Idiom of the Day
- tighten the purse stringsTo become less liberal with or more controlling of one's expenditures; to decrease the availability of money for spending purposes. Watch the video
- loose talkUninhibited, indiscreet talk or conversation, especially as might unintentionally lead to revealing private or sensitive information to others. Watch the video
Word of the Day
- parsimoniousDefinition: (adjective) Excessively unwilling to spend. Synonyms: penurious. Usage: I had to sue my parsimonious landlord for not giving me enough heat this winter. Discuss
- contrivanceDefinition: (noun) An elaborate or deceitful plan or expedient. Synonyms: stratagem, plan, design, measure, scheme, trick, plot, dodge, expedient, ruse, artifice, machination. Usage: This "shortage" is nothing more than a contrivance to raise prices.
Word Origins
- quietcoy, quiet - Coy and quiet derive from Latin quietus, "at rest, in repose," with coy coming from the Old French form coi (earlier quei), and quiet coming straight from Latin; the original sense of coy was "quiet, still." More...conticent - If something is hushed or quiet, it is conticent. More...q.t. - An abbreviation for […]
- scorehopscotch - A game in which one must "hop" over the lines scratched in the ground; scotch means "scratched" or "to score." It was once called hop-score. More...Apgar score - A measure of a baby's wellbeing that takes into account respiratory effort, skin color, heart rate, muscle tone, and sense of smell—named for American anesthetist […]
- jointfishplate - A type of metal plate used to strengthen a joint (from fish, meaning "mend"). More...seam - Etymologically, a joint made by sewing. More...ankylosis - Stiffness or immobility in a joint. More...arthralgia, arthritis - Arthralgia is pain in a joint, from Greek arthron, "joint," which also gives us the word arthritis. More...