Word of the Day, February 26, 2023

February 26, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [hydroponics]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A technique of growing plants (without soil) in water containing dissolved nutrients. Synonyms: [aquiculture]( [tank farming]( Usage: The soil where he lived was poor in nutrients, so he decided to try his luck with hydroponics. 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 Spelling & Pronunciation Rules [Complete English Spelling & Pronunciation Rules] The latest volume in our best-selling Grammar Book series! Learn the rules and patterns that tell you exactly how any word should be spelled and pronounced. ✔ Go beyond "I before E except after C" and get all the rules and exceptions, all in one place, all explained in plain English. ✔ Simple tips and tricks to avoid the most common mistakes. [Buy now]( Idiom of the Day [a week is a long time in politics]( — Due to the fast-changing pace of the political landscape, the fortunes of a politician or political group can change drastically just in the course of a single week. The phrase is attributed to British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, c. 1964. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day Zorro [Discuss]( Zorro, Spanish for "fox," is a fictional character created by Johnston McCulley. The masked swordsman made his first appearance in The Curse of Capistrano, serialized in a pulp magazine in 1919. Zorro's true identity is Don Diego de la Vega, a nobleman who lives in Spanish-era California and disguises himself in a mask to protect the common people from tyrannical officials. It has been noted that Zorro was actually one of the original inspirations for what comic strip action heroes? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Defining Direct Objects [Discuss]( Direct objects are directly affected by the verbs they complete—that is, the verb's action is happening directly to them. What is the direct object in the following sentence? "The dog chased its tail." [More...]( This Day in History Radar Is Demonstrated (1935) [Discuss]( Radar is a means for detecting the position, movement, and nature of a remote object through radio waves reflected from its surface. During the 1930s, several countries independently developed the technology for military use, exploiting radar's capacity to detect aircrafts and ships. One of the earliest practical radar systems was devised by Sir Robert Watson-Watt, a Scottish physicist and descendent of the inventor of the steam engine, James Watt. What was the "Battle of the Beams"? [More...]( Today's Birthday Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya (1869) [Discuss]( Krupskaya was a Russian revolutionary and educator who was a Marxist agitator in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution. She married Bolshevik founder Vladimir Lenin in 1898, while both were serving terms in exile. After the Revolution, she joined the People's Commissariat of Education and helped develop educational systems that offered both academic and professional training to women and workers. Her biography is known as the most detailed account of Lenin's life but omits what events? [More...]( Today's Holiday Ayyam-i-Ha [Discuss]( Also known as Days of Ha, the Ayyam-i-Ha are intercalary days (extra days inserted in a calendar) in the [Baha'i](ƒÂ¡'í+Faith) calendar. The calendar is made up of 19 months of 19 days, plus the period of four days added between the 18th and 19th months, which allows for the year to be adjusted to the solar cycle. The days are set aside for rejoicing, hospitality, gift-giving, special acts of charity, and spiritually preparing for the [Baha'i fast]( from March 2–20. The new calendar was inaugurated by Mirza Ali Mohammad, known as the [Bab]( founder of the Babi religion from which the Baha'i faith emerged. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Great bodies of people are never responsible for what they do. 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