Daily Content Archive

(as of Tuesday, February 26, 2019)
Word of the Day

gleeful

Definition:(adjective) Full of high-spirited delight.
Synonyms:elated, joyful, jubilant
Usage: As he spoke his boyish face was wreathed in a gleeful smile, and his voice had an exultant ring.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Defining Direct Objects

Direct objects are directly affected by the verbs they complete—that is, the verb's action is happening directly to them. What is the direct object in the following sentence? "The dog chased its tail." More...
Article of the Day

The Molotov Cocktail

A Molotov cocktail is a makeshift bomb made of a breakable container, often a glass bottle, that is filled with flammable liquid and given a simple fuse, which is lit just before it is hurled at a target. It was named for Vyacheslav Molotov, a Soviet statesman who negotiated the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany. A communist from 1906, he changed his name from Skriabin to Molotov—which means "hammer"—to escape imperial police. Why was the weapon named for him? More...
This Day in History

The February 26 Incident (1936)

The February 26 Incident was an attempted military coup in Japan launched by a radical faction of the Imperial Japanese Army that sought to stamp out corruption and poverty in rural Japan by assassinating certain elder statesmen. Before the coup was suppressed, the rebels managed to briefly occupy the center of Tokyo and kill several leading politicians, including the finance minister. The prime minister, however, survived thanks to a case of mistaken identity. Who was killed in his place? More...
Today's Birthday

Victor-Marie Hugo (1802)

Hugo was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist. The son of a general, he was an accomplished poet before age 20. With his verse drama Cromwell in 1827, he emerged as an important figure in Romanticism. His best-known novels are The Hunchback of Notre Dame, an evocation of medieval life, and Les Misérables, the story of the convict Jean Valjean. Their immense popularity made him the most successful writer in the world at that time. Why was Hugo forced into exile in 1851? More...
Quotation of the Day
It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up.

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

Idiom of the Day

Faustian bargain

An agreement, bargain, or deal in which a person sacrifices or abandons their moral, ethical, or spiritual values in favor of wealth, power, or other benefits. A reference to the legend of Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for unlimited knowledge and power. More...
Today's Holiday

Kuwait Liberation Day (2024)

After Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's troops invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, several countries in the United Nations formed a military coalition—including troops and equipment from the US, France, and Britain—to force them out. Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, and, for five weeks, US and British air forces relentlessly bombed Baghdad. This was followed by four days of a ground war, which resulted in Hussein's troops leaving Kuwait. February 26 is a national holiday in Kuwait celebrating the end of Iraq's military presence in Kuwait. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: ranch

biscuit shooter - A waitress at a lunch counter or a cook on a ranch. More...

dude, dude ranch - A dude is a city-dweller, especially one vacationing on a ranch—hence, dude ranch. More...

ranch dressing - A creamy buttermilk-based dressing with garlic and other spices and herbs, developed at Hidden Valley Ranch in Santa Barbara in the 1950s. More...

ranch - From Spanish rancho, "group of persons eating together." More...

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