Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, April 5, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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encumbrance
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "Can Do"In response to a request or an instruction, it is common (especially in American English) to use the idiomatic phrase "can do." This usually stands on its own as a minor sentence. We can also make "can do" negative, by doing what to it? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Arab RevoltBy the time it aligned with the Central Powers during WWI, the Ottoman Empire had ruled much of the Middle East—and beyond—for centuries. In the war's aftermath, the British sought to weaken the powerful empire, and did so by aiding the long-simmering Arab sovereignty movement. Led by Sherif Hussein of Mecca and advised by British officer T. E. Lawrence, the revolt succeeded against the empire, though the goal of establishing a unified Arab kingdom was not realized. What did the British gain? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US President Franklin D. Roosevelt Forbids Hoarding of Gold (1933)Executive Order 6012 required US citizens and businesses to turn in all but a small amount of gold to the Federal Reserve in exchange for $20.67 per ounce. It came in the midst of a banking crisis, when the stability of paper currency was in doubt. Consequently, many tried to withdraw their money and redeem it for gold, which was considered safer. However, there simply was not enough gold in the US—or the world—to cover the nation's debts. How many people were prosecuted for violating the order? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (1908)American screen legend and two-time Academy Award-winning actress Bette Davis made her Hollywood debut in 1931 and, after several flops, won acclaim for her role in 1934's Of Human Bondage. Her electrifying performances and intense characterizations of strong women made her a prime box-office attraction between 1935 and 1946, but her popularity declined thereafter. Undeterred, she launched a comeback and continued acting until shortly before her death. Why did she disinherit her daughter? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have it easy— To have or be in a particularly comfortable or relaxed position, such that makes for an easier life. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fig Sunday (2020)The custom of eating figs on Palm Sunday gave rise to the name Fig Sunday, or Fig Pudding Day, in England, when children would buy figs and either eat them or bring them home to their mothers to make fig pudding. The name may have come from Jesus's cursing of the barren fig tree on the day after his entry into Jerusalem, as told in the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Mark. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: promisedevout, devote - Devout and devote come from Latin de- and vovere, "promise." More... fiance - French for "a promise." More... gage - In "engage," it means "pledge, promise." More... promise - Latin promittere originally meant "send forth," but evolved to mean "say in advance, foretell," and then "cause to expect," hence, promise. More... | |