Strong courage, conviction, or determination; gumption; guts. Watch the video
Month: May 2021
Alain Robert, the French Spider-Man
Robert is one of the world’s most famous builderers. The so-called French Spider-Man got his start scaling buildings as a youngster and, despite several early falls that left him permanently disabled, has gone on to climb some of the world’s most famous and tallest man-made structures, including the Eiffel Tower, Sears Tower, Taipei 101, and many more. Because most of his climbs are unsanctioned, he is often arrested when he reaches the top. What gear does he typically use during his climbs? Discuss
malodor
nails
hyponychial dirt – After an archaeology dig, you will have hyponychial dirt (under the nails). More…
gadzooks – An abridgment of God’s hooks, “nails of the cross.” More…
quick – Any tender or sensitive flesh, as under the nails, around a sore or wound, or under a hoof. More…
exungulate – To trim one’s nails. More…
Carabao Festival
The Carabao Festival is a feast in honor of San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Farmer), the patron saint of Filipino farmers, held in Pulilan, Bulacan province, the Philippines. The feast also honors the carabao, or water buffalo, the universal beast of burden of the Philippines. Farmers decorate their carabao with flowers to parade with the image of San Isidro. The festival is also marked by exploding firecrackers and the performance of the Bamboo Dance, where dancers represent the tinikling bird, a menace to the rice crop. Discuss
over the course of
In or during the process of. Watch the video
Refraction
When an object, such as a pencil, is partly immersed in water and viewed from above, it appears to bend underwater. This illusion is caused by refraction, the change in direction of a wave as it leaves one medium and enters another. Waves travel with greater velocity in some media than in others, and when a wave enters a new medium at a certain angle, the change in speed occurs sooner on one side of the wave than on the other. What other optical phenomena are caused by refraction? Discuss
impale
hog
hog – A pig weighing more than 120 pounds. More…
high on the hog – An allusion to the upper portions of a pig being the best for eating. More…
swine, hog, pig – Swine is the collective (and ancestral) term for domesticated pigs and hogs; a hog is 120 pounds or more and ready for market, while a pig is immature and weighs less. More…
hog on ice – Known mainly from the title of the book by Charles Earle Funk (1948); it is from the expression “as independent as a hog on ice,” in which hog refers to the stone in the game of curling when it comes to rest. More…
Lemuralia
In ancient Rome, the lemures were the ghosts of the family’s dead, who were considered to be troublesome and therefore had to be exorcized on a regular basis. The Lemuralia, or Lemuria, was a yearly festival held on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of May to get rid of the lemures. Participants walked barefoot, cleansed their hands three times, and threw black beans behind them nine times to appease the spirits of the dead. On the third day of the festival, a merchants’ festival was held to ensure a prosperous year for business. Discuss