Word of the Day: September 18, 2020
happenstance Definition: (noun) A chance circumstance. Synonyms: coincidence Usage: Marriage loomed only as an outgrowth of happenstance; you met a person. Discuss.
happenstance Definition: (noun) A chance circumstance. Synonyms: coincidence Usage: Marriage loomed only as an outgrowth of happenstance; you met a person. Discuss.
William Carlos Williams (1883) Trained as a pediatrician, Williams wrote poetry and practiced medicine in his New Jersey hometown. Regarded as one of the most original American poets of the 20th century, he closely observed American life and recorded his impressions in a lucid style. His poems, such as “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “This Is Just To Say,” are noted for making the ordinary appear extraordinary. He lost a post at the Library of Congress after one of his works drew scorn—as a result of what misunderstanding? More…
Silence gives the proper grace to women. Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC)
lummox Definition: (noun) A clumsy or stupid person. Synonyms: gawk, goon, lout, lubber, oaf, stumblebum, clod, lump Usage: The beefy lummox blundered through the buffet line, knocking aside countless other patrons in his rush to fill his plate. Discuss.
B.B. King (1925) A singer and guitarist born into a sharecropping family in the Mississippi Delta region of the US, King began playing guitar at 12. He worked as a radio DJ in Memphis before coming to prominence as a guitarist in 1952. He has toured widely, averaging over 300 shows a year for nearly 30 years. King famously named his guitar Lucille after a woman who inspired a fight at one of his concerts that ended with the venue burning down. King’s first name is Riley. What does B.B. stand for? More…
Exuberance is better than taste. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)
greenhorn Definition: (noun) A newcomer, especially one who is unfamiliar with the ways of a place or group. Synonyms: novice, beginner, apprentice, naïf, learner, ingénue, tyro, newbie, neophyte Usage: I am a bit of a greenhorn in the kitchen, but I am a fast learner and expect to be cooking like a pro in no time. Discuss.
Bronx, NY – In response to 24 New York City teachers testing positive for COVID-19 across all five boroughs after returning to schools, Bronx Council Member Fernando Cabrera today reiterated his earlier warning that the DOE must carefully plan with UFT […]
William Howard Taft (1857) An extremely large, easygoing man, Taft was said to have not really wanted to be US president. In 1908, he was elected anyway, having already served as solicitor general, appellate judge, secretary of war, and governor of the Philippines. His split with former president Theodore Roosevelt, who consequently ran for office again, cost them both the 1912 election. Taft later served as chief justice of the Supreme Court. He was the last president to have what physical characteristic? More…
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. Washington Irving (1783-1859)
mincing Definition: (adjective) Affectedly dainty or refined. Synonyms: dainty, niminy-piminy, prim, twee Usage: And the prince, imagining that he was mimicking his wife, made a mincing curtsey at each word. Discuss.
On Monday, September 14, 2020, the office of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in collaboration with BronxNet, will air their “9/11 Day of Remembrance” program commemorating the families, friends and Bronx neighbors who perished in the terrorist attacks of […]
Clayton Moore (1914) Moore performed as a stunt man, trapeze artist, and occasional actor in Westerns until he was spotted in a Zorro film by the producer of The Lone Ranger. From 1949 to 1957, he appeared in 169 episodes of The Lone Ranger as the titular masked character, who roams the West fighting injustice with his trusty sidekick, Tonto, and horse, Silver. The Ranger never removed his trademark mask, which Moore continued to wear in public until a 1979 lawsuit forced him to replace it with what? More…
I know that everything beautiful attracts love, but I cannot see how, by reason of being loved, that which is loved for its beauty is bound to love that which loves it. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
ho-hum Definition: (adjective) So lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness. Synonyms: boring, deadening, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome, dull, slow Usage: Lectures on human psychology always pique my interest, but this ho-hum speaker put me right to sleep. Discuss.
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