man of the cloth – Originally applied to anyone who wore a uniform or livery for work. More…
mufti – Civilian clothes worn by a person who usually wears a uniform. More…
uniform – Something that is uniform has literally only “one form,” from Latin unus, “one,” and forma, “form.” More…
doughboy – The small round doughnuts served to sailors in the 19th century were called doughboys—and they resembled the round buttons on the sailors’ uniforms—so the sailors came to be known as this. More…
Formerly Basutoland, the Kingdom of Lesotho was formally granted its independence from Great Britain on this day in 1966. It had been a British colony since the 1860s. Before the flag-changing ceremonies at midnight to symbolize Lesotho’s new autonomy, a colorful procession took place as King Moshoeshoe II (b. 1938) paraded in full regalia leading 100 chiefs into the capital city of Maseru. Discuss
Positive and negative emotions that are experienced simultaneously and are often in conflict with one another. Watch the video
Sita is one of the most revered figures in the Hindu pantheon. She has become a symbol of women’s strength and suffering and appears in the epic Sanskrit poem the Ramayana. Sita married Prince Rama, hero of the Ramayana and an incarnation of the god Vishnu, but was abducted by the demon-king Ravana. Afterward, Sita walked on fiery coals to prove that she had remained faithful to Rama during her long imprisonment. However, once Rama became king, he exiled his pregnant wife. Why? Discuss
billow – The swell on the ocean produced by the wind, or on a river or estuary by the tide or wind. More…
slack water, slack tide – Before any turn of the tide, there is a time of slack water or slack tide. More…
happy as a clam – Originally happy-as-a-clam-at-full-tide; it may refer to the fact that when the tide is full, nobody is digging clams. More…
tidy – Comes from tide, which in Old English meant “time period”; its original meaning was “timely, opportune.” More…
After meeting on a cruise ship in 1959, illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher and exotic animal enthusiast Roy Horn formed a magic act and incorporated exotic animals—most famously big cats—into their shows. They performed thousands of times without major incident until 10 years ago—coincidentally Horn’s 59th birthday. It was then that Horn was bitten on the neck by a seven-year-old male tiger named Montecore during a performance. What did Horn reportedly say before being taken to the hospital? Discuss
To earn a very large amount of money, especially by doing something very successfully. Watch the video
Roulette emerged in late 18th-century European casinos and has remained popular with gamblers to this day. In the game, a horizontal wheel is spun and a ball is dropped onto it. Players may bet on which of the wheel’s numbered slots the ball will come to rest in, what color the slot will be, and whether the number will be odd or even. Though roulette is ostensibly a game of chance, players have repeatedly tried to improve their odds. How did one engineer exploit the game to win $325,000 in 1873? Discuss