Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, January 15, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cogitate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Comparative AdverbsComparative adverbs, like comparative adjectives, are used to describe differences and similarities between two things. Comparative adverbs and comparative adjectives sometimes have the same form. However, even when the forms are the same, how can we tell the difference between the two? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The LyreThe lyre is a stringed instrument of the harp family that has two curved arms connected at the upper end by a crossbar. The strings are stretched between the crossbar and the sound box and are plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. In ancient Greece, the lyre accompanied poetry and song. Ancient Greece had two lyres—the kithara, which was used by the professional musician, and the lyra, the smaller instrument of the amateur. The lyre is typically associated with which Greek god? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Otho Begins His 3-Month Reign as Roman Emperor (69 CE)Otho and Roman Emperor Nero were once friends. Then, Otho's wife became Nero's mistress, and Nero dispatched Otho to the remote province of Lusitania. After patiently governing the province for a decade, Otho joined a revolt against the emperor in 68 CE. Nero committed suicide, and Otho took over. However, a rival soon challenged him for the throne. Just three months into his reign, Otho killed himself, presumably to avoid a civil war in his empire. How did he bid farewell to his friends? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809)Believed to have been the first person to call himself an anarchist, Proudhon was a French journalist and social theorist best known for his radical assertion that "property is theft." Originally a printer, he joined the socialist movement after moving to Paris in 1838. There, he published radical newspapers and was imprisoned. His writings were deeply influential within the anarchist movement. In his famous essay "What is Government?" how does Proudhon define what it means to be governed? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I desire no future that will break the ties with the past.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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green folding stuff/money— Paper money, especially in large amounts. Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Martin Luther King Jr. Day (2018)Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., rose to national prominence after the Montgomery bus boycott inspired by Rosa Parks. King went on to play an active role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday, the only one that honors a person who was not a president. It has become a focal point for recognition of African-American history. In schools, the day is often observed with special lessons and assembly programs dealing with Dr. King's life and work. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: poisonalexipharmic - Another word for an antidote, from Greek alexein, "ward off," and pharmakon, "poison." More... toxic - Comes from Greek toxikon pharmakon, "poison for arrows," from toxon, "bow." More... venom - Comes from Latin venenum, the love potion Venus used to attract people to each other—but later came to describe "poison." More... virus - A Latin word meaning "poison" or "slimy liquid," it first meant "venom of a snake." More... | |
| In the News | |
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 Canine Commuter Rides Bus Alone to Dog ParkA black Labrador retriever named Eclipse has recently turned heads by riding the bus—alone—to her local dog park in Seattle, Washington. Commuters and transit employees alike have reported seeing Eclipse board the bus in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood and then ride about four stops to the dog park. While dogs are allowed on Seattle buses, they usually have human companions. Eclipse's independent streak does not bother her owner, however, who says that he just meets up with her later at the dog park. More... | |