Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 10, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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insipid
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Indefinite Articles with Uncountable NounsUncountable nouns cannot take the indefinite articles "a" or "an" in a sentence. Why not? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 SaloSalo is often cited in European humor as a stereotypical staple of Ukrainian cuisine, analogous to the association of cheeseburgers with the US and bratwurst with Germany. The beloved traditional dish consists of smoked or salt-cured slabs of pork fatback, often flavored with paprika or garlic. It contains little to no meat and is usually consumed raw. It can also be rendered for use in cooking or chopped up for use as a condiment. What salo-based dish was invented as a joke? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Caesar Crosses the Rubicon (49 BCE)When it appeared that the Roman Senate would replace him as governor of the province of Cisalpine Gaul, the increasingly powerful Julius Caesar set out for Rome with an army. By law, he was allowed to command troops only within his own province, so by crossing the Rubicon River into Italy proper, he committed an act of war. The phrase "crossing the Rubicon" has thus come to refer to passing the point of no return. According to legend, what famous remark did Caesar make about his risky decision? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834)Denied admission to Cambridge University because of his Roman Catholicism, Acton studied instead in Munich. He went on to become a noted historian and member of English Parliament. Outspoken against arbitrary power, he was also an editor of a Catholic monthly but resigned due to papal criticism of his scientific approach to history. He coined the saying "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." Another of Acton's sayings is that a strong man with a dagger is followed by whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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jolly (someone) along— To encourage someone (to do something), especially in a positive, cheerful manner. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Benin National Vodoun Day (2021)Vodoun is an ancient, African, pantheistic religion. When it was brought to the Americas by African slaves, it was blended with elements of Christianity into what is known as "Voodoo." The present African country of Benin, situated on the former kingdom of Dahomey, is known as a center of Vodoun culture. The day is celebrated throughout Benin with processions, Vodoun rituals, dances, and even an international film festival. The celebration's central activity, however, is the re-enactment of the journey from the slave auction block in the center of town to the ships in the harbor. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lessenalleviate - Can mean "diminish the weight of"; to alleviate is not to cure, but rather to lighten, lessen, or relieve to some degree. More... minute, second - Latin minutus, "small," came from minuere, "lessen," and the term pars minuta prima, "first small part," was applied to a 60th of a whole—a minute, originally of a circle and later of an hour; likewise, a second was originally a secunda minuta, a 60th of a 60th. More... mince - Can mean "lessen or diminish (something)" or "minimize." More... bated breath - The expression is based on bate, meaning "to moderate, restrain" or "to lessen, diminish"; though bated was once rather common, it is now rare except in this set expression. More... | |