Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 1, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Ambitransitive VerbsSome action verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on the context of the sentence or what information the speaker wishes to include. These are sometimes known as "ambitransitive verbs." What are some examples of ambitransitive verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 General Mills Introduces Cheerios as CheeriOats (1941)General Mills introduced its oat-based, ready-to-eat cold cereal as CheeriOats but, in 1946, changed its name to Cheerios because of a trademark dispute with Quaker Oats. Today, it comes in nearly a dozen different flavors and is marketed to children as well as adults. It has used several different characters in its advertising over the years, including Charlie Brown from Peanuts. Why did the US Food and Drug Administration call Cheerios an "unapproved new drug" in 2009? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Anna Marie Jarvis (1864)Though she never wed or had children herself, Jarvis campaigned tirelessly for the establishment of an annual holiday honoring mothers. She began her campaign after the death of her mother, a social activist who had brought mothers together in an effort to counter the divisions caused by the Civil War. By 1914, Mother's Day had been proclaimed a US national holiday. Rather than savor her success, Jarvis soon became one of the holiday's most vehement opponents. Why did she want it abolished? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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no pressure— Said ironically to emphasize that what is being discussed carries a large amount of importance or makes one feel that one must try very hard to succeed. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Beltane (2024)Beltane is the Celtic name for the first day of May, which divided the ancient Celtic year in half. It was believed that each day began with the setting of the sun the night before, so Beltane was celebrated by lighting bonfires to honor the sun god. Contact with the fire was symbolic of contact with the life-giving sun. The day is still observed in parts of Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, Wales, Brittany, and the Isle of Man, with most of the celebrations revolving around fire and reflecting ancient fertility rites. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pancakeblin - As in blini and blintze, it is Russian for "pancake." More... blintz, blintze - Blintz(e) is from Russian blinets, "little pancake." More... cake - A Viking contribution, from Old Norse kaka, it is related to "cook"; cake first meant small, flat bread roll baked on both sides by being turned—as in pancake or potato cake. More... omelet, omelette - Omelet has also been written omelette, amulet, and aumelet; omelet's root sense is "thin layer" or "crepe," and it was first described in English as a "pancake of eggs." More... | |