Word of the Day and Word Finder

Word of the Day

Play singsong discuss
Definition:	(adjective) Uttered in a monotonous cadence or rhythm as in chanting.
Synonyms:	chantlike, intoned
Usage:	The art of his reading was supposed to lie in rolling out the words, quite independently of their meaning, in a loud and singsong voice alternating between a despairing wail and a tender murmur.

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Article of the Day

Michael Malloy: The Man Who Would Not Die

In New York City in 1933, five men took out three life-insurance policies on an alcoholic vagrant named Michael Malloy in the hopes of hastening his death and receiving the payout. One of the men owned a speakeasy and gave Malloy unlimited credit, but the vagrant drank all day without effect. He even survived when they replaced his liquor with various poisons, fed him carpet tacks and metal shavings, attempted to freeze him to death, and hit him with a car. What finally killed Michael Malloy? More... Discuss

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Daily Grammar Lesson

Forming the Future Tense

Although English has no future tense in the strict sense (i.e., it has no verb form specific to future meaning), we commonly refer to several structures that are used for future meaning as belonging to the "future tense." The most common of these structures begin with what word? More... Discuss

Daily Grammar Lesson provided by TheFreeDictionary.com

Idiom of the Day

oat opera

— A film or theatrical production about the American West (i.e., a western), especially one that is clichéd or formulaic. More...

Idiom of the Day provided by TheFreeDictionary.com

This Day in History

Priest Attempts to Assassinate the Pope in Portugal (1982)

Almost a year to the day after Pope John Paul II was shot by a Turkish gunman, a priest named Juan María Fernández y Krohn attacked the pontiff with a bayonet. It was long thought that the would-be assassin was restrained before he could wound the pope, but a former aide now claims that the pope was indeed injured. During his trial, Krohn accused the pope of being a secret communist agent in league with the USSR. How long was his prison sentence? More... Discuss

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Today's Birthday

Gustav I of Sweden (1496?)

Considered the father of modern Sweden, Gustav I was king of Sweden and founder of the Vasa dynasty. A senator's son, he became a leader in the rebellion against the Danes, who controlled most of Sweden. In 1523—having won Sweden's independence—he was elected king. He was an autocratic ruler and built a strong monarchy and an efficient administration. Aside from his temper, he was known for his love of music and sly wit. How did being beaten with a baking implement supposedly save his life? More... Discuss

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Today's Holiday

Boston Pops

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... Discuss

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Quote of the Day

You had no right to be born; for you make no use of life. Instead of living for, in, and with yourself, as a reasonable being ought, you seek only to fasten your feebleness on some other person's strength.
Charlotte Bronte
(1816-1855) Discuss

Quote of the Day provided by The Free Library

Word Trivia

Today's topic: stretching

aforcing - The term for stretching the amount of a dish to accommodate more people. More...

extend, extent - Are based on Latin pandere, "stretch." More...

oscitancy, pandiculation - Oscitancy is the act of yawning; pandiculation is an all-over stretching and yawning, as upon waking, from Latin pandere. More...

racking one's brain - Figuratively, it means stretching, and is derived from the Tower of London's torture method. More...

Word Trivia provided by FreeThesaurus.com

Grammar Quiz

In the sentence “I went to a private catholic school,” which word or words should be capitalized?

a) catholic
b) private
c) school
d) catholic and school

Learn the topic

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Spelling Bee