Definition: (noun) A style that involves indirect ways of expressing things.
Synonyms: circumlocution, periphrasis.
Usage: His head was swimming when the lecture finally ended, and he felt the speaker's ambages had taken him everywhere and left him nowhere.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Brain scans of children and teenagers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show structural differences between the sexes in one part of the insula, a brain region that detects cues from the body and processes emotions and empathy and helps to … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1992, a tenant farmer in the village of Hoxne, England, lost a hammer and asked a friend for help finding it with a metal detector. While searching the field, the friend discovered silver utensils, gold jewelry, and numerous gold and silver coins. Archaeologists notified of the find excavated the site the next day and found what has become known as the Hoxne Hoard—the largest hoard of late Roman silver and gold discovered in Britain. What objects are among its treasures? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Roman leader Flaminius is thought to have instituted the Plebeian Games in 220 BCE. They originally may have been held in the Circus Flaminius, which he built. Later, they may have moved to the Circus Maximus, a huge open arena between the Palatine and Aventine hills. The Games were dedicated to Jupiter, whose feast day was November 13, and included horse and chariot races and contests that involved running, boxing, and wrestling. The first nine days of the festival (November 4-12) were devoted to theatrical performances. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Tiberius was the second Roman emperor. The stepson of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, he undertook his first military command at age 22 and earned great acclaim. Forced to give up his beloved wife to marry Augustus’s daughter, he went into a self-imposed exile until he was recalled by Augustus and named his heir. As emperor, he initially ran the state efficiently and instituted reforms, but he became increasingly brutal. Who smothered Tiberius while he was recovering from an illness in 37 CE? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The word barbecue can refer to many things: a specific cooking method, cooking apparatus, type of food, or party that includes such food. For many, the word brings to mind smoky meats flavored with a variety of sauces, rubs, and seasonings. However, the origins of both the word and activity are somewhat obscure. Most etymologists believe it was derived from the term “barbacoa,” which means “sacred fire pit” in the language of the Taíno people of the Caribbean. What are some other explanations? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) Immoderate desire for wealth.
Synonyms: cupidity, covetousness, avariciousness.
Usage: Dazzled by the greed of avarice, I thought that if one eye could show me riches, the other might teach me how to get possession of them.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
George Gabriel Stokes was a bushy-sideburned Irish physicist and mathematician who for half of the 19th century was the University of Cambridge’s Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position held at other times by Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking. A theorem … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The construction of the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, was authorized by Congress in 1934. In 1939, US President Franklin Roosevelt presided over a ceremony during which the cornerstone of the monument was laid. Completed and dedicated in 1943, the white marble building, designed by John Russell Pope, is a circular structure with a domed ceiling, surrounded by 26 columns. Inside is a bronze statue of Jefferson. Why was a temporary plaster statue initially erected there? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Each of the autonomous regions of Belgium observes its own feast day. This day is an occasion for German speakers to celebrate their ethnic heritage and political autonomy. To mark the occasion, regional flags are hung from public buildings in the German-speaking region as well as at locations outside the region with affiliations to the German-speaking community. This holiday falls on the same date as the King’s Birthday, a celebration of Leopold I (1790–1865) that has special relevance for the community. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary