🎾 Tennis Racquet and Ball emoji
The Tennis Racquet and Ball emoji 🎾 depicts a tennis racquet (also spelled racket) and tennis ball. It is commonly used to represent the sport of tennis and is also used more generally to refer…
Archives
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Doughnut vs. Donut: Is There A Correct Spelling?
Many people around the world agree that doughnuts—those small sweetened or unsweetened pieces of dough fried in deep fat—are delicious. What is less agreed on (at least in the United States) is the spelling: is it doughnut or donut? Technically, it can be both. Dictionaries and popular style guides like the AP Stylebook list doughnut as the preferred spelling. However, donut is a common variation …
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Cicada vs. Locust: What’s The Difference?
There has been a lot of buzz around cicadas recently—you’ve probably heard about Brood X by now (if not, read on). But do you know what a cicada actually is? Are they the same as locusts? Are they all just a kind of grasshopper? Telling cicadas and locusts apart can be a bit complicated, especially since the words are sometimes used interchangeably and the particularly …
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How Did the Month of June Get Its Name?
June is a great month. School’s out. The days are long. The weather’s warm. Perhaps the Anglo-Saxons — who spoke that linguistic ancestor of English known as Old English — were onto something when they collectively called June and July Liða. That’s pronounced like [ lee–thuh ], with the character ð having the voiced th-, like this. Liða itself may mean “calm” or “mild.” On its own, June was sometimes also referred to …
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🎖️ Military Medal emoji
The Military Medal emoji 🎖️ depicts a medal and ribbon that resembles a fictional military decoration. It is commonly used to represent the military, soldiers, veterans, acts of heroism, and holidays that honor soldiers or… -
These Popular Auto Racing Terms Will Fuel Up Your Vocabulary
While there are auto races held throughout the year, there are few better times to watch an event than summer. Case in point: races like the Indy 500, which is at the end of May. Race fans are well familiar with the major events, of course, but even those who haven’t watched a full race in their life have almost certainly used some auto racing …
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Black Wall Street And The Tulsa Massacre, Defined
by Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D. The year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the Oklahoma race massacre known as the Tulsa Massacre, which resulted in the death of more than 300 Black Americans and the total destruction of 40 blocks of a Black residential neighborhood and business district called Greenwood and nicknamed Black Wall Street. And while news spread across the US about this tragedy at …
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“Upmost” vs. “Utmost”: Get On Top Of The Difference
You’re trying as hard as you can. Are you doing your utmost or your upmost? Confusion between these two words probably comes from people hearing utmost (which is the correct choice in this case, btw) as upmost (which is otherwise a pretty uncommon word). This may be because up seems like it should fit situations involving the highest effort. And, in fact, there are some …
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🏁 Chequered Flag emoji
The Chequered Flag emoji 🏁 depicts a flag with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. It is commonly used to represent vehicle racing, races in general, challenges, or accomplishments. The Chequered Flag emoji 🏁 is used more… -
🛸 UFO emoji
The UFO emoji 🛸 portrays a flying saucer, a common depiction of an alien spaceship. The term UFO stands for "unidentified flying object." The UFO emoji 🛸 is often used to refer to outer space, spacecrafts,… -
🏎️ Racing Car emoji
The Racing Car emoji 🏎️ depicts a racing car. It is commonly used to represent race cars, motorcar racing, fast cars, and high speed driving. More generally, the emoji is used metaphorically to refer to… -
Pride Month
Pride Month is a month-long observance in celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people—and the history, culture, and contributions of these people and their communities. It is not limited to people with these…
