A nativity is the story behind someone or something’s birth. When it is capitalized as Nativity or the Nativity it speaks of the birth of Jesus Christ. That story, or in other words the nativity of his birth, is retold at Christmas by many Christians. It is also commonly used as the name of the set of …
Growing up in rural Newfoundland, my grandmother would scold us for using the term Xmas. But she was one of those old-fashioned, traditional Christians who believed we should be using the full name of Christ in Christmas. And rightfully so. We respected that. However, both Xmas and Christmas are widely …
A dreidel is a spinning top that has four sides. On each side is written a Hebrew character. It is used to play the game dreidel during the Hebrew holiday of Hanukkah. Because the name is a translation from the Yiddish dreydl, the spelling is either dreidel or dreidl, which more closely matches the original. The common origin …
The names of Santa’s eight (or nine) reindeer have been immortalized in song: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. However, in the original version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, which was titled A Visit from St. Nicholas, the last two reindeer were named Dunder and Blixem. The poem …
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If you’ve never heard of Christmas Adam, you aren’t alone. After all, what is it? Is it a day, a thing, a person – perhaps Santa’s favorite sidekick, Adam? Or a new action figure who saves Christmas Day? To help clear up the confusion you may be feeling and give …
Noel, when capitalized is another name for Christmas. When it is lowercase it is a synonym for a Christmas carol. The original French word has the accent mark over the e, noël. In French Noël can also mean Christmas. So if you want to reference the French in your work, spell it this way. A yule …
When it is capitalized, Advent means the month (or four weeks) before Christmas, it is a season of the Christian year for some churches. Also within the Christian faith, Advent means the arrival of Jesus Christ, either when he was born or his Second Coming. An Advent calendar is a countdown during the month of Advent …
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The adjective antediluvian is a term used for things that come from before the time of the great flood in the Bible. It is also used when something is out-of-date or extremely aged. The connotation is humorous since the speaker is referring to the object as being from before the flood, which …
An appetizer (spelled appetiser outside the United States) is a small portion of eatables served before the larger part of the meal is served. The adjective form, appetizing (or appetising), has a slightly different meaning. It means that something is appealing or has a good aroma. It can mean for something to want to be eaten or …
A demagogue (pronounced \ˈde-mə-ˌgäg\ or dem ah gog) is a leader, usually political, who makes false promises and gains his or her popularity through feelings rather than logic. It may also be spelled demagog. Thought the vast preference is for the longer spelling. So much so that we could not find an acceptable …