Word of the Day, December 23, 2022

[ ] December 23, 2022 Word of the Day [slacker]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) One who shirks work or duty, especially one who tries to evade military service in wartime. Synonyms: [shirker]( Usage: My partner was a slacker, so I had to do all the work on the project. 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 [flap (one's) gums]( — To chatter or blather. [More...]( Article of the Day The Lily of the Valley [Discuss]( The lily of the valley, or Convallaria majalis, lives in shady places and has delicate bell-shaped, fragrant white flowers that grow on a stalk between two shiny leaves. This common garden plant is a symbol of humility in religious paintings. It has also long been used medicinally for cardiac disorders—even though it contains poisonous substances and has been labeled unsafe by the US Food and Drug Administration. The lily of the valley is the national flower of what country? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Introductory Appositive Phrases [Discuss]( Appositives most commonly appear directly after the noun they identify. In what instance can we place an appositive before a noun? [More...]( This Day in History George Washington Resigns as Commander-in-Chief (1783) [Discuss]( After demonstrating exemplary leadership as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, George Washington resigned his commission and retired to Mount Vernon, Virginia. By resigning his military post, Washington established the important precedent that civilian-elected officials possess ultimate authority over the armed forces. After a brief retirement, he was elected the country's first president. Why was he given a posthumous military promotion in 1976? [More...]( Today's Birthday Helmut Schmidt (1918) [Discuss]( Schmidt is a German Social Democratic statesman who was the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. His administration was characterized by a tough approach to the worldwide economic recession of the era. He was committed to improving relations with East Germany and the USSR, and he succeeded in cultivating ties with France, encouraging economic cooperation among western European nations, and maintaining close relations with the US. Why was he the subject of a police inquiry in 2008? [More...]( Today's Holiday Festivus [Discuss]( The holiday of [Festivus]( first originated on the [Seinfeld]( television program in the 1990s. The character Frank Costanza, father of [George Costanza]( invented the holiday when he found that the usual year-end holidays did not fulfill him. Festivus, he explains, is "for the rest of us." To mark Festivus, a plain aluminum pole is placed in a bucket of cement. One by one, those present grab the pole and air their grievances about how other people disappointed them in the past year. After this comes the "feats of strength," in which all those present try to subdue the head of the household. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Each had his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart; and his friends could only read the title. [Virginia Woolf]( (1882-1941) 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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