costs, and they can also filter pollution from air and rainwater. A concentration of green roofs in a city can even decrease the overall temperature of the surrounding area in the summer. Notable buildings with green roofs include Chicago City Hall and Rolls-Royce’s headquarters in England. In what region have green roofs been in use for centuries? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) To be greater than something else, as in power, force, quantity, or importance; predominate.
Synonyms: overbalance, outweigh.
Usage: In balancing his faults with his perfections, the latter seemed rather to preponderate.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A skipjack is a kind of sail-powered fishing boat that was popular in the 19th century. Around the turn of the 20th century, more than 1,000 skipjacks worked the waters off Deal Island, Maryland. By 1960, only 40 remained. It was then that local enthusiasts revived the skipjack races, which dated back to 1871, for Labor Day weekend. People from all over the state come to Deal Island harbor on that weekend to cheer on the skippers of these traditional craft and to honor the contribution that the fishing industry has made to the region’s history. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Latinxua Sin Wenz was the not the first system for transliterating Chinese using the Latin alphabet, but it was the first to be widely used by native speakers. It was developed in the late 1920s and early 30s in the USSR, where it was employed by Chinese immigrants. It then spread to Northwestern China, where it became an important tool for promoting literacy. More than 300 publications utilized Latinxua Sin Wenz before it fell out of use. What important feature of Chinese languages did it omit? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) Dense vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes.
Synonyms: scrub, bush.
Usage: Only the canyons were wooded, while the higher and more distant hills were furry with chaparral.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
San Roque is the patron saint of Tarija, Bolivia, whose natives, known as chapacos, are a mixture of Spaniards and Tomata Indians. The townspeople wear their best and most colorful clothes for the fiesta in San Roque’s honor that begins on the first Sunday in September. There are processions of the saint’s image, which has also been brightly adorned, throughout the week, stopping at the hospital and area churches. Participants in the processions include dancers, singers, musicians, and people who’ve made personal vows. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary