Definition: (adjective) Very small.
Synonyms: bantam, diminutive, flyspeck, midget, petite, tiny.
Usage: How am I supposed to fit everything I will need for summer camp in this lilliputian trunk?!
Discuss
Month: April 2021
shank
the lion's den
A particularly dangerous, hostile, or oppressive place or situation, especially due to an angry or sinister person or group of people within it. Watch the video
Gymnosophists
The word “gymnasium” comes from a Greek word meaning “to exercise naked.” Its root, gumnos, meaning “naked,” is also found in “gymnosophist.” The gymnosophists were members of an ancient Hindu ascetic sect devoted to mystical contemplation. They wore little to no clothing, as they regarded it as detrimental to purity of thought. What Greek philosopher known as the founder of pure skepticism came under the influence of the gymnosophists while traveling to India with Alexander the Great? Discuss
subaltern
Definition: (adjective) Inferior in rank or status.
Synonyms: junior-grade, lower-ranking, petty, secondary, lowly.
Usage: The subaltern officer stood at attention as his superiors examined the floor he had just finished scrubbing.
Discuss
pen
lapsus calami, lapsus memoriae – A lapsus calami is a slip of the pen; a lapsus memoriae is a slip of the memory. More…
ruling pen – A type of pen used in graphic design and calligraphy for drawing precise lines of various thicknesses. More…
nom de plume – Literally “name of the pen,” meaning “pseudonym.” More…
Salvation Army Founder's Day
April 10 is the day on which William Booth (1829-1912), founder of the international religious and charitable movement known as The Salvation Army, was born in Nottingham, England. With the help of his wife, Catherine, he established the East London Revival Society, which soon became known as the Christian Mission and later The Salvation Army. Although Booth’s birthday is observed to varying degrees at Salvation Army outposts around the world, a major celebration was held on the organization’s centennial in 1965. Discuss
a line in the sand
A figurative boundary that someone or some group refuses to cross or beyond which no further advance or compromise is accepted. (Used especially in the phrase “draw a line in the sand.”) Watch the video
Batik
Practiced for centuries by the natives of Indonesia, batik is a fabric dyeing method that involves applying a design to a cloth’s surface with melted wax, dying the material, and then removing the wax to reveal the pattern. Remains of clothing found in Java indicate that the same or similar patterns have been in use for about 1,000 years and are handed down in families. Certain designs were traditionally reserved for royalty. How has the process been industrialized in modern times? Discuss
siriasis
Definition: (noun) Sudden prostration due to exposure to the sun or excessive heat.
Synonyms: insolation, sunstroke, thermic fever.
Usage: We were stranded in the desert, and it was not long before members of our party began exhibiting signs of siriasis.
Discuss