Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 8, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
sanguine
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Interrogative AdjectivesEnglish has three interrogative adjectives: "what," "which," and "whose." They are called "interrogative" because they are usually used to ask questions. How can they be differentiated from interrogative pronouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Coral ReefsA coral reef is a ridge of living coral, coral skeletons, and calcium carbonate deposits from organisms such as calcareous algae, mollusks, and protozoans. The resulting structure provides a critical habitat for a wide variety of fish and marine invertebrates. Coral reefs also protect shores against erosion by causing large waves to break and lose some of their force before reaching land. More than 90% of the estimated 109,800 sq mi (284,300 sq km) of reefs in the world are in what region? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Champion Race Horse Abducted, Never to be Seen Again (1983)Two years after his record-setting win at the Epsom Derby, the acclaimed Irish racehorse Shergar was loaded into a trailer at gunpoint and abducted by a gang of masked men. At that time, the retired 1981 "European Horse of the Year" commanded a stud fee upwards of £50,000 and was thus extremely valuable. The horse's owners refused to pay the demanded ransom, and police were unable to find him. Shergar was never seen again. Who may have taken him, and what is believed to have been his fate? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876)Modersohn-Becker was a German painter who became an important early Expressionist despite her tragically short career. After studying in London and Paris, she helped introduce French Post-Impressionism into German art. She was greatly influenced by her stay at the artists' colony of Worpswede and later shifted from painting landscapes to portraits and still lifes, focusing on the expression of her feelings rather than a portrayal of reality. She died suddenly at 31, shortly after doing what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, or oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
know-nothing— A completely ignorant, uninformed, or unknowledgeable person. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Royal Hobart Regatta (2021)The Royal Hobart Regatta is an aquatic carnival that includes sailing, rowing, and swimming events, as well as fireworks and parades. It is a holiday in Tasmania, Australia, and is held on the Derwint River in early February during Australia's summer season. Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, Australia's southernmost state. A similar holiday in northern Tasmania is observed on the first Monday in November and is called Recreation Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: sailingaloof - Comes from sailing, in which ships keep clear of coastal rocks by holding the vessel "luff"—"to the windward"; so, to hold "a-luff" means to "keep clear." More... jibe - Meaning "be compatible, consistent," it may come from the earlier jibe, "to shift a sail from side to side while sailing in the wind." More... plain sailing - Probably comes from plane sailing, a way of determining a ship's position based on its moving on a plane (flat surface). More... aback - Originated in sailing, as a ship was taken aback when a strong gust of wind suddenly blew the sails back against the mast, causing the ship to stop momentarily. More... | |