Daily Content Archive

(as of Monday, March 6, 2023)
Word of the Day

fatuity

Definition:(noun) Something that is utterly stupid or silly.
Synonyms:absurdity, fatuousness, silliness
Usage: In his fatuity, the beggar believed the princess to be in love with him.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Using Adverbial Prepositional Phrases

Adverbial prepositional phrases that modify adjectives and adverbs can be difficult to identify because the adjectives and adverbs are usually paired with verbs. Remember that these prepositional phrases always follow the adjective or adverb and will contain information specific to the adjective and adverb. What is the prepositional phrase in the following sentence? "I was delighted with the results." More...
Article of the Day

Velcro

Velcro is a brand name of fabric hook-and-loop fasteners. It was invented by a Swiss engineer who came up with the idea after examining the burdock seeds that kept sticking to his clothes. Velcro consists of a layer of hooks and a layer of loops which, when pressed together, form a bond that can be very strong: full-body hook and loop suits have been made that can hold a person to a suitably-covered wall. Velcro was even involved in the first medical procedure of what kind? More...
This Day in History

Nasir Khusraw Embarks on Seven-Year Middle East Journey (1046)

Khusraw, a Persian poet, philosopher, scholar, and traveler, is considered one of the great writers of Persian literature. His most famous work is the Safarnama, an account of his seven-year journey through the Islamic world, during which time he made pilgrimages to the holy shrines of Mecca and Medina and visited many cities, including Jerusalem and Cairo. The work stands out as the most authentic account of the Islamic world at that time. He traversed what distance in those seven years? More...
Today's Birthday

Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac (1619)

Cyrano de Bergerac was a French writer and freethinker who satirized the customs and beliefs of his time. He wrote two romances about visits to the moon that are classics of early modern science fiction and inspired later writers such as Jonathan Swift. His swaggering personality, evinced by the many duels he fought over insults to his unusually large nose, was romanticized by Edmond Rostand in the verse drama Cyrano de Bergerac. How much of the play is an accurate reflection of his life? More...
Quotation of the Day
Death is the only physician, the shadow of his valley the only journeying that will cure us of age and the gathering fatigue of years.

George Eliot (1819-1880)

Idiom of the Day

not have all day

To be in a rush; to not have much or any time to spare. Usually used in the present tense. More...
Today's Holiday

Feast of Excited Insects (2024)

Known as Gyeongchip in Korea and as Ching Che in China, the Feast of Excited Insects marks the transition from winter to spring. It is the day when the insects are said to come back to life after hibernating all winter. In China, it is the day when "the dragon raises his head," summoning the insects back to life, and people perform various rituals designed to prepare for the onslaught. In Korea, this is one of 24 days in the lunar calendar that marks the beginning of a new season. Farmers prepare their fields and begin planting their barley, cabbage, and other vegetables. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: stare

extant - Comes from Latin ex-, "out," and stare, "to stand," and means "currently or actually in existence." More...

stare - Its etymological notion is "fixity" or "rigidity," from a Germanic base meaning "be rigid." More...

gaure - To stare in astonishment. More...

gorgonize - To stare at with a petrifying look. More...

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