Punjabi is an Indo-European language spoken in the Punjab regions of Pakistan and India, where there are 80 and 30 million speakers, respectively. Unlike other Indo-European languages, it is tonal, meaning Punjabi words have high or low tones permanently associated with them. Punjabi is the preferred language of the Sikhs, and it is the usual language of Bhangra music, popular in South Asia and abroad. What are the main dialects of Punjabi? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin.
Synonyms: disastrous, fatal, fateful, black.
Usage: Sire, I ask your majesty's pardon for the calamitous news which I bring.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The first successful transpacific flight was carried out by Australian aviator Charles Kingsford-Smith and his crew, who piloted the trimotor monoplane Southern Cross from Oakland, California, to Brisbane, Australia. During the 7,250-mi (11,668-km) journey, the Southern Cross stopped to refuel in Hawaii, then flew on to Fiji—where it was the first aircraft ever to land on the island—and then embarked on the final leg of its trip. How many days did the entire crossing take? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Along with St. Bridget and St. Patrick, St. Columba (c. 521-597) is a patron saint of Ireland. Although he led an exemplary life, traveling all over Ireland to set up churches, schools, and monasteries, he is chiefly remembered for his self-imposed exile to the island of Iona off the Scottish coast. He landed at Iona on the eve of Pentecost, and proceeded to found a monastery and school from which he and his disciples preached the gospel throughout Scotland. Although he had been forbidden to see his native country again, he returned several years later. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Baroness Bertha von Suttner was an Austrian novelist who was known chiefly as an ardent pacifist. Her 1889 pacifist novel Die Waffen nieder—translated into English in 1892 as Lay Down Your Arms—had great social impact. Through her subsequent friendship with Swedish Chemist Alfred Nobel, she influenced him to establish the Nobel Prizes. In 1905, she became the first woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She met Nobel after answering an advertisement for what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Anna Karenina is a novel by Leo Tolstoy about the tragedy of a woman’s faith in romantic love, first published as a book in 1877. Tolstoy’s style, praised by Nabokov and Dostoevsky, is considered by many critics to represent a bridge between the realist and modernist novels. Its seventh section is, in particular, one of the earliest examples of stream-of-consciousness literature. Many critics believe that which character reflects Tolstoy’s own beliefs and struggles? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) So crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility.
Synonyms: unrefined.
Usage: Jenny's mother was horrified by the crass behavior of the young man whom her daughter had befriended.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 934, an eruption of Iceland’s Laki volcanic fissure released 4.7 cu mi (19.6 cu km) of basalt lava, one of the largest volcanic eruptions on Earth in historical times. In 1783, the system erupted again, pouring out an estimated 3.4 cu mi (14 cu km) of basalt lava and clouds of poisonous compounds that killed over half of Iceland’s livestock and led to a famine that killed approximately a quarter of its human population. How did Laki’s eruption help trigger the French Revolution? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
St. Médardus, or Médard, who lived from about 470 to 560, was the bishop of Vermandois, Noyon, and Tournai in France. Because he was the patron saint of farmers and good weather, he has come to play a role in weather lore similar to that of the English St. Swithin. In Belgium, he is known as the rain saint, and there is an old folk rhyme that says, “If it rains on St. Médard’s Day, it will rain for 40 days.” Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The daughter of iconic singer Frank Sinatra, Nancy is an American singer and actress best known for her 1966 signature hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” The song was written by singer and producer Lee Hazlewood, who wrote and produced most of Nancy’s hits and sang with her on several duets. She followed the song’s wild success with a slew of singles, including a duet with her father that remains the only father-daughter duet to reach the top of the charts in the US. What song is it? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary