Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 4, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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quadrilateral
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Phrasal VerbsPhrasal verbs are verb phrases that have idiomatic meanings—that is, their meaning is not obvious from the individual words that make up the phrase. What parts of speech typically make up a phrasal verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Puffer FishPuffer fish, members of the Tetraodontidae family, are named for their ability to inflate their bodies with air or water to as much as three times their normal size when disturbed. Found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, puffers are morphologically similar to the porcupinefish and have tough, usually prickly, skin. Their flesh contains tetrodotoxin, which can be fatal if ingested, yet puffers are prepared by specially trained chefs and eaten as a delicacy called fugu in what country? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Topsy the Elephant is Executed by Electrocution (1903)Topsy was a circus elephant at Coney Island's Luna Park. After killing three people—at least one of whom was mistreating her at the time—in as many years, she was deemed a threat and schedule to be put down. After hanging was deemed too cruel an execution method and ruled out, Thomas Edison suggested electrocution in an attempt to further his campaign to portray alternating current electricity as dangerous. Electrocuted with 6,600 volts, Topsy died in seconds. What was "Topsy's Revenge"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jakob Ludwig Carl Grimm (1785)More than just a compiler of fairy tales, Jacob Grimm was a German philologist who formulated the linguistic principle known as Grimm's law and who, along with his brother Wilhelm, began work on a vast historical dictionary of the German language that took over a century to complete. The Brothers Grimm are best known, however, for their compilation of some 200 German folk tales, known as Grimm's Fairy Tales, that helped establish the science of folklore. How did they collect the stories? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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golden duck— In cricket, a batter's score of zero after being dismissed on the very first ball he or she faces. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Carnival of Blacks and Whites (2020)The Carnival of Blacks and Whites, held each year in Pasto, Colombia, is one of the oldest Carnival celebrations in South America. The Carnival officially opens on January 4 with a parade commemorating the arrival in Pasto of the Castañeda family, presented as a zany group that includes a pregnant teenaged bride and many misbehaving children. The following day is the Day of the Blacks. Using special paints and cosmetics, revelers paint themselves and their friends black. Festivities continue on January 6 with the Day of the Whites, in which white paints and cosmetics are used. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: officialbrevet - An official or authoritative message in writing. More... provost - Etymologically, an official "placed before" or "put in charge" of others, from Latin praepositus, "superintendent." More... bailiwick - Comes from bailie, "custody," and -wick, "function of an official" or "place of jurisdiction." More... probate - The official proving of a will, from Latin probatum, "thing proved." More... | |