Thirty years ago, in his 1993 song “Hip Hop vs. Rap,” hip-hop legend KRS-One summarized his view of the difference between the two: “Rap is something you do. Hip hop is something you live.” Today, 50 years after the date in 1973 that is considered the birth of hip-hop, the terms rap and hip-hop are still often used interchangeably and in distinct ways. Join us …
By Ashley Austrew The month of November is a big deal for writers. It’s time for NaNoWriMo! What is NaNoWriMo, you ask? It’s an abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month, an event every November during which writers all over the country attempt to write 50,000 words of a new novel in just the 30 short days. If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo this year, chances are …
Aries is the astrological sign for people who are born from around March 21–April 19. Although this star sign starts well into the calendar year, Aries is actually the first sign in the zodiac, which is probably why Aries season is always thought to bring on the beginning of turbulent and wild times. It falls directly between Pisces and Taurus on the zodiac calendar. A fire …
Fashion is a major form of art and innovation. New looks and styles are being created all the time, but sometimes those new styles have names that aren’t so chic. The fashion world is full of funny portmanteaus, or word combinations that take the names of two well-known items and mash them together into something brand new and, well, sometimes a bit silly. Ever heard …
In the thick of spooky season? There’s no better way to celebrate than a horror movie marathon. And somewhere between Bela Lugosi’s Dracula and The Exorcist, with a giant tub of popcorn and a double-helping of earth-crumbling screams… do you ever stop to think about the titles of these scary movies we love so much? Well, you know we do—we’re so obsessed with words it’s …
English has so many words: Big words. Small words. Words with silent letters. And whatever the heck is going on with squeamish. With so many words to choose from, it can be easy to get a little confused from time to time. In fact, there are a lot of words people use every day that they actually get wrong without even knowing it. Right now, …
Every spring, the skies explode in bursts of color as people around the world celebrate the Hindu holiday Holi. Friends, family, and strangers alike gather together to joyfully toss brightly colored powders, water, and water balloons, and it doesn’t take long for revelers to be covered in color from head to toe, and the streets to become a wild haze of blue, yellow, red, and green. It’s quite …
Whether you’re an astrology devotee or a casual observer, you’re probably familiar with sun signs and horoscopes. But what would you say if someone asked what zodiac sign resides in your eighth house? Houses are kind of a big deal in astrology, but we aren’t talking about the ones with roofs and walls. These houses contain zodiac signs and planets that can tell you more …
By Ashley Austrew Vocabulary is one of the keys to literacy, and having a strong foundational vocabulary can help kids learn more and perform better across many different subjects. Luckily, at Dictionary.com, we have customized word lists to help learners at every level improve their vocabularies, work on their spelling, and more. Getting ready for a new school year has never been simpler than with …
It’s always a good time for soul food. And June is an especially good time because June is National Soul Food Month. But before you dig in, do you know what soul food really means, and where it comes from? The rich history and vocabulary of soul food are rooted in the cultures of the African diaspora, and its dishes and traditions were shaped by …