wormwood (WUHRM-wood) noun 1. A plant of the genus Artemisia, used in making absinthe and medicines. 2. Something that brings bitterness or grief. From alteration of wermod, of obscure origin. Earliest documented use: 1400.
limn (lim) verb tr. 1. To portray in words. 2. To draw or paint, especially in outline. Via French, from Latin luminare (to illuminate), from lumen (light). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leuk- (light), which is also the source of words such as lunar, lunatic, light, lightning, lucid, illuminate, illustrate, translucent, lux, lynx, and lucubrate. Earliest documented use: 1440.
gest or geste (jest) noun A tale, especially of someone's notable adventures or exploits. From Old French geste (exploit), from Latin gesta (exploits), past participle of gerere (to carry on, perform). The word jest (joke) arose as a spelling variant of gest. Earliest documented use: Before 1300.
A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

Sumac spice powder is deep purplish in color. A little pinch of this spice can add a nice tangy lemon flavor to salad or meat dishes. There is no good sumac spice substitute, however, if you want to get the lemony tang flavor you can add juice of lemon to the salads or on the grilled meat recipes. If you are looking to add color to a dish, then you can add a dash of paprika spice if you don't have sumac spice. Sumac is derived from Aramaic word 'summaq', which means dark red. The variety of sumac tree called rhus coriaria, has been used for cooking purposes for millennia . The sumac spice comes from the berries of a wild bush, which grows in the wilds of Mediterranean, especially in regions like southern Italy, Sicily and parts of the Middle East, notably in Iran. Sumac is an essential ingredient in Arabic cooking, as preferred to lemon for sourness and astringency. Sumac spice health benefits are well known in the Middle East. Sumac is used to add flavor to many food recipes like fish, chicken, rice pilaf, etc. It can also be used to sprinkle salads, or added to the salad dressings or sprinkled over raw onions. You can try substituting any dish that uses lemon juice with this spice. Hummus when sprinkled with sumac spice, becomes very tasty. Sumac is used in Lebanon and Syria to flavor many seafood and fish recipes. It can be also used for flavoring stuffings , legumes, rice and breads in general. You can also combine sumac spice with yogurt and herbs, and make a great sauce or dip. Sumac spice can also be used as salt, but to to use it as salt one needs to add it more generously to the dishes. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/sumac-spice.html

Abderian laughter comes from Abdera in Thace, whose citizens were considered rustic simpletons who would laugh at anything or anyone they didn't understand
about-face is a shortening of right about face, a cavalry instruction
above the fold is the content of a Web page that can be seen without scrolling down--also called above the scroll
abstract nouns are things like goodness, evil, beauty, fear, love
concrete nouns are physical objects like table, apple, moon
abstract number stands alone (1,2,3)
concrete number refers to a particular object: one horse, two feet
Phraseology 2008 Thanks, Barb.

In the play Hamlet, the main setting is Elsinore Castle in eastern Denmark, on the Øresund strait separating the Danish island of Sjælland (Zealand) from the Swedish province of Skåne and linking the Baltic Sea in the south to the Kattegat Strait in the north. Elsinore is a real town. Its Danish name is Helsingør. In Shakespeare's time, Elsinore was an extremely important port that fattened its coffers by charging a toll for ship passage through the Øresund strait. Modern Elsinore, or Helsingør, is directly west of a Swedish city with a similar name, Helsingborg (or Hälsingborg). Within the city limits of Elsinore is Kronborg Castle, said to be the model for the Elsinore Castle of the play. Construction on the castle began in 1574, when Shakespeare was ten, and ended in 1585, when Shakespeare was twenty-one. It is believed that actors known to Shakespeare performed at Kronborg Castle. Other settings in Hamlet are a plain in Denmark, near Elsinore, and a churchyard near Elsinore. Offstage action in the play (referred to in dialogue) takes place on a ship bound for England from Denmark on which Hamlet replaces instructions to execute him (see the plot summary below) with instructions to execute his traitorous companions, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and on a pirate ship that returns him to Denmark. Read probable main sources for the play, plot summary and more at: http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xHamlet.html

