Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, May 19, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cowpuncher
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Regular and Irregular AdverbsRegular adverbs are formed by adding "-ly" (or a variation) onto the end of an adjective. Irregular adverbs are not formed from standard spelling conventions. What are the most common irregular adverbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Mortarboard CapThe pileus quadratus, a type of Roman skullcap topped with a horizontal square board, has given rise to a number of similar cap styles, among them the biretta worn by the Roman Catholic clergy and the academic mortarboard cap. The academic headgear is embellished with a tassel or liripipe, which may be dyed black, colored to represent the graduate's area of expertise, or matched to a school's colors. According to urban legend, why did some UK universities cease to use the cap? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Catherine of Aragon Married by Proxy to Arthur, Prince of Wales (1499)Catherine of Aragon is known as the first of King Henry VIII's six wives, but before they were wed, she was married to his older brother Arthur. Catherine was the youngest daughter of Spain's Ferdinand II and Isabella I, and her marriage to Arthur was primarily political. In fact, Arthur and Catherine were married by proxy before they had even met, in a ceremony attended by their representatives. The marriage was short-lived, as Arthur died young. When did Arthur and Catherine finally meet? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Malcolm X (1925)Malcolm X was an African-American activist. His home was burned by the KKK when he was a child, and he joined the Nation of Islam in prison as an adult. Upon his release in 1952, he renounced his "slave name," Little, and took the surname X, representing his lost African ancestral surname. He became a minister and soon rose to prominence campaigning for black separatism, but he publicly broke with the militant Black Muslims in 1964 after a pilgrimage to Mecca. Who assassinated him the next year? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Among all forms of mistake, prophecy is the most gratuitous.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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good enough for jazz— Sufficient to suit the purpose(s) at hand without needing to be perfect. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Chelsea Flower Show (2020)For more than eight decades, England's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has held a flower show in London on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The highlight of this five-day event is the full-sized show gardens that are planted and landscaped in the space of only three weeks by some of Britain's top garden designers. There are also scientific displays of the latest advances in gardening, booths for flower arranging and garden design, and trade stands. Experts are also on hand to give people advice on other less elaborate forms of gardening. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: needlegab - In mechanics, a hook or a notch in a rod or lever that then engages with a pin or needle. More... in the groove - An allusion to the reproduction of music by a needle on a gramophone record. More... needle - Has the same Indo-European base as Latin nere, "to spin," and Greek nema, "thread." More... feed dog - The part of a sewing machine that feeds the material under the needle. More... | |