Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, May 11, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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incumbency
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Predicative AdjectivesPredicative adjectives that describe the subject of the clause will follow a linking verb. In such cases, they are known as subject complements. When predicative adjectives describe the direct object of non-linking verbs, what are they called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Walpurgis NightCelebrated in parts of Europe on April 30 or May 1, Walpurgis Night is a holiday influenced by both Pagan and Christian traditions. It is named after Saint Walpurga, whose holy day coincides with various Pagan spring customs, including the commemoration of the Norse god Odin's self-sacrificing retrieval of the knowledge of the runes. On this night, the boundary between the living and dead is allegedly weakened. Who is said to gather in Germany's Harz mountains on Walpurgis Night? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Siam Is Renamed Thailand (1949)Thailand's origin is traditionally tied to the short-lived kingdom of Sukhothai founded in 1238. After contact with the west in the 16th century, adroit diplomacy enabled Siam to remain independent of European colonization, the only country in Southeast Asia able to do so. A mostly bloodless revolution established a constitutional monarchy in Siam in 1932. Seven years later, under Pibul Songgram's military dictatorship, the name Thailand was adopted. What does the word thai mean? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Münchhausen (1720)Münchhausen was a German baron who became legendary for his fantastic stories about his adventures as a hunter, sportsman, and soldier. Sent in his youth to serve as a page, he later joined the Russian military and served until 1750, taking part in two campaigns against the Ottoman Turks. Returning home, Münchhausen acquired a reputation as an honest businessman but also as a teller of tall tales. His stories included his account of having ridden a cannonball and what other outrageous claims? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A boy's love comes from a full heart; a man's is more often the result of a full stomach. Indeed, a man's sluggish current may not be called love, compared with the rushing fountain that wells up when a boy's heart is struck with the heavenly rod.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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kids will be kids— Kids behave childishly or immaturely by nature, so it is unrealistic to expect otherwise. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Frost Saints' Days (2024)These three consecutive days in May mark the feasts of St. Mammertus, St. Pancras, and St. Servatus. In the wine-growing districts of France, a severe cold spell occasionally strikes at this time of year, inflicting serious damage on the grapevines; some in rural France have believed that it is the result of their having offended one of the three saints, who for this reason are called the "frost saints." French farmers have been known to show their displeasure over a cold snap at this time of year by flogging the statues and defacing the pictures of Mammertus, Pancras, and Servatus. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scentbreath - From an Old English word meaning "scent, smell." More... flair - Comes from Latin fragrare, "smell sweet," and was first the ability to detect the "essence" or "scent" of something and know how to act accordingly. More... red herring - Something intended to be misleading or distracting, so named from the practice of using the scent of red herring in training hounds. More... relish - First meant "odor, scent," then "taste, flavor." More... | |