determiner – A word that limits or indicates the scope of a noun. More…
modifier, qualifier – A word or phrase that limits or qualifies the sense of another is a modifier or qualifier. More…
temper – Originally a proportionate mixture, is from Latin temperare, “to mix correctly; regulate” or “to keep within limits.” More…
Toft, an English servant, had a bizarre 15 minutes of fame in 1726 when she convinced doctors that she had given birth to a litter of rabbits. At age 25, Toft suffered a miscarriage. About a month later, she appeared to go into labor and proceeded over the next few weeks to “birth” several animal parts along with nine baby bunnies. The episode was attributed to a fascination with rabbits that Toft had developed during her pregnancy—until it was revealed to be a hoax. How had she pulled it off? Discuss
An audio or visual instruction used in the UK and Ireland to be careful stepping over the space between a train’s carriage and the platform when boarding or disembarking. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. Watch the video
Die Brücke—meaning “the bridge” in German—was a group of 20th-century German expressionist artists. Strongly influenced by primitive art, they produced paintings depicting suffering and anxiety and featuring harshly distorted shapes and violent colors. Their desire to create a bridge to the art of the future extended beyond the canvas to their everyday lives. They lived and worked communally, flouting social mores with frequent nudity and the use of young models. What did they use for a studio? Discuss
Definition: (noun) Range of what one can know or understand.
Synonyms: cognizance.
Usage: This level of mathematics is beyond my ken.
Discuss
drywall, plasterboard – Drywall is a building material made of a sheet of plaster covered with heavy paper on both sides; it is also called plasterboard. More…
gypsum – From Semitic, a relative or ancestor of Arabic jibs and Hebrew gephes, “plaster.” More…
plaster of Paris – So called because it is prepared from the gypsum of Paris, France. More…
trullization – Laying on plaster with a trowel. More…
To be exceptionally forgetful or absentminded. Watch the video
Possibly inhabited more than 100,000 years ago, the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are a series of caves in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh that exhibit traces of early human life. Bhimbetka was first recorded in 1888 as a Buddhist site, and since archaeologists began visiting it in the 1950s, more than 700 rock shelters have been identified. They are mainly painted in red and white and depict many everyday activities, such as hunting, dancing, and worshipping. What is “Zoo Rock”? Discuss
academy – Came from Akademos, the man or demigod for whom Plato’s garden, where he taught, was named. More…
pedagogue – A Roman slave who took children to school and on outings, but also taught them—from Greek ped, “child,” and agein, “to lead.” More…
recant – Can mean “sing again”; its usual meaning stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught. More…
doctor, physician – Doctor is derived from Latin doctus, “having been taught; learned,” from docere, “to teach”; physician comes from Latin physica, “natural science; physics.” More…