Word of the Day, February 18, 2023

February 18, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [philistine]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A smug, ignorant, especially middle-class person who is regarded as being indifferent or antagonistic to artistic and cultural values. Synonyms: [anti-intellectual]( Usage: He may have an advanced degree in mathematics, but the man is a total philistine when it comes to the arts. Missing Idiom Contest The Free Dictionary has the largest collection of English idioms in the world. But we are always looking for more to add, and we want your help! Every so often we hear from users who have looked up an idiom on The Free Dictionary that it was not found in the database. Maybe it was some expression they heard at work, or some phrase they grew up hearing their grandmother say. If you know an idiom that isn't already defined on The Free Dictionary, [send it to us]( and you might win $150 USD. The Farlex Financial Dictionary [The Farlex Financial Dictionary] New! Define your success with the essential financial and business dictionary. ✔ 19,000+ entries covering both basic and advanced concepts—nearly 4X more than the leading financial dictionary! ✔ Cut through the jargon with clear, in-depth definitions backed by industry expertise. [Buy now]( Idiom of the Day [bored to tears]( — Extremely bored to the point of distraction, frustration, or irritation. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day The San [Discuss]( The San are an indigenous people of Africa, mainly found in Botswana, Namibia, Angola, and South Africa. Once nomadic hunters and gatherers of wild food in desolate areas like the Kalahari Desert of southwest Africa, most of the San now live in settlements and work on cattle ranches or farms. The San have a rich folklore, are skilled in drawing, and have a remarkably complex language characterized by the use of clicks. What plant used by the San has been patented, and why? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Defining the Colon [Discuss]( A colon ( : ) is used after an independent clause to add information that helps illustrate or clarify what it says. It is most commonly used to introduce a list, but it can also introduce what else? [More...]( This Day in History Pluto Is Discovered (1930) [Discuss]( Pluto was discovered by the astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona while he was searching for "Planet X," a hypothetical planet that was believed to exist beyond Neptune. Pluto was long regarded as a planet, but following the discovery of other, larger Kuiper belt objects, astronomers recognized the need to reclassify Pluto. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union ended official recognition of Pluto as a planet. What is Pluto's current classification? [More...]( Today's Birthday Toni Morrison (1931) [Discuss]( Morrison was an African-American writer and editor whose work helped bring African-American literature into the mainstream. In 1988, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved, which is now included in the canon of American literature, and she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her fiction is noted for its poetic language, lush detail, and emotional intensity. Why did she call Bill Clinton "our first Black president"? [More...]( Today's Holiday Saidai-ji Eyo Hadaka Matsuri [Discuss]( [Hadaka Matsuri]( means, literally, "naked festival". The young men who participate are naked except for traditional white loincloths known as [fundoshi](. Sometimes the participants in Hadaka Matsuri immerse themselves in a river beforehand to purify themselves. Occasionally several semi-naked young men will carry a [mikoshi]( or portable shrine, in the form of a horse, rice bale, or sake barrel into the river with them. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Fate alone saw the meaning of the web it wove, the might of it, and its place in the making of a world's history. 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