It has been a bitter mortification for me to digest the conclusion that the ‘race is for the strong’ and that I shall probably do little more but be content to admire the strides others made in science. Charles Darwin […]

switchblade Definition: (noun) A pocketknife having a spring-operated blade that opens instantly when a release on the handle is pressed. Synonyms: flick-knife Usage: When I heard his switchblade snap open, I knew that our verbal altercation was about to become […]

George VI, King of Great Britain and Ireland (1895) The subject of the Academy Award-winning 2010 film The King’s Speech, George VI became king of the United Kingdom following the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. George was an important […]

Everyone is as God has made him, and oftentimes a great deal worse. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)  

sanctify Definition: (verb) Render holy by means of religious rites. Synonyms: hallow, bless, consecrate Usage: Though they are comfortable with the fact that their marriage has not been sanctified in a Christian church, their parents are not. Discuss.  

Emily Carr (1871) Now considered an icon of Canadian art, Carr did not receive widespread recognition for her work until later in life. She primarily painted indigenous-themed or landscape scenes, and she was relatively unknown until her work was featured […]

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire. Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)  

intoxication Definition: (noun) A temporary state resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol. Synonyms: drunkenness, inebriety, insobriety, tipsiness Usage: Kevin drank beer after beer, heedless of the hangover that would undoubtedly follow his intoxication. Discuss.  

Helen Frankenthaler (1928) A member of abstract expressionism’s second generation, Frankenthaler was greatly influenced by Jackson Pollock. Inspired by his way of working on a canvas laid on the floor rather than mounted upright, Frankenthaler developed a technique for staining […]

Friendship is constant in all other things Save in the office and affairs of love. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)  

unbridled Definition: (adjective) Not restrained or controlled. Synonyms: unchecked, uncurbed, ungoverned Usage: My own spirits were high, and I bounded along with feelings of unbridled joy and hilarity. Discuss.  

Max Born (1882) A prominent German physicist, Born taught theoretical physics at the University of Göttingen from 1921 to 1933, until Nazi policies forced him—a person of Jewish descent—to flee to England, where he continued to teach at the university […]

“My country, right or wrong,” is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, “My mother, drunk or sober.” Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936)  

oscillate Definition: (verb) Be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action. Synonyms: hover, vacillate, vibrate Usage: He continues to oscillate between accepting the prestigious promotion and retiring. Discuss.  

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787) A promising student with varied interests, Gallaudet earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale, after which he attended seminary and became a preacher. However, upon meeting 9-year-old Alice Cogswell, the deaf daughter of a neighbor, […]