Cummings Study Guides are free
Shakespeare Study Guide (Shake Sphere) Rated an A+ Shakespeare resource by Web English Teacher, an American Internet site. Recommended in England by the BBC, the British Library, the UK SchoolsNet, TopMarks, Universal Teacher, and the University of Birmingham. This site contains guides for every play and poem Shakespeare wrote, as well as literary works Shakespeare was reported to have written. This site also includes essays, glossaries, quotations, historical background, a complete description and history of the Globe Theatre, and other information related to Shakespeare.
Edgar Allan Poe Study Guide A growing collection of study guides
Other Free Cummings Literature Guides Novels, plays (including Greek drama), poems, essays, glossaries, definitions. http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/

“Revolutionary” diet books flood the market this time of year, promising a life changed permanently and for the better — yes, in just 10 to 30 days! — but, as everyone knows, the key to eating better begins with a diet of real food. The problem is, real food is cooked by real people — you! — and real people are cooking less than ever before. Yet Americans watch 35 hours of television a week, according to a Nielsen survey. (Increasing amounts of that time are spent watching other people cook). And although there certainly are urban and rural pockets where people have little access to fresh food, about 90 percent of American households own cars, and anyone who can drive to McDonald’s can drive to a supermarket. But perhaps most important, a cooking repertoire of three basic recipes can get anyone into the kitchen and beyond the realm of takeout food, microwaved popcorn and bologna sandwiches in a few days. One could set off a heated argument with a question like, “What are the three best basic recipes?” but I stand behind these: a stir-fry, a chopped salad, and the basic combination of rice and lentils, all of which are easy enough to learn in one lesson.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/weekinreview/02bittman.html

Amid a dry spell for breakthrough cancer drugs, recent U.S. approval of Eisai Co.'s Halaven represents some vindication for a small group of researchers who believe, contrary to recent pharmaceutical fashion, that molecules from nature hold promise against hard-to-treat diseases.

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of Halaven in November for treating late-stage breast cancer was a triumph of chemistry and tenacious research. Its path, extending nearly three decades from the first studies, demonstrates not only potential benefits but also some of the hurdles in the hunt within nature's bounty for drugs of the future. Primitive creatures developed many clever ways to kill each other after billions of years of evolution, and some can be turned to human use. "Weapons of mass destruction are alive and well on a coral reef," says David Newman of the National Cancer Institute, who has studied the subject for decades. Halaven derives from halichondrin B, a substance identified in a black sponge that lives off the coast of Japan. Studies showed it has a powerful effect on tumors, blocking cell division in a way that scientists hadn't previously thought of. Read more including a list of drugs developed from cinchona tree, Pacific yew tree, Gila monster, soil samples and willow bark at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059772498413328.html

Retired physician Thomas Clark of Ann Arbor learned the artistry on how to fold paper to make snowflakes from Loretta Ennis, a secretary at the University Health Service nearly 30 years ago. His physician training enabled him to unlock his creativity as he soon discovered he could cut pictures into the designs. First he develops the designs and then uses special jeweled screwdrivers to cut away at the paper. Although this process demands a lot of concentration, he mostly enjoys drawing the scenes. Over the years, he was named “Doctor Snowflake” in the art world for his works as well as what it takes to create them. His snowflakes require not only a delicate hand to carve the intricate paper cuts, but also a very gentle and patient personality. Doctor Snowflake’s works cover a range of different scenes from Biblical, Poetic, Christmas and the Zodiac signs. He also has several books in print; in fact, eleven of them ranging from his own artworks, face cards and trees, sonnets, including stories like from his “The Night before Christmas in Snowflakes” book. See examples of his work at: http://www.arttoartpalettejournal.com/2010/10/%E2%80%98snowflake-doc%E2%80%99-tells-stories-with-his-paper-artistry/

The Beige Book Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District January 12, 2011 http://www.federalreserve.gov/fomc/beigebook/2011/20110112/FullReport.htm