Picture of the day for September 1, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on September 1, 2017: The bicolored frog or Malabar frog (Clinotarsus curtipes) is a species of frog found in the Western Ghats of India. http://ift.tt/2eIWok2

desire line: Word of the day for September 1, 2017

desire line , n :
A path that pedestrians or vehicles take informally rather than taking a sidewalk or set route, for example, a well-worn ribbon of dirt cutting across a patch of grass, or a path in the snow.

shambolic: Word of the day for August 31, 2017

shambolic , adj :
(Australia, Britain) Chaotic, disorganised or mismanaged.

Picture of the day for August 31, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 31, 2017: Honour guards at Ala-Too Square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. http://ift.tt/2gkJcCb

Picture of the day for August 30, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 30, 2017: A male emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) which flies in England from late June through to September. The Gachalá emerald, one of the most valuable emeralds in the world, was discovered 50 years ago in Colombia http://ift.tt/2wmti1x

janissary: Word of the day for August 30, 2017

janissary , n :
(historical) An infantry soldier, often Christian, in a former elite Turkish guard (disbanded in 1826); by extension, any Turkish soldier, particularly one escorting a traveller. (figuratively) An elite, highly loyal supporter. Today is Zafer Bayramı (Victory Day) in Turkey, which commemorates the Battle of Dumlupınar in 1922 that ended the Turkish War of Independence.

Picture of the day for August 29, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 29, 2017: Ceiling of the central room of the Windcatcher (Emarat e Badgir), built during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar and part of the Golestan Palace, the former royal Qajar complex in Iran's capital city, Tehran. The UNESCO World Heritage Site belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran's arg ("citadel") and is one of the oldest of the historic monuments in the city. http://ift.tt/2wNG8c9

Skynet: Word of the day for August 29, 2017

Skynet , proper n :
A family of United Kingdom military communications satellites. (science fiction) A distributed artificial intelligence system that is aware of the physical world and acts autonomously through cyborgs and computer control systems. Today is the 20th anniversary of “Judgment Day”, the day in 1997 when Skynet is supposed to initiate a nuclear holocaust in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Picture of the day for August 28, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 28, 2017: Soviet electric locomotive VL22m-1483, the last remaining operational VL22m, with the passenger train Kutaisi - Tkibuli just before arriving at Satsire, Georgia. http://ift.tt/2wTMHt4

syndicate: Word of the day for August 28, 2017

syndicate , n :
A group of individuals or companies formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest; a self-coordinating group. (crime) A group of gangsters engaged in organized crime. (mass media) A group of media companies, or an agency, formed to acquire content such as articles, cartoons, etc., and to publish it in multiple outlets; a chain of newspapers or other media outlets managed by such an organization. The office or jurisdiction of a syndic; a body or council of syndics.

chthonic: Word of the day for August 27, 2017

chthonic , adj :
Dwelling within or under the earth.

Picture of the day for August 27, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 27, 2017: A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (nose art Thunderbird), below, and a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress flying in a heritage flight formation during 2006 Defenders of Liberty Airshow at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, USA, on May 12, 2006. http://ift.tt/2weX5JA

Picture of the day for August 26, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 26, 2017: Prodasineura verticalis emergence. http://ift.tt/2wbRvaV

yeasayer: Word of the day for August 26, 2017

yeasayer , n :
One whose attitude is positive, optimistic, confidently affirmative. (pejorative) One who habitually agrees uncritically.

Picture of the day for August 25, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 25, 2017: Interior view of main dome of Jvari, a UNESCO World Heritage Site monastery from the 6th century located on a hill over Mtskheta, former capital of the Kingdom of Iberia, Georgia. http://ift.tt/2wCYsoi

apple of discord: Word of the day for August 25, 2017

apple of discord , n :
An object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.

