waitron – A person, male or female, who waits on tables at a restaurant. More…
backgammon – Appears to literally mean “back game,” and was first called tables; gammon is the ancestor of game. More…
busboy – A person who clears the dirty dishes from diners’ tables, so called from his “bus” or trolley. More…
turn the tables – May come from backgammon, as the game itself was once called tables, and the two halves of the playing board are still called tables. More…
Farmers Day celebrates the country of Zambia‘s agricultural sector, praises their efforts in providing crops to feed the country, and gives them a day to relax from their labors. Governmental officials normally give speeches outlining the advances in the harvest of crops, particularly maize. But average citizens enjoy a variety of sporting events that are held on the Farmers Day weekend, including soccer championships. Discuss
The person (not necessarily male) with the least amount of experience, authority, and/or influence in a social or corporate hierarchy. Watch the video
Dating to the 15th century and discovered in its entirety in 1934, The Book of Margery Kempe is perhaps the first autobiography in the English language. Dictated to a scribe by the apparently illiterate Kempe, it chronicles her travels as a religious pilgrim and provides an in-depth account of a middle-class woman’s experience in the Middle Ages. The mother of 14 claims that after the birth of her first child, she fell into a bout of madness and had a vision that called on her to do what? Discuss
filter lane – The lane of traffic reserved for those making a specific turn at the next junction. More…
reverse commute – To travel to work opposite of the normal rush of traffic. More…
traffic calming – The deliberate slowing of traffic in residential areas, with speed bumps or other obstructions. More…
traffic – Can only be traced to Italian traffico and trafficare, “trade,” but that is all that is known. More…
The patron saint and namesake of El Salvador—El Salvador del Mundo (the Savior of the World)—is honored with a national festival. Festival proceedings commence the week of the saint’s day, on August 6. The main events of the festival are a religious procession, a large fair, various sporting events and a riotous party featuring street floats and dancers. The religious ceremony features an old wooden image of Christ that is lowered inside a wooden shell; it emerges from the shell appareled in gleaming white robes, a symbolic representation of Christ’s transfiguration. Discuss
To have a tendency or habit of speaking incessantly, indiscreetly, and/or in a noisy, boastful manner. Watch the video
Supermax prisons provide long-term, segregated housing for the most dangerous criminals. An early supermax-style prison unit opened in Australia in 1975 but was shuttered after just two years due to human rights concerns. Since then, the supermax model has been adopted by many corrections systems around the globe despite continued criticism. “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski and 9-11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui are among the most infamous US supermax inmates. What is everyday life like for them? Discuss
Definition: (noun) The condition or quality of being banal; triviality.
Synonyms: unoriginality, predictability, dullness, ordinariness, staleness, vapidity, triteness.
Usage: My friends pursued their course with uneventfulness; they had no longer any surprises for me; even their love-affairs had a tedious banality.
Discuss