Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, March 20, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
disaffect
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Attributive NounsAttributive nouns, also called noun adjuncts, are nouns that are used to modify other nouns. For example, the noun adjunct "toy" can be used to modify the noun "soldier." The resulting phrase ("toy soldier") is known as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Hex SignsHex signs are a form of folk art that originated in the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Though the colorful geometric emblems remain popular in Pennsylvania, they are not used by the local Amish or Mennonite populations. There is some controversy over the true purpose of hex signs. While some folk-art scholars maintain that the signs are purely decorative, they are associated with folk magic, and their designs carry symbolic meaning. A hex sign featuring a horse head is said to protect against what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Ian Ball Attempts to Kidnap Princess Anne (1974)Intending to kidnap Queen Elizabeth II's only daughter and collect a £2 million ransom, Ball attacked Princess Anne's chauffeur-driven limousine as it returned to Buckingham Palace. He shot the chauffeur, two policemen, and a passerby who tried to intervene, but Anne got away with the help of another passerby. Ball was then captured. His victims recovered, and all six who tried to help Anne were awarded medals. What was Anne's famously feisty retort when Ball ordered her out of the car? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (1957)Lee is an American filmmaker whose movies often celebrate the richness of African-American culture and address problems such as racism, sexism, and addiction. He first gained recognition with his New York University graduation film in 1982. He went on to make Do the Right Thing, which focuses on the complexities of interracial relations, and Malcolm X, a biopic about the African-American leader. To prevent the use of his nickname, Lee sought legal action against whom in 2003? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The woods are never solitary—they are full of whispering, beckoning, friendly life. But the sea is a mighty soul, forever moaning of some great, unshareable sorrow, which shuts it up into itself for all eternity…The woods call to us with a hundred voices, but the sea has one only—a mighty voice that drowns our souls in its majestic music. The woods are human, but the sea is of the company of the archangels.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
measure the drapes— To begin planning or preparing to replace someone in a job or position before one has actually secured the role, especially during a political election. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Tunisia Independence Day (2025)Independence Day is a public holiday in Tunisia commemorating a treaty signed on this day in 1956 that formally recognized Tunisia's independence from France. It had been a French colony since the 1880s. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: nourishalimony - From Latin alimonia, "nourishment" or "eating money," from alere, "to nourish," and mony, "result, resulting condition," it first meant "nourishment, support." More... alumnus, alumna, alumni - Alumnus and alumna stem from Latin alere, "to nourish or be nourished," now by a university; originally alumnus was a pupil and now it is a male graduate. Alumni refers to either sex. More... coalesce - Meaning "cause to grow together," it is from Latin co- and alere, "nourish." More... nurture - The verb was formed after the noun, which first referred (c. 1330) to a person's training or breeding. The word can be traced back to Latin nutritus, meaning "to nourish." More... | |