Picture of the day for August 24, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 24, 2017: St. Bartholomew's is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church in the Berchtesgadener Land district of Bavaria in Germany. An annual pilgrimage to St. Bartholomew's is held on the Saturday after 24 August, starting from the Austrian municipality of Maria Alm and crossing the Berchtesgaden Alps. http://ift.tt/2wp7WTV

lumination: Word of the day for August 24, 2017

lumination , n :
(rare) Illumination; specifically, artificial illumination.

paean: Word of the day for August 23, 2017

paean , n :
(Ancient Greece, historical) A chant or song, especially a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance or victory, to Apollo or sometimes another god or goddess; hence any song sung to solicit victory in battle. Any loud and joyous song; a song of triumph. An enthusiastic expression of praise.

Picture of the day for August 23, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 23, 2017: Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, France, as seen from above http://ift.tt/2vWbfAG

talking head: Word of the day for August 22, 2017

talking head , n :
(idiomatic) A pundit, especially one on television, who discusses issues of the day. Charles Francis Jenkins, one of the inventors of television, was born on this day in 1867.

Picture of the day for August 22, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 22, 2017: Rally Lisboa-Dakar 2006. In the picture Marc Coma (Nº2), winner of the Rally Dakar 2006, in the moto category. The image took place somewhere in the 2006 route. http://ift.tt/2vjqqjQ

man down: Word of the day for August 21, 2017

man down , v :
(transitive, idiomatic) To lose courage or cause to lose courage. (transitive) To reduce in manpower. (transitive, chiefly falconry) To train (a raptor or other type of bird) to become accustomed to the presence of people; to man.

Picture of the day for August 21, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 21, 2017: View of the rich ceiling of the interior courtyard of the Borujerdi House, a historic house located in Kashan, Iran. The house dates from 1857 and was constructed by architect Ustad Ali Maryam for a wealthy merchant as proof of love to his wife. http://ift.tt/2xgFtfv

Picture of the day for August 20, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 20, 2017: NASA astronaut Nicholas Patrick, STS-130 mission specialist, participates in the mission's third and final session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the five-hour, 48-minute spacewalk, Patrick and astronaut Robert Behnken (out of frame), mission specialist, completed all of their planned tasks, removing insulation blankets and launch restraint bolts from each of the Cupola's seven windows. http://ift.tt/2ig22hZ

underbelly: Word of the day for August 20, 2017

underbelly , n :
The underside of an animal. The underside of any thing. (figuratively) The side which is not normally seen, normally a dark, immoral place.

Picture of the day for August 19, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 19, 2017: A honey bee, in contrast with the stingless honey bee, is any bee member of the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests from wax. In the United States, National Honey Bee Day is an awareness day observed on the third Saturday of August. http://ift.tt/2vLm1d2

trickle truth: Word of the day for August 19, 2017

trickle truth , n :
(informal) Facts gradually and reluctantly admitted by one's significant other under questioning, especially about having been unfaithful.

Picture of the day for August 18, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 18, 2017: Blue hour view of the pagan temple in the Bazaar square, Old city (İçəri Şəhər), Baku, Azerbaijan. The Old City of Baku, that dates at least from the 12th century, became the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the country in 2000. http://ift.tt/2fPLLPX

scabrous: Word of the day for August 18, 2017

scabrous , adj :
Covered with scales or scabs; hence, very coarse or rough. (figuratively) Disgusting, repellent, repulsive, vile. (figuratively) Of music, writing, etc.: lacking refinement, harsh, rough; unmelodious, unmusical. (figuratively) Difficult, thorny, troublesome. (figuratively, chiefly US) Covered with a crust of dirt or grime.

Picture of the day for August 17, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 17, 2017: A male Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) on the island of Rinca in the Komodo National Park. The world's largest living species of lizard: to celebrate the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945 http://ift.tt/2icYNTI

grisly: Word of the day for August 17, 2017

grisly , adj :
Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying.

come together: Word of the day for August 16, 2017

come together , v :
(intransitive) To assemble, to congregate. (intransitive, figuratively) To harmonize socially; to come to an amicable agreement; to ally or band together. […]

Picture of the day for August 16, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 16, 2017: Charaxes psaphon, Plain Tawny Rajah, a rare butterfly found in South India, belongs to the Leafwings subfamily of Nymphalidae. http://ift.tt/2vZMtQU

pomerium: Word of the day for August 15, 2017

pomerium , n :
(historical, Roman Empire) The tract of land denoting the formal, sacral ambit of a Roman city. Today is Ferragosto, a public holiday in Italy. The term derives from the Latin feriae Augusti (holidays of the Emperor Augustus), and is said to have been introduced by Augustus after his victory at the Battle of Actium in 31 bce.

