Word of the Day, January 3, 2023

January 3, 2023 [tfd]( Word of the Day [medial]( [Discuss]( Definition: (adjective) Relating to, situated in, or extending toward the middle; median. Synonyms: [median]( Usage: They took up defensive posts all along the field, with Ray in the medial position. Missing Idiom Contest The Free Dictionary has the largest collection of English idioms in the world. But we are 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. The Farlex Idioms & Slang Dictionary [The Farlex Idioms & Slang Dictionary] New! The most complete collection of idioms and slang in the English language. Thousands more words and phrases than the leading idioms dictionaries! ✔ 17,000+ entries covering idioms, slang, phrasal verbs, and more from throughout the English-speaking world. ✔ Example sentences for every definition showing how the term is used in real life by native speakers. [Buy now](as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=farlex-el-20) Idiom of the Day [Captain Obvious]( — A person who makes a statement or statements of such obvious meaning or implication as to be entirely redundant, superfluous, or unnecessary. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day The United States Secret Service [Discuss]( The Secret Service was originally established in 1865 under the Department of the Treasury, with the primary task of preventing the counterfeiting of US currency. It assumed the role of protecting the president after President McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Today, in addition to its original duties, the Secret Service is responsible for guarding high-ranking government officials, their families, and foreign dignitaries. In 2003, the Secret Service became part of what new federal department? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Defining Factitive Verbs [Discuss]( Factitive verbs are used to indicate the resulting condition or state (known as the object complement) of a person, place, or thing (the direct object) caused by the action of the verb. What are some examples of factitive verbs? [More...]( This Day in History The Curse of the Bambino (1920) [Discuss]( According to baseball lore, the Boston Red Sox became cursed after Babe Ruth, the "Bambino," was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920. Before the sale, the Red Sox had won five World Series titles. After the sale, Ruth became a superstar, and the previously lackluster Yankees went on to win 27 World Series titles. The Red Sox, meanwhile, failed to win another series for more than eight decades, finally breaking the "curse" in 2004. How did some Red Sox fans attempt to "reverse the curse"? [More...]( Today's Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien (1892) [Discuss]( Though we know him today as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings—the creator of the fantastic Middle Earth, the inventor of hobbits and orcs and Elvish, indeed the "father of modern fantasy literature"—Tolkien was also a respected medieval scholar and professor. He worked briefly for The Oxford English Dictionary, taught at Leeds University and then Oxford, and produced a landmark lecture on Beowulf. For whom did Tolkien write The Hobbit? [More...]( Today's Holiday Ball-Catching Festival [Discuss]( This 500-year-old tradition, said to have its roots in the legend of a [dragon]( god (Ryujin) offering two balls to the Empress Jingu (170–269), takes place each year in [Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka City]( Japan. Two teams of Japanese men, wearing only loincloths ([fundoshi]( compete for a ball that weighs about 18 pounds; these teams consist of the Land Team, made up of farmers who work the fields, and the Sea team, composed of fishermen. A Shinto priest awaits the winner to hand him the ball—the size of the harvest or of the catch during the new year is determined by which team wins. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( It is the mark of a good action that it appears inevitable in the retrospect. 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