Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 14, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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singsong
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Commas with Parenthetical InformationParenthetical information is not considered critical to the meaning of the sentence as a whole—if we removed it completely, the sentence would still make as much sense as before. Parenthetical elements can function as introductory or closing elements, but they can also appear anywhere in a sentence. If they appear in the middle, how many commas are used to separate them from the rest of the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Lion-BaitingBaiting is a blood sport that involves setting game dogs upon an often chained up animal for the purpose of subduing it by incapacitating or killing it. In 1610, during the reign of James I of England, the first recorded lion-baiting event was staged for the amusement of his court. The practice continued in the UK until the early 19th century, when public outrage brought the issue to the attention of parliament. What became of the one dog that survived the 1610 event? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Bombay Explosion (1944)The SS Fort Stikine sailed from England in late February 1944 and made stops in Gibraltar, Egypt, and Pakistan before reaching Bombay, India, laden with a cargo of cotton bales, gold, explosives, and munitions. While the ship was berthed there, a fire broke out on board. Attempts to extinguish the fire failed, and a massive explosion soon tore the ship apart, sinking nearby vessels as well and igniting a massive blaze in the surrounding area. How many people were killed in the disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891)A member of the caste of Dalits—once known as Untouchables—Ambedkar obtained his education abroad. He returned to his native India and worked in law before entering politics. In 1947, he became the law minister of the government of India and was instrumental in framing the Indian constitution. In that capacity, he made great strides in fighting for the rights of Dalits, even criticizing Gandhi's position on the caste system. How did the two Indian leaders differ in their approaches? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "That fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."Stephen Crane (1871-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mint money— To earn a very large amount of money, especially by doing something very successfully. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Takayama Matsuri (2018)Held twice a year in Japan, in the spring and the autumn, the Takayama Festival is famous for its elaborately decorated yatai (festival floats), which are adorned with beautiful fabrics, lacquered wood, and patterned metals. Twelve of these floats appear at the April festival, held at Takayama's Hie Shrine, and 11 participate in the October festival. Some yatai feature performances of kabuki (puppet plays), often performed by mechanical marionettes. A highlight of the festival is the parade of gongs known as tokeigaku, which produce a unique kind of folk music. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: snubsneb - A reprimand or a snub. More... avert - Etymologically, it means "to turn away": blows can be averted, but not pain; a snub can be averted, but not a humiliation; violence can be averted, but not damage. More... cold shoulder - This term for a snub started when people overstayed their welcome and were served cold beef shoulder, rather than hot food. More... snouch - To snouch someone is to snub or treat with scorn. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Sweet potato history casts doubt on early contact between Polynesia and the AmericasEvidence reported in the journal Current Biology on April 12 shows that sweet potatoes arose before there were any humans around to eat them. The findings also suggest that the sweet potato crossed the ocean from America to Polynesia without any help from ... More... | |