Daily Content Archive

(as of Friday, May 7, 2021)
Word of the Day

straggly

Definition:(adjective) Spreading out in different directions.
Synonyms:rambling, sprawling
Usage: The gardener's job was to tame the yard's few straggly bushes and make them look neat and presentable for the party that evening.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Comparative Adverbs in Affirmative Statements

In affirmative statements, we can use comparative adverbs to describe change or differences between two things within one sentence. What word is used after the comparative adverb in such a sentence? More...
Article of the Day

Hadaka Matsuri

Hadaka Matsuri—literally, "naked festival"—is a Shinto tradition observed all over Japan, usually not long after New Year's Day. Rituals related to its observance vary, but one custom that remains consistent is the dress code. For the most part, participants wear nothing more than a traditional white fundoshi, or loincloth. One particularly unusual ritual involves them chasing a fully naked man who has been specially selected for the event. What is this intended to accomplish? More...
This Day in History

World War II: Germany Signs Unconditional Surrender (1945)

By the beginning of 1944, air warfare had turned overwhelmingly in favor of the Allies, who wrought unprecedented destruction on many German cities and on transport and industries throughout German-held Europe. German collapse came after the meeting of the Western and Russian armies at Torgau in Saxony, and after Hitler's death amid the ruins of Berlin, which was falling to the Russians. The unconditional surrender of Germany was signed at Reims on May 7. When did it take effect? More...
Today's Birthday

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840)

A towering figure in Russian music and one of the most popular composers in history, Tchaikovsky became interested in music as a child and turned to serious composition at 14. His works are noted for their expressive melodies, and he is said to have revolutionized ballet by transforming it from a grand decorative gesture into a staged musical drama. His ballets include Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. What Russian businesswoman supported him for 13 years but—as a rule—never met him? More...
Quotation of the Day
Birth, n.: The first and direst of all disasters.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

Idiom of the Day

a kick at the can

An opportunity to do, try, or achieve something. Primarily heard in Canada. More...
Today's Holiday

Festa di San Nicola (2024)

The Festa di San Nicola (Festival of St. Nicholas) is celebrated in Italy on the anniversary of the transfer of the saint's relics by a group of 11th-century sailors from Bari. Thousands of pilgrims come to the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, Puglia, to worship at the saint's tomb and to ask for his help. There is a procession on this day in which a group of Barese sailors take the saint's image down to the water, where it is placed on a flower-decked boat and taken out to sea. At night the statue is returned to its place of honor on the altar of San Nicola's crypt. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: whistle

fipple flute - The same as a recorder or flageolet—a flute blown from one end like a whistle. More...

pistol - Derives from a Czechoslovakian word meaning "whistle," and evolved into the name of the firearm because of a resemblance in shape. More...

lanyard - The cord holding a whistle. More...

quill - The whistle of a steam engine. More...

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