(Encyclopedia) Betjeman, Sir JohnBetjeman, Sir Johnbĕtˈjəmən [key], 1906–84, English poet, b. London. Traditional in rhyme and meter, his verse combined a witty appraisal of the English present with…
(Encyclopedia) McClatchy, J. D. (Joseph Donald McClatchy, Jr.), 1945–2018, American poet, b. Bryn Mawr, Pa., B.A. Georgetown Univ., 1967, Ph.D. Yale, 1974. His first collection of poems, Scenes from…
(Encyclopedia) Sainte-Beuve, Charles AugustinSainte-Beuve, Charles Augustinshärl ōgüstăNˈ săNt-böv [key], 1804–69, French literary historian and critic. The first major professional literary critic,…
(Encyclopedia) Regency, in British history, the period of the last nine years (1811–20) of the reign of George III, when the king's insanity had rendered him unfit to rule and the government was…
(Encyclopedia) ethyleneethyleneĕthˈəlēnˌ [key] or etheneethyleneĕthˈēn [key], H2C=CH2, a gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbon. It is the simplest alkene. Ethylene is colorless, has a faint odor, and has a…
(Encyclopedia) oxalisoxalisŏkˈsəlĭs [key] or wood sorrel, any species of the plant genus Oxalis. Most of the cultivated kinds are tropical herbs used as window plants. The leaves are usually…
(Encyclopedia) Dubuffet, JeanDubuffet, JeanzhäN dübüfāˈ [key], 1901–85, French painter and sculptor. Rejecting academic art training, Dubuffet divided his time during the 1920s and 30s between art…
AMPHIBIAWET FROGFROGSPAWNFIND OUT MOREAmphibians generally start life in water, but later change so that they can live on land. Most return to the water to mate. The life cycle involves…
In Jan. 2016, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency for Genesee County and apologized for the water crisis in Flint. In an interview with the National…
You Could Look It Up: DefinitionWriting WellYou Got Some 'Splaining to Do, Lucy: ExpositionThe Perfect Couple: Cause and EffectNeat and Tidy: Classify-DivideAlike and Different: Comparison and…