Word of the Day, January 13, 2023

January 13, 2023 [tfd]( Word of the Day [ruffian]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A cruel and brutal fellow. Synonyms: [bully]( [hooligan]( [roughneck]( Usage: He had been a bully in grade school, so no one was surprised to hear that he is still considered a ruffian. 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]( Idiom of the Day [15 minutes of fame]( — A brief period of celebrity or notoriety. The term was coined by artist Andy Warhol. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day Porgy and Bess [Discuss]( The folk opera Porgy and Bess is American composer George Gershwin's most ambitious work. Controversial since its release in 1935 for its depiction of African Americans, it tells the story of Porgy, a crippled black man living in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina, and his attempts to rescue Bess from Crown, her pimp, and Sportin' Life, a drug dealer. Which song from the show is one of the most popular cover songs ever, with an estimated 30,000 different versions recorded? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson "Tritransitive" Verbs [Discuss]( An unofficial third type of transitive verb is what's sometimes known as a "tritransitive verb," meaning that it takes three objects. What is this third "object" is formed from? [More...]( This Day in History First Mickey Mouse Comic Strip Released (1930) [Discuss]( Mickey Mouse's first incarnation of sorts was as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, created by Walt Disney for Universal Studios. After Universal threatened to cut Disney's budget, Disney reorganized his studio and created Mickey to keep his company afloat. Mickey was rather mischievous in early cartoons but later evolved into a well-meaning everyman. Today, he is one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. What did Disney call his cartoon mouse before his wife suggested "Mickey"? [More...]( Today's Birthday Wilhelm Wien (1864) [Discuss]( German physicist Wilhelm Wien is noted for his work on hydrodynamics, X-rays, and the radiation of light, but it was his work on blackbody radiation that set him apart in the field. In 1893, he derived a law that relates the maximum emission of a blackbody to its temperature. In 1911, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in recognition of his "discoveries regarding the laws governing the radiation of heat." His work contributed significantly to the development of what branch of physics? [More...]( Today's Holiday Togo National Liberation Day [Discuss]( On January 13, 1967, Togo president Nicolas Grunitzky was overthrown by [Gnassingbé Eyadema]( who remained president of Togo until 2005. He was succeeded by his son, [Faure Gnassingbé](. To celebrate National Liberation Day, the Togo military joins with civilian bands to mount several colorful parades in the city of Lomé. Dissident groups have long opposed the celebrations, noting that January 13, 1963, saw the assassination of the nation's first president, [Sylvanus Olympio](. In 2008, President Gnassingbé called for an end to the public celebrations on National Liberation Day. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( If it were possible to heal sorrow by weeping and to raise the dead with tears, gold were less prized than grief. [Sophocles]( (496 BC-406 BC) 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. [Apple]( [Android]( [Kindle]( [Windows]( [The Free Dictionary Pro App] The PRO version, with expanded offline content. - No ads. - A more comprehensive English offline dictionary, plus 13 other offline dictionaries: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. - Offline translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other offline translation options. - Plus all the content of the classic free app! [Apple]( [Android]( [Kindle]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Forward](mailto:?subject=Word of%20the%20Day%20from%20TheFreeDictionary&body=Hi%20there!%20Thought%20you%20would%20find%20this%20interesting!%0A%0AWant%20to%20learn%20a%20new%20word%20every%20day?%20https%3A%2F%2Fword-of-the-day.thefreedictionary.com%2Fsubscribe.aspx) | [Terms of Use]( | [Privacy policy]( | [Advertise here]( [TheFreeDictionary logo] © 2023 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.