Word of the Day, July 21, 2022

[ ] July 21, 2022 Word of the Day [underlayment]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A pad placed under a carpet. Synonyms: [carpet pad]( [rug pad]( Usage: After they removed the underlayment, the young cousins were able to slide the rug across the hardwood floor as though it were a sled on ice. Missing Idiom Contest The Free Dictionary has the largest collection of English idioms in the world. But we're always looking for more to add, and we want your help! Every so often we hear from users who have looked up an idiom on The Free Dictionary that it was not found in the database. Maybe it was some expression they heard at work, or some phrase they grew up hearing their grandmother say. If you know an idiom that isn't already defined on The Free Dictionary, [send it to us]( and you might win $150 USD. Complete English Spelling & Pronunciation Rules [Complete English Spelling Pronunciation Rules] The latest volume in our best-selling Grammar Book series! Learn the rules and patterns that tell you exactly how any word should be spelled and pronounced. ✔ Go beyond "I before E except after C" and get all the rules and exceptions, all in one place, all explained in plain English. ✔ Simple tips and tricks to avoid the most common mistakes. [Buy now](as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=farlex-el-20) Idiom of the Day [weak in the knees]( — Unsteady or flustered due to a strong emotional reaction to someone or something. [More...]( Article of the Day The Walnut Street Theatre [Discuss]( The Walnut Street Theatre, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the oldest continuously-operating theater in America. Its first play was The Rivals in 1812, and it went on to host many pre-Broadway tryouts of soon-to-be classics—including Gigi with Audrey Hepburn and A Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando. Technologically innovative, it was the first theater to install gas footlights and air conditioning. In 1976, what major non-theatrical event happened there? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Modal Verbs that Indicate Ability [Discuss]( Because modal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, it is sometimes unclear when it's more appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, "can" and "could" can both be used to indicate physical, mental, or functional ability in doing something. What is the difference between "can" and "could"? [More...]( This Day in History Tennessee Biology Teacher Found Guilty of Teaching Evolution (1925) [Discuss]( In 1925, Tennessee biology teacher John Scopes was tried for violating the Butler Act, a law enacted earlier that year banning the teaching of evolution. He was found guilty and fined $100, but the verdict was later reversed. The "Monkey Trial," as it came to be known, served as a flashpoint for debate among religious scholars, scientists, and the public, but despite the outcry stemming from the case, the Butler Act was not repealed until 1967. What surprising witness did the defense question? [More...]( Today's Birthday Ernest Hemingway (1899) [Discuss]( Hemingway worked as a journalist before becoming one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. His fiction usually focuses on people living essential, dangerous lives—soldiers, fishermen, athletes, bullfighters—who meet the pain and difficulty of their existence with stoic courage. His celebrated literary style, influenced by Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein, is direct and terse, yet particularly suited to his elemental subject matter. Which of his works earned him the Pulitzer Prize? [More...]( Today's Holiday Hemingway Days Festival [Discuss]( This week-long celebration of [Ernest Hemingway]( (1899-1961), the American novelist and short-story writer, is held in [Key West, Florida](. The festival has been held since 1980 during the week of Hemingway's birthday, July 21. Hemingway made his home in Key West at one time, and his novel, To Have and Have Not (1937), is set there. Events include a street fair, a Hemingway look-alike contest, a fishing tournament, an arm-wrestling competition, and a party and concert at the [Hemingway Home and Museum](. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. [Gilbert Chesterton]( (1874-1936) Mobile apps from TheFreeDictionary.com [The Free Dictionary Classic Free App] The classic free version, downloaded more than 6 million times! - Multiple dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauruses in one place. - 14 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. - Online translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other translation options. 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