Daily Content Archive

(as of Sunday, May 7, 2023)
Word of the Day

chrism

Definition:(noun) A consecrated mixture of oil and balsam, used for anointing in church sacraments such as baptism and confirmation.
Synonyms:holy oil, sacramental oil
Usage: Though his parents told him it was unlikely, he believed he could remember the smell of the chrism used in his baptism.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Comparative Adverbs in Affirmative Statements

In affirmative statements, we can use comparative adverbs to describe change or differences between two things within one sentence. What word is used after the comparative adverb in such a sentence? More...
Article of the Day

The Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters, a basketball team that combines athleticism and comedy, entertains spectators around the world. Initially a standard competitive team, the Globetrotters began relying on comic routines after experiencing difficulty attracting and retaining talent in the 1950s. Players demonstrate skills such as juggling, spinning balls on their fingertips, and making unusual, difficult shots. Who are the "honorary Globetrotters?" More...
This Day in History

World War II: Germany Signs Unconditional Surrender (1945)

By the beginning of 1944, air warfare had turned overwhelmingly in favor of the Allies, who wrought unprecedented destruction on many German cities and on transport and industries throughout German-held Europe. German collapse came after the meeting of the Western and Russian armies at Torgau in Saxony, and after Hitler's death amid the ruins of Berlin, which was falling to the Russians. The unconditional surrender of Germany was signed at Reims on May 7. When did it take effect? More...
Today's Birthday

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840)

A towering figure in Russian music and one of the most popular composers in history, Tchaikovsky became interested in music as a child and turned to serious composition at 14. His works are noted for their expressive melodies, and he is said to have revolutionized ballet by transforming it from a grand decorative gesture into a staged musical drama. His ballets include Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. What Russian businesswoman supported him for 13 years but—as a rule—never met him? More...
Quotation of the Day
While the laughter of joy is in full harmony with our deeper life, the laughter of amusement should be kept apart from it. The danger is too great of thus learning to look at solemn things in a spirit of mockery, and to seek in them opportunities for exercising wit.

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

Idiom of the Day

a kick at the can

An opportunity to do, try, or achieve something. Primarily heard in Canada. More...
Today's Holiday

Festa di San Nicola (2024)

The Festa di San Nicola (Festival of St. Nicholas) is celebrated in Italy on the anniversary of the transfer of the saint's relics by a group of 11th-century sailors from Bari. Thousands of pilgrims come to the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, Puglia, to worship at the saint's tomb and to ask for his help. There is a procession on this day in which a group of Barese sailors take the saint's image down to the water, where it is placed on a flower-decked boat and taken out to sea. At night the statue is returned to its place of honor on the altar of San Nicola's crypt. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: whistle

fipple flute - The same as a recorder or flageolet—a flute blown from one end like a whistle. More...

pistol - Derives from a Czechoslovakian word meaning "whistle," and evolved into the name of the firearm because of a resemblance in shape. More...

lanyard - The cord holding a whistle. More...

quill - The whistle of a steam engine. More...

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