Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 29, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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jibe
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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One-Syllable AdverbsOne-syllable adverbs are formed into comparatives by adding the suffix "-er" to the end of the word. What suffix is added to create the superlative form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 South African Taxi WarsIn 1987, South Africa's lucrative taxi industry—serving over 60 percent of commuters—was deregulated. Since then, it has been dominated by turf wars among rival associations of taxi operators that use mafia-like tactics, including hired killings. The wars intensified with the end of apartheid in 1994. In addition to the violence, the industry is also plagued by the inherent danger created by outdated vehicles and reckless drivers. How many taxi-related deaths occurred annually in the 1990s? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Japan's Meiji Constitution Goes into Effect (1890)In the mid-19th century, Japan was forced to end its isolation by signing a series of unequal treaties that gave Western nations special privileges in Japan. The unpopular Tokugawa shogunate collapsed soon after and, in 1868, the boy emperor Meiji was "restored" to power. The Meiji constitution defined Japan as a capable, modern nation deserving of Western respect while preserving its own power. What did Ito Hirobumi, who drafted the Meiji constitution, do to prepare himself for the task? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Empress Dowager Cixi (1835)Cixi was the Imperial consort who controlled the Chinese Qing dynasty for almost half a century. A low-ranking concubine of the Xianfeng emperor, she bore his only son, the future Tongzhi emperor, in 1856. After the emperor's death, Cixi joined a triumviral regency that governed in the name of her son, who was only six at his accession. During that period, the Taiping and Nian rebellions were put down and the government was briefly revitalized. What happened when Cixi's son died in 1875? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a heavy heart— To have a dejected or miserable attitude or disposition; to be in a depressed or grievous state. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Andrew's Eve (2021)The eve of St. Andrew's Day is a special night for young Polish girls who want to find husbands. They play Andrzejki, or "Andrew's games," a kind of fortune telling. They break off dry branches from cherry trees, place them in wet sand, and tend them carefully for the next few weeks. If the branch blooms by Christmas, it is believed that they will marry within the year. Pouring liquid wax into cold water is another popular method of foretelling their romantic futures. The shapes formed by the hardened wax often provide clues with which they can read their fate. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wind instrumentorgan - Comes from Latin organum, from Greek oganon, "implement, instrument, tool"; it was first a very general term, but was then used for "wind instrument" and "functional part of the body." More... poop - Once had the meaning "to make an abrupt sound, as from a wind instrument." More... bell - The flared open end of a wind instrument. More... tootle - To toot continuously, as notes on a wind instrument. More... | |