Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 13, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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panpipe
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Adverbial PhrasesAn "adverbial phrase" (also known as an "adverb phrase") is a group of words that functions as an adverb in a sentence. What do adverbial phrases typically give descriptions of? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Honor Among Thieves: The Pirate CodeIn the second half of the 17th century, buccaneers began operating under a set of rules that eventually became known as Articles of Agreement, or the Pirate's Code. While the rules generally varied from one captain to another, most contained provisions for discipline, specifications for each crewmate's share of treasure, and rules regarding compensation for injury. According to records of the code, what was the punishment for striking another man while in the service of Captain John Phillips? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 George Frideric Handel's Oratorio Messiah Debuts (1742)Composed by Handel, the great master of baroque music, Messiah is one of the most popular choral works in the Western world. Its immense popularity has resulted in the erroneous conception of Handel as primarily a church composer. In truth, the contemplative, English-language oratorio stands apart from the rest of his 32 oratorios, which are dramatically conceived. How did it become tradition for audiences to stand during the performance of Messiah's "Hallelujah" chorus? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alfred Mosher Butts (1899)In the 1930s, Butts, an unemployed architect, invented a game called Lexiko, in which players drew lettered tiles from a pool and then attempted to form words. After unsuccessful attempts to sell the game to board-game makers, Butts sold the rights to entrepreneur James Brunot, who made a few minor adjustments and renamed the game Scrabble. More than 150 million sets have been sold in multiple languages since. How did Butts determine how many tiles of each letter should be included in the game? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We are very fond of some families because they can be traced beyond the Conquest, whereas indeed the farther back, the worse, as being the nearer allied to a race of robbers and thieves.Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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follow (someone or something) in stride— To follow the direction, lead, or guidance (of someone or something); to act in accordance (with someone or something); to follow suit. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 French Quarter Festival (2024)The French Quarter Festival celebrates Louisiana's distinctive musical and culinary traditions. Held in New Orleans, the festival features performances by local and other Louisiana musicians as well as those foreign musicians influenced by Louisiana's musical traditions. Scores of bands perform at various sites throughout the French Quarter (also called the Vieux Carré). Sixty local restaurants operate food booths on the festival grounds, offering spectators the best in Louisiana cooking. In recent years, close to 300,000 people have attended this three-day event. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: princeadmiral - First used in English to mean "an emir or prince under the Sultan," coming from Arabic amir al, "commander of"; admiral was originally a sea lord due to the office of amir-al-bahr or amir-al-ma (Arabic), "ameer/emir of the sea." More... prince - Derived from Latin princeps, "chief man" or "leading citizen." More... tycoon - Comes from Japanese tai, "great," and kun, "prince, lord," from Chinese da, "great," and jun, "prince, ruler." More... whipping boy - Meaning "scapegoat," the phrase derives from the boy formerly raised with a prince or other young nobleman and whipped for the latter's misdeeds. More... | |