Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 16, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
occlude
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
AdjunctsAdjuncts are parts of a sentence that are used to elaborate on or modify other words or phrases in a sentence. What are misplaced modifiers? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 RugbyThe game of rugby originated in the early 19th century in, according to tradition, Rugby, England. It is related to both soccer and American football and is said to have started when a soccer player picked up the ball and ran with it. It was introduced into the US in 1875 but faded as American football developed. Unlike that sport, rugby features almost continuous play. Though tackling is permitted, blocking is forbidden, and players may not pass the ball forward. What is the "scrum"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote Is Published (1605)A founding work of modern Western literature, Cervantes's Don Quixote presents a profound picture of the divide between idealistic and realistic world views. A burlesque of chivalric romances, it was an immediate success. In 1614, a spurious Part II was published by an unidentified author who insulted Cervantes in his prologue. Offended, Cervantes responded by publishing his own Part II, which some literary critics consider superior to Part I. What is Don Quixote's real name in the book? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Eric Henry Liddell (1902)Liddell was a Scottish athlete and missionary. Because of his Christian convictions, Liddell refused to run track events on Sundays, a decision that forced him to withdraw from his best event, the 100-meter sprint, during the 1924 Paris Olympics. Instead, he ran the 400 meters, winning the gold medal and breaking the existing world record. His story is depicted in the Academy Award-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Why is he listed in some literature as China's first Olympic champion? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true.Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
throw (some) shapes— slang To dance, especially to popular music. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sinulog Festival (2016)The Sinulog Festival takes place on the island of Cebu in the Philippines, held at the same time as the frenzied Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo and the more sedate Dinagyang in Iloilo City. The festival celebrates both early Cebuano culture and the history of the Christianization of Cebu, combining the pageantry of early years with today's Christian ritual. An image of Cebu's patron saint, the Santo Niño ("the Holy Child," Jesus), is carried in a procession along the streets, while drums beat in the ritual for a bountiful harvest and revelers dance in the streets. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: troopssquadron - Borrowed from Italian squadrone, from Latin quadrare, "square"; the sense of "military group" comes from an earlier "square formation of troops." More... campaign - First meant an open tract of land, from Latin campus, "level ground," and the change to a military meaning came from troops "taking the field"—moving from fortress or town to open country—from which the political sense evolved, referring to the organized efforts of office-seekers to sway public opinion or influence their vote at an upcoming election. More... echelon - Comes from French echelle, "ladder," from Latin scala, and first meant a formation of troops. More... corporal - Its military meaning came from "the head of a body of troops," from French caporale. More... | |