Word of the Day, May 12, 2023

May 12, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [raffish]( [Discuss]( Definition: (adjective) Marked by smartness in dress and manners. Synonyms: [jaunty]( [natty]( [rakish]( [dapper]( [spiffy]( [spruce]( [dashing]( [snappy]( [smart]( Usage: His raffish costume befits his confident personality. 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 life of its own]( — The state of something that exists and thrives outside and beyond the control of the point of origin. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day The Zimmermann Telegram [Discuss]( This secret note, sent by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador to the US, said that in the event of war, Mexico should be asked to join as a German ally in return for Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. British intelligence intercepted and deciphered the note and sent it to President Wilson. This helped turn US public opinion against Germany during WWI and strengthened advocates of US entry into the war. What was the British dilemma in disclosing the note to the US? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Negative Adverbs Meaning "Not Often" or "Not Ever" [Discuss]( Negative adverbs and negative adverbials are used to modify the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, or entire clause in a negative way. When we want to stress how infrequently something occurs, what negative adverbs can we use? [More...]( This Day in History Soviet Union Lifts Blockade of Berlin (1949) [Discuss]( One of the first major crises of the Cold War, the Berlin blockade began in June 1948 during the multinational occupation of post-WWII Germany. In an attempt to force its former wartime allies—the US, the UK, and France—out of Berlin, the USSR began a blockade of all rail, road, and water traffic through East Germany to West Berlin. Rather than withdraw, the Western powers bypassed the blockade by airlifting thousands of tons of supplies into the city each day. What was Operation Little Vittles? [More...]( Today's Birthday Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828) [Discuss]( Rossetti was a British painter, poet, and founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an association of painters who aimed to combat the shallow conventionalism of academic painting and revive the fidelity to nature and the vivid realistic color that they considered typical of Italian painting before Raphael. Although Rossetti found some financial success as a painter, his lasting reputation rests upon his poetry. What did he have buried with his wife—and later exhumed? [More...]( Today's Holiday Boston Pops [Discuss]( [Henry Lee Higginson]( who established the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1881, believed that in the summer, "concerts of a lighter kind of music" should be presented. People began to refer fondly to these summer concerts as "the Pops," a name which became official in 1900. The [Boston Pops]( tailors its programs around American music and musicians, medleys of popular songs, and familiar movements of classical works. Outside of its official concert season at [Symphony Hall]( where it performs through May and June, the Pops also tours the United States. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Most successes are unhappy. That's why they are successes—they have to reassure themselves about themselves by achieving something that the world will notice. [Agatha Christie]( (1890-1976) 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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