By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/19/2024 5:04 PM
An egg bought from a supermarket was donated to a British charity and fetched $250 at auction due to an unusual feature: its "almost perfectly spherical" shape. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/19/2024 4:14 PM
A Washington man who forgot to buy a lottery ticket at his usual store forgot about the ticket again after buying it at a different place -- but ended up winning $50,000. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/19/2024 2:09 PM
Police in Massachusetts responded to a report of a trespassing snake inside a resident's home, but arrived to find the supposed serpentine suspect was a fake placed in the house as a prank. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/19/2024 12:32 PM
Animal care officers in Texas were summoned to a neighborhood to round up an unusual -- and illegal -- escaped pet: a spider monkey. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/19/2024 11:53 AM
Santa Claus made an early visit to Broken Arrow, Okla., to preside over 14 weddings for the city's pre-Christmas Wedding Wednesday. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/18/2024 4:07 PM
A 20-year-old blind cat fell through the ice on a frozen lake and was rescued by a pair of local residents, animal control officials said. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/18/2024 12:07 PM
A barbecue grill company celebrated its 50th anniversary by cooking up a record-breaking 655 pounds and 12.8 ounces of chicken wings in Georgia. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/17/2024 4:32 PM
A woman who celebrated her 106th birthday at her retirement home in Ohio credited her long life to a positive attitude -- and a love of Fireball whiskey. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/17/2024 4:13 PM
A North Texas drone show company broke a Guinness World Record by using 4,981 drones to create the image of a gingerbread house in the sky. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 12/17/2024 1:28 PM
A California search and rescue team came to the rescue of a horse that wandered into an abandoned grain silo and fell through a narrow opening into the basement. ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 21, 2024 is:
testimonial \tess-tuh-MOH-nee-ul\ noun
A testimonial is a written or spoken statement in which a person says they used a product or service and liked it, or that they appreciate someone's work, skill, character, etc. Testimonial is also used as a synonym of evidence and testimony.
// The website is full of testimonials from satisfied customers.
// The book's popularity is a testimonial to its timeliness.
"To commemorate their successful journey in the sport, the team released a heartfelt tribute video featuring testimonials from team members sharing their fondest memories." — Lydia Mee, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Did you know?
In 1639, Scottish poet William Drummond responded to the politics of his day with a cheeky set of new laws, including one stipulating that "no man wear a ... periwig, unless he have a testimonial from a town-clerk, that he is either bald, sickly, or asham'd of white hairs." Testimonials take different forms, but always, like in Drummond's facetious law, they provide affirmation or evidence. (Testimonial traces to Latin testimonium, meaning "evidence" or "witness.") In the 19th century, testimonial developed a new use, referring to a tribute—that is, a gift presented as a public expression of appreciation. Today, testimonial is most often used to refer to a statement—such as one posted on any number of websites devoted to consumer reviews—that endorses a product or service.