Word of the Day, January 8, 2023

January 8, 2023 [tfd]( Word of the Day [escapist]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A person who escapes into a world of fantasy. Synonyms: [wishful thinker]( [dreamer]( Usage: She calls herself a mere optimist, but we believe her unconditionally sunny outlook makes her an escapist. 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 [fox guarding the henhouse]( — A person likely to exploit the information or resources that he or she has been charged to protect or control. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day Millefiori [Discuss]( Millefiori is a glassmaking technique in which a bundle of colored glass rods is heated, fused, drawn out thinly, and then cut to create flower patterns. Millefiori is of ancient origin and was used in Anglo-Saxon jewelry and decoration. The process was revived in 16th-century Venice, and then again in 19th-century France and Britain, where it was used for objects like paperweights. It was during this period that the technique was given its name, which combines two Italian words that mean what? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Defining Abstract Uncountable Nouns [Discuss]( A large number of abstract nouns are uncountable. These are usually ideas or attributes, such as "love," "knowledge," and "beauty." Can abstract uncountable nouns take indefinite articles or be made plural? [More...]( This Day in History US President Woodrow Wilson Introduces His Fourteen Points (1918) [Discuss]( In 1918, Wilson presented to the US Congress his Fourteen Points as a guide for a peace settlement after World War I. He emphasized "open covenants of peace, openly arrived at," to change the usual method of secret diplomacy practiced in Europe. Wilson's idealistic message also laid the groundwork for the creation of the League of Nations. Opposition to the points quickly developed, however, and the subsequent treaty between Germany and the Allies sowed the seeds for what conflict? [More...]( Today's Birthday Stephen Hawking (1942) [Discuss]( Despite suffering from a neurodegenerative disease that has made it impossible for him to communicate without a voice synthesizer or to move around without a wheelchair, Hawking is one of the world's top theoretical physicists. While most experts in his field are little known outside the scientific community, Hawking has taken pains to make his work accessible to the layperson and, in so doing, has become a household name. What is the title of his bestselling book on cosmology? [More...]( Today's Holiday Battle of New Orleans Day [Discuss]( When British soldiers [attacked]( near the Chalmette plantation outside New Orleans on January 8, 1815, they were met by a ragtag army of militiamen, sailors, and pirates fighting from behind barricades. The defending US troops were led by General [Andrew Jackson]( whose stunning victory—the British suffered some 2,000 casualties, while the Americans lost only eight men—made him a national hero. This day remains a legal holiday in [Louisiana]( where it is also known as Jackson Day or, in honor of Jackson's nickname, as Old Hickory's Day. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Great men need to be lifted upon the shoulders of the whole world, in order to conceive their great ideas or perform their great deeds. That is, there must be an atmosphere of greatness round about them. A hero cannot be a hero unless in a heroic world. 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