Definition: (noun) A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste.
Synonyms: connoisseur.
Usage: I may not be a cognoscente of art, but I know talent when I see it, and this painter has it in spades.
Discuss
Month: March 2021
spoon
runcible spoon – A three-pronged fork curved like a spoon and used as a serving utensil. More…
cochleare – A spoon or spoonful of a medical prescription. More…
spoon bread – Soft cornbread served with a spoon; it is also called egg bread or butter bread. More…
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
This day is observed annually on March 21, the anniversary of the day in 1960 when, at a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid “pass laws” in Sharpeville, South Africa, police opened fire and killed 69 black South Africans. Observation of this day was initiated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966, when it called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination and to remember the victims of Sharpeville. Discuss
let (someone) loose (on something)
To allow someone to do something as they please, without supervision or control. Watch the video
The Official Languages of India
India is a land of great cultural diversity, as evidenced by the enormous number of languages spoken there. Though the primary official language of India is Hindi, more than 1,500 languages and dialects are spoken throughout the country, and many of them have acquired varying degrees of government recognition and protection, whether for use as official regional languages or simply to guarantee the rights of speakers. In what particular region of India is French an official language? Discuss
combatant
Definition: (noun) A person or group engaged in or prepared for a fight, struggle, or dispute.
Synonyms: battler, belligerent, fighter, scrapper.
Usage: Here the two combatants drew their swords and threw off their doublets, for neither had any defensive armor.
Discuss
punctuation
em dash, en dash – The em dash is the long dash used in punctuation whose length is based on the width of the letter M; the en dash is shorter (the width of an N) and the hyphen is even shorter. More…
punctual – From Latin punctum, “point,” it can mean “pertaining to punctuation,” or “of or relating to a point in space.” More…
square brackets, parentheses, braces – Square brackets were formerly called crotchets, round brackets are commonly called parentheses, and curly brackets are called braces; the punctuation called brackets derives from the bookshelf type, implying that, in writing, these marks “lift up” a section of a sentence. More…
stigmeology – The art of punctuation. More…
Tunisia Independence Day
Independence Day is a public holiday in Tunisia commemorating a treaty signed on this day in 1956 that formally recognized Tunisia‘s independence from France. It had been a French colony since the 1880s. Discuss
let it slip
To accidentally or inadvertently reveal a given secret or important piece of information. Watch the video
Hex Signs
Hex signs are a form of folk art that originated in the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Though the colorful geometric emblems remain popular in Pennsylvania, they are not used by the local Amish or Mennonite populations. There is some controversy over the true purpose of hex signs. While some folk-art scholars maintain that the signs are purely decorative, they are associated with folk magic, and their designs carry symbolic meaning. A hex sign featuring a horse head is said to protect against what? Discuss