Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 16, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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waffle
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs of Manner and AdjectivesAdverbs of manner can also be used to describe adjectives, giving them an extra depth or dimension of character. Where must an adverb of manner be positioned in relation to the adjective it modifies? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Exquisite CorpseExquisite corpse is an exercise in which a collection of words or images is assembled by several participants, each of whom adds to a composition by either following a predetermined sequence—such as adjective-noun-adverb-verb-article-adjective-noun—or by looking at the end of the previous entry. The name of the game is derived from the phrase that French Surrealists created when they first played it in 1925: "Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau," which means what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Harriet Quimby Flies over English Channel (1912)In 1911, Harriet Quimby earned the first pilot's license issued to a woman in the United States. Less than a year later, Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. She continued piloting aircrafts until her tragic death in 1912, when she was tossed from her airplane after it unexpectedly pitched forward. Despite the importance of her flight over the English Channel, the feat barely made the newspapers at the time because it was eclipsed by what major event? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Charlie Chaplin (1889)Chaplin was one of the most creative personalities in the silent film era: he acted in, directed, scripted, produced, and eventually scored his own films. Merging physical grace and disrespect for authority, he created a signature character, the Little Tramp, who wore a gentlemen's derby, carried a cane, and sported a toothbrush mustache. The Little Tramp's baggy trousers and oversized shoes contributed to his unique, bow-legged dance-walk. How did Chaplin's political leanings affect his career? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 How is it that the poets have said so many fine things about our first love, so few about our later love? Are their first poems their best? Or are not those the best which come from their fuller thought, their larger experience, their deeper-rooted affections?George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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clutch (one's)/the pearls— To react in a scandalized or mortified manner to once-salacious but now relatively common things, events, situations, etc. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Emancipation Day (Washington, D.C.) (2022)In Washington, DC, April 16th is celebrated as Emancipation Day, commemorating the day in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the District of Columbia Emancipation Act, nine months prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. More than 3,000 slaves were freed under this agreement. Since 2005, the date has been a legal holiday in the District. Events are scheduled throughout the preceding week, and the observance culminates on the 16th in a day of festivities and entertainment, beginning with a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in the morning. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: protectedgeneric word - One referring to a commercial product, formerly a brand name that is no longer protected by trademark. More... patent leather - Got its name from the U.S. Patent Office, as the leather's finish was once protected by patent. More... shelter - May come from Middle English sheltron, a body of troops that protected itself in battle with a covering of joined shields. More... patron - Derives from Latin patronus, which means "protector of clients" or "defender." More... | |