Word of the Day, October 19, 2022

[ ] October 19, 2022 Word of the Day [decanter]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A vessel used for decanting, especially a decorative bottle used for serving wine. Synonyms: [carafe]( Usage: Sir Percival was sitting at the table with a decanter of wine before him. 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 [curdle (one's) blood]( — To terrify someone. [More...]( Article of the Day The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League [Discuss]( With the vast majority of able-bodied American men away fighting in World War II, baseball executives looked for new ways to keep the sport in the public eye. They hit upon the idea of forming a new professional league composed of women and decided to give it a try. Formed in 1943, the league lasted past the end of the war into 1954. It differed from the men's league in pitching style, the size of the diamond and of the ball, and the fact that spring training included classes in what subject? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Modal Verbs Used to Make a Request [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, "will," "can," "could," and "would" can all be used to make a request of someone, with differing degrees of politeness. Which of these modal verbs are considered the most polite options? [More...]( This Day in History US Government Prohibits All Exports to Cuba (1960) [Discuss]( After Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1898, US influence over the island grew. The two countries traded heavily until Fidel Castro rose to power in a bloody coup, and Cuba expropriated many American-owned land holdings. The US then enforced a prohibition of all exports to Cuba in 1960. Two years later, the US blockaded the island in order to compel the Soviet Union to dismantle its nuclear missile base. Although the word "embargo" exists in Spanish, what is the US embargo called in Cuba? [More...]( Today's Birthday Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910) [Discuss]( For his contributions to the knowledge of the evolution of stars, Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar shared the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics. His work advanced the understanding of white dwarfs, supernovas, neutron stars, and black holes. He determined the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf—about 1.44 solar masses, the Chandrasekhar limit—beyond which a star will ultimately collapse and become a neutron star or black hole. Who else in his family was a Nobel laureate? [More...]( Today's Holiday Feast of the Martyrs of North America [Discuss]( The Feast of the North American Martyrs commemorates the death of [eight priests]( who were killed by the [Iroquois]( enemies of the Huron Indians, with whom the priests had been working for 34 years. The eight who are remembered on this day are St. Rene Goupil (1608-1642), St. Isaac Jogues (1607-1646), St. John Lalonde (d. 1646), and their companions, French Jesuits who died in 1649. They were canonized together in 1930, and a shrine built for them at [Auriesville, New York]( holds a novena each year over nine days, including October 19. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( I have had prayers answered - most strangely so sometimes - but I think our heavenly Father's loving-kindness has been even more evident in what He has refused me. 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