Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 29, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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epitomize
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Factitive VerbsFactitive verbs are used to indicate the resulting condition or state of a person, place, or thing caused by the action of the verb. What is this resulting condition or state known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Pas d'ArmesPas d'Armes was a knightly chivalric phenomenon that evolved in the late 14th century and remained popular through the 15th century. It involved a knight or group of knights laying claim to a traveled spot, such as a bridge or city gate, and declaring that any other knight who wished to pass must first fight—or be disgraced. A traveling knight who was not adequately armed could be provided with weapons. If a passing knight chose not to fight, what would he leave behind as a sign of humiliation? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US President George W. Bush Introduces the "Axis of Evil" (2002)During his 2002 State of the Union Address, US President George W. Bush described the countries of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an "Axis of Evil" for their alleged support of terrorism. Since then, the phrase has spawned many imitations, including the Eritrean-coined "Axis of Belligerence," the South American "Axis of Good," and the "Axis of Diesel" proposed by The Economist magazine. What word did Bush speechwriter David Frum originally use instead of "evil"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Jamerson (1936)Jamerson learned to play bass guitar in high school in Detroit, Michigan, in the 1950s and thereafter found work as a studio musician for Motown Records. He went on to perform on hundreds of songs by artists like Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, and The Supremes, but his work was largely uncredited, and he died in relative obscurity at the age of 47. Today, however, he is regarded as one of the most influential bassists in modern history. One of his fingers even had its own nickname. What was it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Creative writers are always greater than the causes that they represent.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a knee-slapper— A hilarious joke, especially one that evokes loud and prolonged laughter. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (2021)The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is a celebration of the old tradition of cowboy poetry in the buckaroo town of Elko, Nevada. The gathering, which began in 1985 with about 50 working cowboys, has become a six-day affair in the last week of January that now includes folk music concerts, western dances, exhibits of cowboy gear, and workshops not only on writing but also on such topics as horse-hair braiding and photography. Poetry remains the heart of the festival, and the poets—all working ranch people—include men, women, and children. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shockingchurch key - Started out as slang for bottle opener in the early 1950s and was considered mildly shocking, even sacrilegious. More... flagrant, blatant - Flagrant implies shocking and reprehensible, while blatant is obvious, contrived, and usually obnoxious; flagrant is a stronger term than blatant. More... forbysen, bysen - Forbysen is an "example or parable"; bysen is a "shocking thing." More... tingle - From Middle English, possibly a variant of tinkle, its original meaning was "response to a loud noise" and "response to hearing something shocking." More... | |