frontage road – A smaller road that runs alongside a highway or major road. More…
highway, expressway, freeway, parkway, turnpike – A highway is a main road, while an expressway is a multilane highway; freeways, parkways, and turnpikes are types of expressways. More…
scamp – Once meant a highwayman; as a verb, it meant “rob on the highway.” More…
interstate – A highway that is part of the federal network of major roads; despite their name, some interstates do not cross state lines. More…
On this date in 1995, the Croatian Army defeated Serbian forces at the city of Knin in a decisive battle called Operation Storm. The victory enabled Croatia to regain control of the Serbian-declared breakaway Republic of Serbian Krajina. The main celebration of this national holiday takes place in Knin, where thousands gather to watch a parade and to listen to speeches by the country’s leaders. Church bells toll, and wreaths are laid in honor of those who died in the war. The national flag is hoisted atop of the fortress overlooking southern Knin as part of the celebration. Discuss
To have a significant or noticeable impact or effect on someone; to be valued, appreciated, or understood by someone. Watch the video
Free speech zones are, in the US, fenced-in areas set aside in public places for activists to exercise their right to free speech. Though the zones give protesters space to voice their opinions, critics claim that the cages in fact censor dissenters by delineating where they must be when expressing themselves. Free speech zones were widely used during Vietnam-era protests and are still used at various political events. For whom did one California airport install free speech zones in the 1990s? Discuss
Definition: (noun) One who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit.
Synonyms: anecdotist.
Usage: Dave is quite the raconteur and will no doubt keep my guests entertained throughout the evening.
Discuss
In the summer of 1964, young civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner travelled to Mississippi to help African Americans register to vote. On June 21, they disappeared. A month and a half later, the FBI found their bodies buried on a nearby farm. The Neshoba County deputy sheriff and 17 others, all Ku Klux Klan members, were indicted for the crime. Seven were convicted in 1967. One suspect whose trial ended in a hung jury was retried in 2005 and convicted of what? Discuss
The Dog Days are known as the hottest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and usually occur in July and early August. In ancient times, the sultry weather in Rome during these months often made people sick, which they blamed on the fact that this was when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose at about the same time as the sun. There are many different ways of calculating which days in any given year are the dog days, but it is impossible to be precise; nowadays it is generally assumed that they fall between July 3 and August 11—slightly later than they occurred in ancient times. Discuss
Of a word or words, having lost or lacking the full subtlety of meaning or significance when translated from the original language to another, especially when done literally. (Usually formulated as “be/get lost in translation.”) Watch the video
When not a single copy of a film is known to exist in any archive, it is considered lost. An estimated 90% of all American silent films and 50% of American sound films made before 1950 are believed to have been lost, in part because early nitrate film was chemically unstable and prone to rapid decomposition. Early film was highly flammable too, and fires claimed more than a few archives. While many of Charlie Chaplin’s films survived, he sought to destroy his own A Woman of the Sea. Why? Discuss