Idiom of the Day
- hang on (someone's) wordsTo listen very closely, intently, or with obsequious attention to what someone is saying. Watch the video
- have (hand)writing like chicken scratchTo have very poor, messy, and/or illegible handwriting, likened to the marks made in the dirt by a chicken. Watch the video
Word of the Day
- undistinguishedDefinition: (adjective) Not worthy of notice. Synonyms: insignificant. Usage: In spite of a loud voice … and an implacable manner, he had been an undistinguished member of most of the existing aeronautical associations. Discuss
- biliousDefinition: (adjective) Irritable as if suffering from indigestion. Synonyms: dyspeptic, liverish. Usage: The man walked into my shop looking bilious and ill-tempered, and it was clear that my day was about to get a lot less pleasant.
Word Origins
- insertiongraft, splice - A graft is one thing attached to another by insertion or implantation so it becomes part of it; a splice is the joining of two things end-to-end to make a new whole. More...pilot hole - A small hole drilled or hammered for the insertion of a nail or screw, or for drilling […]
- unexpectedvisit, visitation - A visit is an instance of visiting; a visitation is an act of visiting, and carries the connotation of an unexpected or undesired occurrence. More...October surprise - An unexpected, but popular, political act made just prior to a November election, in an attempt to win votes. More...off the wall - Alludes to […]
- spinningheckle - First a "flax comb" for splitting and straightening the fibers for spinning; its metaphorical sense developed from its verb form, "to mangle by cutting, to cut roughly." More...distaff side, spear side - The female side of a family is the distaff side—the distaff being a stick used for holding yarn when spinning; the […]