Word of the Day, February 15, 2023

February 15, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [salient]( [Discuss]( Definition: (adjective) Strikingly conspicuous. Synonyms: [prominent]( [outstanding]( [striking]( [spectacular]( Usage: I took in much of this in the few seconds during which we stood facing each other, and I also observed another salient feature of her appearance: she was frightfully dirty. 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. Complete English Punctuation Rules [Complete English Punctuation Rules] An Amazon Best Seller! The only punctuation guide with simple, easy-to-remember rules for how to use—and not use—every punctuation mark. ✔ Side-by-side examples of both correct and incorrect punctuation. ✔ Quizzes after every topic to help you retain what you learn. [Buy now]( Idiom of the Day [the bigger they come, the harder they fall]( — Those who are exceptionally large, powerful, or influential will have more to lose when they fail, and their failure will be all the more dramatic or spectacular because of it. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day The Great Mississippi Flood [Discuss]( The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in US history. Following heavy rains in 1926, the Mississippi River broke out of its levee system in 145 places, causing over $400 million in damages and killing 246 people in seven states. After the disaster, the federal government took over flood-control work—stabilizing river banks, improving channels, and constructing levees, floodwalls, floodways, and reservoirs. What famous song was written about the flood? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Demonstrative Pronoun Usage [Discuss]( Demonstrative pronouns always represent nouns, typically things, places, events, ideas, and animals. In certain cases, however, some of these pronouns may also be used to describe what? [More...]( This Day in History Ocean Ranger Drilling Rig Sinks (1982) [Discuss]( The Ocean Ranger was a semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit that sank in Canadian waters on February 15, 1982, killing all 84 men on board. The crew had been drilling an exploration well in the Grand Banks area, 166 miles (267 km) east of St. John's, Newfoundland, for Mobil Oil of Canada, Ltd., when a sudden storm struck the rig. Rescue attempts were thwarted by the severe weather. After a two-year investigation into the disaster, what did a Canadian Royal Commission conclude? [More...]( Today's Birthday Galileo Galilei (1564) [Discuss]( Galileo was a Tuscan astronomer, philosopher, and physicist whose technological advances and scientific investigations greatly enhanced humanity's knowledge of the universe. Though his work is today considered crucial to the development of the modern scientific method, the Catholic Church of the 17th century tried him for heresy and forced him to abjure his findings. When did the Catholic Church finally reverse its position on Galileo and publicly declare that it had been in the wrong? [More...]( Today's Holiday Susan B. Anthony Day [Discuss]( [Susan Brownell Anthony]( (1820-1906) devoted her life to the temperance, anti-slavery, and [women's suffrage](s+suffrage) movements. After the Civil War, she focused all of her energies on getting women the right to vote, which was achieved in 1920 with the passage of the [19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States](. Tributes to Anthony take place on her birthday, February 15, in various parts of the country, and ceremonies honoring Anthony are often held at her grave in Rochester, New York. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( She had a pretty gift for quotation, which is a serviceable substitute for wit. [W. 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