Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, April 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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chatterbox
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "Should" to Describe ExpectationsThe modal auxiliary verb "should" can be used in affirmative (non-negative) sentences to express an expected outcome. If we use the negative of "should" ("should not" or "shouldn't"), what does it imply? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The GourdThough the gourd family technically includes cucumbers and watermelons, the name "gourd" is usually applied to fruits with hard, durable shells, such as squash and pumpkins. Colorful and oddly shaped gourds are picked for ornamental use, while others are hollowed out for use as instruments, cooking utensils, lamps, containers, and countless other purposes. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as "nature's pottery." In ancient surgery, gourds had what unusual and important use? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Apple Inc. Is Formed (1976)Apple Computer, Inc., was the first successful personal computer company. The company has its roots in the Jobs family's garage, where cofounders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak assembled the first Apple computer. Consisting of a handmade motherboard, the Apple I did not even include a monitor or keyboard. The Apple II, introduced the next year with a plastic case and color graphics, launched Apple to success. By 1980, Apple had earned more than $100 million. How much did an Apple I cost in 1976? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lon Chaney (1883)Chaney was an American silent-film actor. Born to parents who were both deaf and mute, he learned to express himself through pantomime at an early age. He moved to Hollywood in 1912 and became one of the biggest stars of the time, appearing in more than 150 silent films. Known as "the man of a thousand faces," he masterfully used makeup to play tortured, grotesque characters in horror films such as The Phantom of the Opera. How did fake snow made of corn flakes contribute to his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Danger lies in the writer becoming the victim of his own exaggeration ... and in the end coming to despise truth itself as something too cold, too blunt for his purpose—as, in fact, not good enough for his insistent emotion. From laughter and tears the descent is easy to sniveling and giggles.Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a good name (somewhere or in something)— To have a respected reputation (in something or some place). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ashokashtami (2020)Lord Lingaraj, a name for the Hindu deity Shiva, receives praise and adoration from Hindus on this day. The festival takes place in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. Two venerated sites host the festival: the Lingaraja Temple, believed to be the city's oldest temple, and the Rameshwar Temple. Thousands of people attend the festival to watch a traditional procession that features a giant wooden chariot carrying a Lingaraj idol and other deities. It begins at the Lingaraja Temple and, with the assistance of hundreds of attendees, the processional proceeds to the Rameshwar Temple. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scrapmammock - A scrap, shred, or piece that is torn or broken off. More... riffraff - Rif/riff, "spoil, strip," and raf, "carry off," combined as rif et raf in French, then went to English as riff and raff, "everything, every scrap," and then riffraff. More... scrip - Can be a scrap of paper with writing on it. More... tatter - A scrap of cloth, from Old Norse totrar, "rags"; often used as tatters. More... | |