Word of the Day, December 21, 2022

[ ] December 21, 2022 Word of the Day [miscellanea]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) Miscellaneous items or written works collected together. Synonyms: [assortment]( [mixed bag]( [motley]( [potpourri]( [salmagundi]( [smorgasbord]( [variety]( [mixture]( Usage: The office was littered with papers, files, and assorted miscellanea. 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 [cool customer]( — Someone who remains even-tempered, especially in stressful situations. [More...]( Article of the Day What Is Organic Food? [Discuss]( Growing health consciousness has caused organic food to skyrocket in popularity. Proponents of organic farming claim that it yields more nutritious, safer, and tastier food because it is not prepared with the synthetically compounded fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, medicated feed, and chemicals that are often used in food processing. Food whose ingredients are at least 95% organic by weight may carry the "USDA ORGANIC" label. Who is credited with coining the term "organic farming"? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Constructing Phrasal Verbs - Particles vs. Prepositions [Discuss]( Phrasal verbs are made up of a verb + a preposition or an adverbial particle, and their meaning is uniquely tied to each particular combination. A particle is very similar to a preposition—in fact, they are almost always identical in appearance. What is the key difference between particles and prepositions? [More...]( This Day in History Pan Am Flight 103 Is Bombed (1988) [Discuss]( The terrorist bomb that brought down New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killed all 259 people on board and 11 others on the ground. After a three-year investigation, US and UK authorities announced indictments against two Libyan officials in connection with the bombing. Libya finally turned over the suspects in 1999. After a nine-month trial, one of them, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Why was he released in 2009? [More...]( Today's Birthday Benjamin Disraeli (1804) [Discuss]( Disraeli, a Conservative politician and novelist, succeeded the earl of Derby as prime minister of Great Britain in 1868 but lost the office to political rival William Gladstone that same year. During his second term as prime minister, from 1874 to 1880, Disraeli's ministry enacted a number of domestic reforms. He was a staunch imperialist and, under his leadership, Britain gained a controlling interest in the Suez Canal. Why was Disraeli's first book, Vivian Grey, strongly criticized? [More...]( Today's Holiday Doleing Day [Discuss]( It was customary at one time in England on [St. Thomas]( Day for the poorer inhabitants of the parish to call on their wealthier neighbors and receive a gift or "dole" of food or money. In return, they would give their benefactors a sprig of holly or mistletoe. The custom of "going a-gooding," as it was called, gave rise to the name Gooding Day in parts of [Sussex]( in other areas, it was referred to as Mumping ([Begging]( Day, since those who had to beg were said to be "on the mump." Children would often spend St. Thomas's Day begging for apples. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Dragging out life to the last possible second isn't living to the best effect. The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat. The best of life...lies nearest to the edge of death. [H.G. 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