Definition: (verb) To shrink back in fear; cower.
Synonyms: cringe, flinch, recoil, wince.
Usage: The little boy quailed at the teacher’s angry voice.
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Month: June 2022
network
burele, burelage – A network of fine lines or dots, as on a postage stamp, is called burele or burelage. More…
network – Traceable to the early 16th century, it indicates a web of connections that link objects, institutions, and/or people. More…
limbic system – From Latin limbus, “edge,” it is the network of the brain involving areas near the edge of the cortex and controls the basic emotions and drives. More…
neural, neural network – Neural comes from Greek neuron, “nerve”; neural network can now refer to computer architecture in which processors are connected in a manner suggestive of connections between neurons. More…
Douglas Hyde Elected First President of Ireland (1938)
Hyde was an Irish scholar and political leader. He was largely responsible for the revival of Irish language and literature through his founding of the Gaelic League in 1893. After teaching modern Irish for many years, Hyde became the president of Ireland, or Eire, in 1938. Using his Gaelic name, An Craoibhin Aoibhinn, he authored many works, including Literary History of Ireland and Love Songs of Connacht. A polyglot, Hyde was fluent in how many languages? Discuss
Slovenia National Day
Slovenia declared its independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991, after elections in 1990 showed that 88% of the people wished to secede from Yugoslavia. Previously, Slovenia, which is a little smaller than New Jersey, was part of the Austria-Hungarian kingdom. It joined with Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro at the end of World War I, and this federation was called Yugoslavia after 1929. Discuss
Carly Simon (1945)
Carly Simon is an American musician who emerged as one of the leading artists of the early 1970s singer-songwriter boom. Her 1988 hit “Let the River Run,” featured in the movie Working Girl, earned her a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe, yet it is not her most famous song. This distinction goes to “You’re So Vain,” a sarcastic profile of a self-absorbed lover. A number-one hit, it spawned a huge debate as to who inspired the lyrics. Who are some of the possible candidates? Discuss
throw an eye on (something)
To inspect something casually and quickly but with attention to detail. Watch the video
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. It is named for the Mojave tribe of Native Americans, who made it their home. It is also home to the world’s largest Joshua tree forest and the third-tallest dunes in North America, the 600-foot-high Kelso Dunes. The desert’s Death Valley, the lowest, hottest, driest area of North America, has recorded some of the world’s highest air temperatures. What is the Mojave’s largest city? Discuss
girth
Definition: (noun) The distance around something; the circumference.
Synonyms: circumference, perimeter.
Usage: It was an enormous tree, its girth twice as great as what a man could embrace.
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stalk
stipe – A stalk or stem of a seaweed, fungus, or fern frond. More…
cranberry – First crane berry, so named because the plant grows on a stalk that looks like a crane’s neck. More…
spire – In Old English, it meant “stalk” or “stem.” More…
stalk – In a car, the flexible arm holding the mounting by which a seatbelt is secured. More…
Sally Ride Returns to Earth (1983)
Before astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman to reach outer space, she made a name for herself as a nationally-ranked tennis player. After earning her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Stanford University, she took part in her first space shuttle mission in 1983, serving on board the Challenger. She later served on the panels that investigated the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters. What two women preceded Ride in space? Discuss