Word of the Day, July 15, 2023

July 15, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [polliwog]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A larval frog or toad. Synonyms: [tadpole]( Usage: The boy found it hard to believe that this tiny, legless polliwog would someday sprout limbs and hop away a fully formed frog. 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 [hard knocks]( — The real and practical experiences of life, especially those involving hardship or adversity. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day Marco Polo [Discuss]( Marco Polo was a Venetian trader and explorer who, together with his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo, was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China and visit with Genghis Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan. Polo helped generate extraordinary interest in the Far East among Europeans, and his book, Il Milione, was an instant hit at a time when books had to be painstakingly copied by hand. What famous explorer carried a heavily annotated copy of Polo's book? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Using the Past Perfect Continuous for Past Durations of Time [Discuss]( We can use the past perfect continuous tense to describe the duration of continuous past action. The meaning is very similar to the present perfect continuous tense in this way. However, whereas the present perfect continuous describes an action that was happening up until the present moment, the past perfect continuous highlights what? [More...]( This Day in History John Ball Is Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered (1381) [Discuss]( Ball, an English priest and social reformer, gained fame as a roving preacher advocating ecclesiastical poverty and social equality, which brought him into conflict with the archbishop of Canterbury. He was jailed three times and excommunicated in 1376. Four years later, he became one of the instigators of the Peasant's Revolt of 1381—the first great popular rebellion in English history—and was later captured and hanged, drawn, and quartered. His unconventional behavior earned him what nickname? [More...]( Today's Birthday Inigo Jones (1573) [Discuss]( Jones was one of England's first great architects. After studying in Italy, he brought Renaissance architecture to England. His best known buildings are the Queen's House at Greenwich, London, and the Banqueting House at Whitehall, which is often considered his greatest achievement. For his design of Covent Garden, London's first square, Jones is credited with the introduction of town planning in England. Jones was also involved in stage design for theater and is credited with what innovations? [More...]( Today's Holiday Festival of Castor and Pollux [Discuss]( In Greco-Roman mythology, [Castor and Pollux]( were twin gods who helped shipwrecked sailors and received sacrifices for favorable winds. Worshipped as the Dioscuri (from the Greek Dioskouroi, or "sons of Zeus"), their cult was a popular one in 484 BCE, when, according to legend, the twins fought on the side of the Romans in the [Battle of Lake Regillus]( and brought word of their victory to Rome. A temple was built for them in the [Forum]( and it was here that the annual festival in their honor was celebrated on July 15. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt. 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