"Don't cry over spilt milk." "There's no use crying over spilled milk." The above idiom in its various forms is often used to mean "don't worry about something that has already happened and that you can't change. In its current form, the phrase first appears in print in... Read more
The eyes are one of the most important aspects of a sketch or character. Eyes are extremely expressive of emotion. Even if the rest of the face is not visible, the shape of the eyes can convey happiness, sadness, excitement, fear, or anger. Sleepless eyes can be red and bloodshot, or have dark "bags" underneath. Sad eyes may emit tears... Read more
A jigsaw puzzle is "any set of varied, irregularly shaped pieces that, when properly assembled, form a picture or map." The first puzzles, created in England during the 1700s, were teaching tools - "dissected" maps, alphabets, or pictures of animals... Read more
An elf is a mythological creature of German folklore. The elves of old generally resemble tiny humans. They were considered mischievous, causing diseases, bad dreams, or stealing children. Some were thought to be benevolent or helpful... Read more
The groundhog or woodchuck is a type of rodent, a marmot or ground squirrel. Groundhogs live across North America and can even be seen in urban areas. They can weigh 6 kg (13 lbs) and feed on plants... Read more
Cakes are sweetened bread-like pastries. They may include fruits, nuts, or sugary icings. Cakes of various types have been made and consumed throughout history.... Read more
Do you like anime? This style of animation, wherein characters have large, expressive eyes, originated in Japan. While the first Japanese cartoons were created in the early 1900s, modern anime traces its roots to the manga comic books or graphic novels that have been gaining popularity since the 1950s. Manga, in turn, conforms to an artistic style developed during the 1800s... Read more
The postman, also called the mailman, mail carrier, letter carrier, postie, or mail delivery person, has the important job of delivering letters and parcels to homes and businesses... Read more
Birds, especially bluebirds, are often used as symbols of spring in art and animation. Disney, for example, has plenty of examples - Mr. Bluebird from Song of the South, Kessie from Winnie the Pooh, and various unnamed birds seen during Snow White's performance of "Whistle While You Work, Sleeping Beauty's "Once Upon a Dream," or those twitterpated pairs from Bambi... Read more
Cthulhu is a creation of horror-mystery author H.P. Lovecraft who appears in Lovecraft’s stories from the first half of the twentieth century and in thousands of derivative works including short stories and books, board games, video games, television shows, songs, and a couple of plays... Read more
The 1996 slasher film Scream gave rise to a long-lasting horror entertainment franchise. The main antagonist is "a mysterious killer in a Halloween costume known as Ghostface."... Read more
Anime and manga - a Japanese style of cartooning - feature complex dramas and characters with large, expressive eyes. Modern anime and manga became established in Japan in the 1950s. Today, these films, television series, and comic books are popular all over the world... Read more
Many animes and mangas are aimed at youths. It comes as no surprise, then, that many of these stories take place in high school... Read more
Anime and manga characters - a unique Japanese drawing style that has become increasingly popular in comic books and animation - are... Read more
Anatomically speaking, the skull is the "skeletal framework of the head of vertebrates." It is made up of numerous bones. From Shakespearian plays to Saturday morning cartoons, skulls hold a lot of symbolism. Consider a few examples... Read more
Police, like doctors, teachers, and fire fighters, are public servants. Their job is to enforce the law, keep the peace, maintain public safety, and investigate crimes... Read more
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team, part of the National Football League (NFL), based in Texas. They began playing in 1960, and by 2015, Forbes magazine named them the most valuable sports team in the world. They hold a record of 20 straight winning seasons.... Read more
What is Thanksgiving? In the United States and Canada, this holiday celebrates "the harvest and other blessings of the past year." In the U.S., the holiday is linked to a legend of a feast shared by the English colonists and the Wampanoag Native American people in 1621... Read more
Historically, the term squad referred to the smallest military unit, usually of about 12 soldiers. "The colloquial use of the word 'squad' arose from East Coast hip hop culture and describes 'a self-chosen group of people that you want to identify with'."... Read more
Our perception of the American West has largely been shaped by literature and Western films. Stereotypical symbols of the West include vast cactus-clad deserts, cowboys riding a horse into the sunset, and wanted posters on saloon walls... Read more