fungo – A baseball drill in which a batter tosses a ball in the air and hits it as it descends, probably from Scottish fung, “to pitch, toss, fling.” More…
jactitating, jactitation, jactation – If you toss and turn at night, you are jactitating; jactitation or jactation is restless tossing or twitching. More…
saute – A form of French sauter, it means “to leap or cause to toss.” More…
walk – First meant “roll,” “toss,” or “move about; go”—from Old English wealcan, “to roll.” More…
In the early 1930s, American gangster Louis “Lepke” Buchalter joined “Lucky” Luciano in forming a national crime syndicate. Buchalter came to control the enforcement arm of the Syndicate—Murder, Inc.—which carried out contract killings across the US. He went into hiding during a government crackdown on organized crime in the mid-1930s but eventually surrendered himself, stood trial for various crimes, and was sentenced to die. Which of his associates were executed on the same day as he was? Discuss
Born into poverty and having had little formal education, Morgan nevertheless became a successful inventor and entrepreneur. In 1914, he patented his “breathing device,” a hood that allows one to breathe safely in the presence of smoke, gas, and other pollutants. He worked hard to market it, especially to fire departments, and often demonstrated its reliability, most famously using it to rescue several men from an Ohio tunnel accident in 1916. What did he invent after he had gone nearly blind? Discuss
To press down the accelerator (of an automobile) as far as possible; to accelerate to or travel at an automobile’s maximum speed. Primarily heard in US. Watch the video
A geisha is a traditional Japanese artist-entertainer skilled at conversation, singing, and dancing. The geisha system likely originated in the 17th century to provide a class of well-trained entertainers separate from courtesans and prostitutes. Even though geisha are usually women, the first ones were actually men. The numbers of geisha have declined from some 80,000 in the 1920s to a few thousand today. Why did geisha often paint their teeth black as part of their formal make-up? Discuss
Definition: (adjective) Marked by a disposition to find and point out trivial faults.
Synonyms: faultfinding.
Usage: She found the new professor to be captious, marking all the grammatical errors in her essays while ignoring the points she had tried to make.
Discuss
apse – From Latin apsis, meaning “fastening together,” it is based on the notion that a vaulted space seems to be the joining together of arcs to form a circle. More…
syssarcosis – The joining of two or more bones by muscle. More…
couple – Its underlying notion is of “joining,” coming from Latin copula, “connection, tie.” More…
conjugal – From Latin conjugare, “join together (in marriage)”—from com-, “together,” and jugare, “yoke”—it has an underlying notion of “joining together.” More…
In aviation’s early days, the pearling port of Broome in Western Australia served as a refueling point for planes flying between the Dutch East Indies—now Indonesia—and inland Australia. Therefore, when Japan invaded Java during World War II, the Allied evacuation route for Dutch refugees included a stop in Broome. On March 3, 1942, Japanese fighter planes attacked Broome, destroying upwards of 20 Allied aircraft, some of which were loaded with refugees at the time. How many died? Discuss
March 3 is celebrated as a national holiday in Malawi honoring the political heroes who gave their lives in the struggle against British colonialism. On March 3, 1959, British forces arrested prominent Malawian nationalists and other dissidents, precipitating the deaths of more than 20 demonstrators. In total, 51 were killed, over 1,300 were detained, and many more were wounded. Malawians often attend church services on March 3 and offer prayers for departed freedom fighters. In addition, Radio Malawi plays tribute music to remember those martyred during the 1959 crisis in Central Africa. Discuss
Considered one of the finest female athletes in history, Joyner-Kersee is an American track and field star. She medaled at four consecutive Summer Olympics, taking home a total of three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. She won gold in the 1988 Olympic heptathlon and repeated this feat in 1992, becoming the first heptathlete ever to have consecutive Olympic wins. She is also the first heptathlon competitor ever to top 7,000 points. Who is the current heptathlon world record holder? Discuss