Baron Bliss Day is a public holiday in Belize honoring Englishman Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss (1869-1926). When he died on March 9, Bliss bequeathed his entire estate to Belize City. On this day each year, a morning mass and wreath laying is held at his tomb in the Fort Point area. Then there is a regatta in the harbor, a cycle race, and a kite contest. Discuss
Month: March 2021
leave much to be desired
To be very inadequate or unsatisfactory; to lack a large amount of what is desired or required. Watch the video
Solar Pond
A solar pond is a man-made pool of saltwater that not only absorbs heat from sunlight, but is able to store it for use in heating or power generation. In a freshwater pond, sun-warmed water rises to the top, loses its heat to the atmosphere, becomes denser, and sinks again. In a solar pond, however, a layer of highly salty water remains trapped at the bottom by its own density, even as it is warmed by sunlight—thereby storing heat. Typically, how hot is the bottom of a solar pond? Discuss
rubicund
hospital
conservatory – Comes from an Italian word for a hospital for foundlings, to whom music was taught. More…
ambulance – Once brought the hospital to the patient—and kept the name when it reversed the process and started bringing the patients to the hospital; its original meaning was “mobile hospital following an army.” More…
nosocomial – “Pertaining to a hospital” or “originating in a hospital.” More…
bedlam – The word bedlam is a contraction of Bethlehem, a hospital in London that became a lunatic asylum. More…
International Women's Day
This day commemorating women is one of the most widely observed holidays of recent origin. It has its roots in the March 8, 1857, revolt of women in New York City, protesting conditions in the textile and garment industries, although it wasn’t proclaimed a holiday until 1910. In the former USSR, women received honors for distinguished service in industry, aviation, military service, and other fields. In the United Kingdom and the United States, International Women’s Day is marked by special exhibitions, films, and more, in praise of women. Discuss
leave (something) out of account
To ignore something; to pay little or no heed to something. Watch the video
The Kit-Cat Club
The Kit-Cat Club was an association of some of the best young writers and most prominent Whig politicians in early 18th-century London. Among the roughly four dozen members were figures such as Sir Robert Walpole, William Congreve, and Joseph Addison, in addition to a number of dukes. They first met in the tavern of Christopher Catling, whose mutton pies were called kit-cats. In its time, the club was well known for drinking toasts to notable women of the day. Who were some of those honored? Discuss
underscore
skirt
bustle – A stuffed pad or cushion worn under the skirt of a woman’s dress, it had a synonym of “dress-improver.” More…
kick pleat – The slit in the back of a skirt or coat that allows more freedom of movement. More…
A-line – A dress or skirt shaped like an A, created by Christian Dior. More…
skirt – The ice cream at the base of a scoop of ice cream in a cone. More…