diminish – A blend of diminue, “speak disparagingly,” and minish, “reduce in amount, degree, influence, power.” More…
formulate – Can mean “reduce to a formula.” More…
moderate – Etymologically, it means “keep within due measure,” and is derived from Latin moderari or moderare, “control, reduce.” More…
minimize – Means to reduce to an absolute minimum—not to play down or soften. More…
Bulgaria supplies 90 percent of the world’s rose attar, and roses are raised for food and medicinal purposes as well. The 10-day festival that celebrates Bulgaria’s cultivation and export of roses is held in Kazanlak, a small town in what is known as the Valley of the Roses. It begins with a procession of farmers and young people dressed in native costume and carrying baskets for the ritual picking of the rose petals. Rose-decorated floats, costumed paraders, and folk dancers follow a route through all the nearby towns. Folk dance and song programs complete the festival activities. Discuss
Having or knowledgeable of the most advanced technology in a given area, activity, or endeavor. Watch the video
Working behind the scenes of on-camera talent, film crews are a vital part of the moviemaking process, taking care of such things as production, art, hair and makeup, cameras, sounds, visual effects, and lighting. Many of the positions within the crew have special names. For example, lighting and rigging technicians are known as grips. The key grip heads the department and works with the director of photography to arrange lighting and blocking. The best boy, also on the lighting team, does what? Discuss
bilge – Can mean “nonsense, rubbish.” More…
culch – Rubbish or refuse, or meat scraps. More…
flathers – A synonym for rubbish or dirt. More…
quisquilious, quisquiliary, quisquilian – Quisquilious and quisquiliary mean “having the nature of refuse or rubbish,” and quisquilian means “consisting of trash or rubbish.” More…
The day known as St. Elmo’s Day is actually St. Erasmus‘s Day, in honor of a third-century Italian bishop who is thought to have suffered martyrdom around the year 304. Erasmus was a patron saint of sailors and was especially popular in the 13th century. Sometimes at sea on stormy nights, sailors will see a pale, brushlike spray of electricity at the top of the mast. In the Middle Ages, they believed that these fires were the souls of the departed, rising to glory through the intercession of St. Elmo. Such an electrical display is still referred to as “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Discuss
To ultimately yield or achieve no useful, beneficial, or successful result or outcome. Watch the video
From 1550 to 1600, European fashions became increasingly opulent. Garments were embellished with slashed and puffed fabric and gemstones. Ruffs grew from a narrow frill at the neck to a broad “cartwheel” style requiring wire support. Women dressed in bodices with narrower sleeves and fuller skirts, with supportive farthingales underneath. Men sported linen shirts with ruffs, doublets, jerkins, hose, and stockings. Platform shoes, called chopines, also originated at this time. How tall were they? Discuss
Definition: (noun) A condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people.
Synonyms: adage, proverb, saw.
Usage: I knew a wise man that had it for a byword, when he saw men hasten to a conclusion, “Stay a little, that we may make an end the sooner.”
Discuss