Picture of the day for August 15, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 15, 2017: Detail of Lion column (see also: Emblem of India) in Kamala Nehru Park, Mumbai http://ift.tt/2uDslVc

Picture of the day for August 14, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 14, 2017: Sculpture “Wasser-Plastik” (Heinz Mack, 1977) at the LBS Westdeutsche Landesbausparkasse in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany http://ift.tt/2wHJElo

rupee: Word of the day for August 14, 2017

rupee , n :
The common name for the monetary currencies used in modern India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, the Seychelles, or Sri Lanka, often abbreviated ₨. A silver coin circulating in India between the 16th and 20th centuries, weighing one tola (formerly 170–180 troy grains; from 1833, 180 troy grains). Today is the Independence Day of Pakistan, one of the countries that calls its currency the rupee.

Picture of the day for August 13, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 13, 2017: High altar of St. Pölten Cathedral, Lower Austria. Altarpiece Assumption of Mary by Tobias Pock (1658). http://ift.tt/2uBr1hu

sinistromanual: Word of the day for August 13, 2017

sinistromanual , adj :
Left-handed. Today is celebrated by some people as International Lefthanders Day.

Picture of the day for August 12, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 12, 2017: Quadriga of the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany. The gate was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built between 1788 to 1791. It suffered considerable damage in World War II and during the post-war Partition of Germany, the gate was isolated and inaccessible immediately next to the Berlin Wall. The area around the gate was featured most prominently in the media coverage of the tearing down of the wall in 1989, and the subsequent German reunification in 1990. After the 1806 Prussian defeat at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, Napoleon was the first to use the Brandenburg Gate for a triumphal procession and took its Quadriga to Paris. After Napoleon's defeat in 1814 and the Prussian occupation of Paris the Quadriga was restored to Berlin and redesigned as a Prussian triumphal arch. The gate was restored from 2000 to 2002 to its current appearance. http://ift.tt/2vr9KKR

gunmetal: Word of the day for August 12, 2017

gunmetal , n :
(historical) A type of bronze used for making cannons. An alloy of 88% copper, 10% tin and 2% zinc, originally used for making guns. A dark grey or bluish-grey colour; gunmetal-grey. American gunmaker Eliphalet Remington, who founded the Remington Arms company and designed the Remington rifle, died on this day in 1861.

Picture of the day for August 11, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 11, 2017: Dortmund-Ems Canal (view from a bridge) in the hamlet Berenbrock, Lüdinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany http://ift.tt/2uulKwd

find oneself: Word of the day for August 11, 2017

find oneself , v :
(idiomatic) To learn, or attempt to learn, what kind of person one is and what one wants in life. (idiomatic) To unexpectedly or unintentionally begin to do or experience something. (idiomatic) To be in a particular state of mind. (literally) To find (something) for oneself. (literally) To discover oneself to be in a particular place.

Picture of the day for August 10, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 10, 2017: View of the rich ceiling of the Vank Cathedral in Isfahan, possibly the most impressive christian temple in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The construction of the Armenian Apostolic church, formaly known as Holy Savior Cathedral, began in 1606 and was finished between 1655 and 1664. The temple was dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of Armenian deportees that were resettled by Shah Abbas I during the Ottoman War of 1603-1618. http://ift.tt/2vnG1Rf

adroit: Word of the day for August 10, 2017

adroit , adj :
Deft, dexterous, or skillful.

Picture of the day for August 9, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 9, 2017: Sunflower head. Ukraine. http://ift.tt/2uEpPcc

merlion: Word of the day for August 9, 2017

merlion , n :
(Singapore) An imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is one of the national symbols of Singapore. Today is Singapore’s National Day, which commemorates the nation’s independence from Malaysia in 1965.

