Word of the Day, February 19, 2023

February 19, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [cannoneer]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A serviceman in the artillery. Synonyms: [gunner]( [artilleryman]( Usage: You were a cannoneer that day there, and you were among the first to enter the accursed fortress when it fell. 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 Grammar Rules [Complete English Grammar Rules] An Amazon Best Seller! Finally, all the rules of English grammar, all in one book, explained in simple terms. ✔ 500+ pages of proper grammar instruction—2X more information than the leading grammar book! ✔ Hundreds of quizzes and thousands of example sentences. [Buy now]( Idiom of the Day [a bridge too far]( — An act or plan whose ambition overreaches its capability, resulting in or potentially leading to difficulty or failure. Taken from the 1974 book A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan, which details the Allies' disastrous attempts to capture German-controlled bridges in the Netherlands during World War II. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day Diamond Head, Hawaii [Discuss]( Diamond Head—Le'ahi in Hawaiian—is a peak along the rim of an extinct volcano in southeast Oahu. Its English name was given by 19th-century British sailors who mistook calcite crystals embedded in the rock for diamonds. A prominent point in the Honolulu skyline, Diamond Head was designated a national natural landmark to protect its slopes from the commercial development along world-famous Waikiki Beach. Why do scientists think that Diamond Head was formed by a short-lived eruption? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Gradable Adverbs [Discuss]( We can only make comparisons using "gradable adverbs," meaning adverbs that are able to move up and down on a scale of intensity. The majority of adverbs are gradable. As with comparative adjectives, we can state differences in scale by using what words and phrases before the comparative adverb? [More...]( This Day in History The Battle of Gallipoli Begins (1915) [Discuss]( The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli during World War I. It was initiated by the Allies to open a Black Sea supply route to Russia and capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople. The Allied navy arrived at Gallipoli in February 1915 but did not get sufficient land support for two months, giving the Turkish army ample time to reinforce its troops. After months of fighting, the Allied forces withdrew in January 1916. What had caused the Allied army's delay? [More...]( Today's Birthday Nicolaus Copernicus (1473) [Discuss]( Copernicus was a church canon, physician, and economist, but his most important work was in the field of astronomy. He developed the heliocentric theory of the universe that placed the Sun, not the Earth, at the center of our solar system and helped launch a scientific revolution. Though Copernicus conceived his revolutionary model of planetary motion by 1530, his treatise on the subject did not see print until he was on his deathbed in 1543. What heliocentric hypotheses preceded Copernicus's? [More...]( Today's Holiday Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin [Discuss]( On February 19, 1942, Japanese bomber and fighter planes conducted a devastating air raid on the town of [Darwin]( the capital city of Australia's [Northern Territory](. As a tribute to honor the dead and those who defended Darwin, an annual commemoration is held in Bicentennial Park by the [Cenotaph]( a monument to those slain in World War I. At 9:58, the exact time the attack began, a World War II air raid siren sounds. During some observances, Australian regiments will reenact the attack: ground units fire their guns, and fighter planes perform fly-bys over the memorial site. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( The new rage is to say that the government is the cause of all our problems, and if only we had no government, we'd have no problems. I can tell you, that contradicts evidence, history, and common sense. 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