Word of the Day, August 23, 2022

[ ] August 23, 2022 Word of the Day [footpad]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A thief who preys on pedestrians. Synonyms: [padder]( Usage: The footpad was known to local police, as he had a habit of preying on tourists in the center of town. 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 Grammar Rules [Complete English Grammar Rules] An Amazon Best Seller! Finally, all the rules of English grammar, all in one book, explained in simple terms. ✔ 500+ pages of proper grammar instruction—2X more information than the leading grammar book! ✔ Hundreds of quizzes and thousands of example sentences. [Buy now](as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=farlex-el-20) Idiom of the Day [around Robin Hood's barn]( — A long, indirect route. [More...]( Article of the Day Pointe Shoes [Discuss]( Women began to dance in ballets in 1681, but dancing en pointe—on the tips of the toes—was a 19th-century development that necessitated a new type of shoe. Pointe shoes have two special features that enable this sort of dancing: the box and shank. The box, made of layers of paper or fabric, encases and supports the dancer's toes and forms a platform upon which she may balance. The shank, meanwhile, provides arch support. How long does a pair of pointe shoes typically last? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Defining Adverbial Clauses [Discuss]( An adverbial clause, or adverb clause, is a group of words behaving as an adverb. It is used, like a regular adverb, to modify adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. If we want to identify the function of an adverbial clause in a sentence, what can we look at? [More...]( This Day in History William Wallace Is Executed (1305) [Discuss]( Wallace was a Scottish knight who, during the Wars of Scottish Independence, led a resistance movement against the English occupation. He gained control of Scotland briefly, but a Scottish knight betrayed him to the English in 1305. Found guilty of treason, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered. Much of what is known about his life is based on legend and the patriotic epic, The Wallace, written by 15th-century minstrel Blind Harry. What was done with Wallace's remains after his execution? [More...]( Today's Birthday Georges Cuvier (1769) [Discuss]( Cuvier was a renowned French naturalist and zoologist considered the founder of comparative anatomy. He rejected the theory of evolution and instead embraced catastrophism, which proposes that geological changes on Earth have been caused by sudden upheaval rather than by gradual and continuing processes. He also greatly advanced the science of paleontology by reconstructing the soft parts of fossils deduced from their skeletal remains. What extinct flying reptile did Cuvier identify and name? [More...]( Today's Holiday Moreska Sword Dance [Discuss]( The Moreska Sword Dance is a ritual dance of medieval knights that has been performed for centuries. The dance takes place in Korcula, the main town of the island of Korcula off the coast of the former Yugoslavia (now within [Croatia]( in honor of the town's patron saint, [Theodore](. The dance-cum-pageant, with many clashes of steel, symbolizes the battle against the Turks when Korcula was under the control of the kings of [Bosnia]( in the late 14th century. Korcula has hosted the dance since 1997 to celebrate and preserve the 400-year-old tradition of sword dancing. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on. [William Shakespeare]( (1564-1616) 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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