What's "stiffen up the upper lip" mean? Is this an idiom?

What does "call for something" mean?

To "call for" something means to publicly ask for or demand that something happens or is necessary. Ex: Everyone in the company is calling for his resignation. Ex: The report calls for better budgeting. Ex: He called for the results of the vote to be public. Ex: The public called for a ban on the products.

Could you describe what "Little Women" is about? Is it American literature?

Little Women is considered a treasure to American literature. It was originally published as a novel by Louisa May Alcott in the late 1860s, and is a coming-of-age story about the lives of the four March sisters as they grow up (hence the title "Little Women," signifying the period between being childhood and adulthood). The three main themes are domesticity, work, and love. It's considered quite important to American literature as it was one of the first American novels to feature strong, ambitious women as characters. Thus, it was highly popular amongst young girls and teenagers when it came out and continues to enjoy popularity as different TV and movie versions have come out over the years.

What does "fondly" mean? and what are the synonyms in this case?

"Fondly" is an adverb meaning to think of or do something in a way that shows love or great liking or affection. As a synonym, in this particular case, since Obama is saying that they're thinking "fondly" back on something you could use "affectionately" nor "tenderly". Ex: I think very fondly of my mother. Ex: I look back on my time at university fondly.

Whenever I play video games that take time in the medieval age, I think I've heard the word "peasant" more often. Are these words always interchangeable?

Although historically, "peasant" was used to describe people who engaged in subsistence farming to survive, you cannot use this term in the modern context! The meaning of the word has changed, and it is most commonly used to negatively refer to people as being poor, low-class, and ignorant. It would be considered highly offensive if you referred to anyone, not just farmers, as "peasant." Simply using "farmer" is okay, in addition to the terms "grower," "agriculturist," and so on. Ex: I am a corn farmer. Ex: Why did you invite them to our party? They're just peasants and not fit to be here.

Does the word "chairman" has the same meaning as ceo?

A "CEO" or chief executive officer is usually the top role within a company and all other executives answer to him or her. The "CEO" typically shares out many of the day-to-day responsibilities to other managers, focusing instead on strategic and more long-term goals and issues. The "CEO" will usually report to the board of directors for the company’s performance. The "chairman" of a company is the head of its board of directors. The board is voted for by shareholders and is responsible for protecting the investors’ interests. The board of directors in most companies would usually meet several times a year to set long-term goals, review financial results, evaluate the performance of high-level managers, and vote on important business decisions suggested by the CEO. Directors appoint–and can fire–upper-level managers such as the CEO and president. The "chairman" typically has substantial power in setting the board’s agenda and determining the outcome of votes. But he or she does not necessarily have an active role in everyday management. It is sometimes possible for "the chairman" of a company to also be its "CEO". Ex: Even though I am the CEO I have to get approval from the Chairman. Ex: The Chairman has dismissed a lot of the CEO's ideas.