Word of the Day, April 17, 2023

April 17, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [declination]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A polite refusal of an invitation. Synonyms: [regrets]( Usage: His declination of the dinner invitation was a great disappointment to the would-be host. 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 [engine room]( — The main source of talent, power, or ability in a team or group, likened to the room that houses a ship's engine. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day Foot Binding [Discuss]( Foot binding originated during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in the wealthiest parts of China. By the end of the practice's thousand-year history, it had spread to all classes and was viewed as a status symbol. Young girls' feet were wrapped in tight bandages that restricted growth, causing breakage and deformity. Most often, the men that foot binding was intended to impress would never see the woman's bare feet, as they were concealed within tiny "lotus shoes." When and why did the practice end? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Informal Uses of Ellipses [Discuss]( While shortening quoted material is the "official" use of the ellipsis, it is used differently (and perhaps more commonly) in informal or creative writing. What are some informal uses of the ellipsis? [More...]( This Day in History Bay of Pigs Invasion Begins (1961) [Discuss]( The ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion was a US-supported invasion of Cuba by an armed force of approximately 1,500 Cuban exiles attempting to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Trained and armed by the US government, the rebels intended to foment an insurrection in Cuba, but the rebellion never materialized and the Cuban army defeated the invading forces in a matter of days. An internal CIA report investigating the incident later identified what factors as responsible for the failure? [More...]( Today's Birthday Isak Dinesen (1885) [Discuss]( Better known by her pen name Isak Dinesen, Baroness Karen Blixen was a 20th-century Danish author who wrote primarily in English. Published in 1937, her autobiographical Out of Africa, an account of life on a Kenyan coffee plantation, was adapted into a 1985 film that won seven Academy Awards. Another adaptation of one of her stories, Babette's Feast, was the first Danish film to win an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. What diseases may have contributed to her death? [More...]( Today's Holiday Verrazano Day [Discuss]( Observed in New York state, Verrazano Day commemorates the discovery of New York Harbor by the Italian navigator [Giovanni da Verrazano]( on April 17, 1524. With the backing of [King Francis I of France]( Verrazano sailed his ship to the New World, reaching the Carolina coast in March 1524, and then sailing northward, exploring the eastern coast of North America. He also discovered Block Island and Narragansett Bay in what is now Rhode Island. In naming the [Verrazano-Narrows Bridge]( New York gave Verrazano official recognition. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Always desire to learn something useful. [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. 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