Picture of the day for August 8, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 8, 2017: Larva of a Marumba species of moth in the family Sphingidae. http://ift.tt/2wCdqqF

filch: Word of the day for August 8, 2017

filch , v :
(transitive) To illegally take possession of (especially items of low value); to pilfer, to steal. The Great Train Robbery took place at Bridego Railway Bridge, in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire, England, UK, on this day in 1963. Most of the over £2.6 million in cash which was stolen has never been recovered.

nene: Word of the day for August 7, 2017

nene , n :
The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957. Twins Days, a festival celebrating multiple births, takes place annually in Twinsburg, Ohio, USA, during the first full weekend of August.

Picture of the day for August 7, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 7, 2017: Alpine pasture Tauscherböden in the Tauern Valley near Mallnitz, High Tauern National Park, Carinthia http://ift.tt/2vF0RP8

nudge nudge wink wink: Word of the day for August 6, 2017

nudge nudge wink wink , interj :
(idiomatic, humorous) A phrase used to hint that the speaker is euphemistically referring to something else. Twins Days, a festival celebrating multiple births, takes place annually in Twinsburg, Ohio, USA, during the first full weekend of August.

Picture of the day for August 6, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 6, 2017: Sunset in the nature reserve “Westruper Heide” at the flowering of the heath, Haltern am See, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany http://ift.tt/2ueAAXy

matchy-matchy: Word of the day for August 5, 2017

matchy-matchy , adj :
(fashion) Of clothes or upholstery: excessively color-coordinated. Twins Days, a festival celebrating multiple births, takes place annually in Twinsburg, Ohio, USA, during the first full weekend of August.

Picture of the day for August 5, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 5, 2017: Female Red-billed streamertail (Trochilus polytmus). Like Usain Bolt, this hummingbird is a Jamaican endemic http://ift.tt/2vyy8u7

gee-gee: Word of the day for August 4, 2017

gee-gee , n :
(colloquial, usually childish) A horse. Twins Days, a festival celebrating multiple births, takes place annually in Twinsburg, Ohio, USA, during the first full weekend of August.

Picture of the day for August 4, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 4, 2017: Bench in the Gasthuisstraat in Bredevoort, Gelderland, Netherlands http://ift.tt/2wqhfiD

aye-aye: Word of the day for August 3, 2017

aye-aye , n :
The lemur Daubentonia madagascariensis, a solitary nocturnal quadruped found in Madagascar and remarkable for its long fingers, sharp nails, and rodent-like incisor teeth. Twins Days, a festival celebrating multiple births, takes place annually in Twinsburg, Ohio, USA, during the first full weekend of August.

Picture of the day for August 3, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 3, 2017: Female silver-spotted skipper butterfly ( Hesperia comma). To celebrate 40 years since the publication of A Nature Conservation Review which identified the most important places for nature conservation in Great Britain. It included the Grade I Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve, an important Site of Special Scientific Interest for the silver-spotted skipper. http://ift.tt/2v109s7

pukka: Word of the day for August 2, 2017

pukka , adj :
(originally South Asia) Genuine or authentic; hence of behaviour: correct, socially acceptable or proper. Superior or of high quality; first-class. (Britain, slang) Excellent, fantastic, great. The Government of India Act 1858 (21 & 22 Victoria, chapter 106) received royal assent on this day in 1858, ushering in the period of British rule in India known as the British Raj.

Picture of the day for August 2, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 2, 2017: Alley of the Bazaar in Arg-e Bam, or, Bam Citadel, the largest adobe building in the world and an UNESCO world heritage site, located in Bam, Kerman Province, southeastern Iran. The origin of this enormous citadel on the Silk Road can be traced back to the Achaemenid Empire (6th-4th centuries BC) and even beyond. The citadel was destroyed by the devastating 2003 Bam earthquake that cost over 26,000 lives and is being reconstructed since then. http://ift.tt/2f6S411