Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 2, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
tussock
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
ComplementsComplements are words or groups of words that are necessary to complete the meaning of another part of the sentence. What are the five main categories of complements? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Illuminated ManuscriptsStrictly defined, the phrase “illuminated manuscript” refers only to texts decorated with gold or silver. Now, however, the term is commonly used to describe any decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western or Islamic traditions. The majority of surviving manuscripts date back to the Middle Ages, during which period they were often produced in monasteries. Illumination was a complex and costly process. What insects were used to make the red pigments that decorate these manuscripts? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Alexander Selkirk Rescued after Four Years Stranded on a Desert Island (1709)Selkirk was an unruly Scottish sailor who quarreled with his captain and asked to be put ashore on an island in the Pacific. Tired of Selkirk's troublemaking, the captain granted him his wish. Selkirk promptly regretted his decision and chased after the boat, but to no avail. He survived on the desert island by eating shellfish and goats and domesticated feral cats to keep himself safe from rats. When he was rescued four years later, his story became the inspiration for what fictional character? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 James Joyce (1882)Joyce was an Irish novelist—perhaps the most influential and significant novelist of the 20th century. After publishing his story collection, The Dubliners, and the autobiographical novel Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, he spent seven years writing Ulysses, which is now widely regarded by many as the greatest English-language novel of the 20th century. It embodies a highly experimental use of language and exploration of new literary methods such as what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Those who prepared for all the emergencies of life beforehand may equip themselves at the expense of joy.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
be shown the ropes— To be taught how to do or perform a job, task, or activity; to have explained or demonstrated how something is done. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Candlemas (2024)After observing the traditional 40-day period of purification following the birth of Jesus, Mary presented him to God at the Temple in Jerusalem. According to a New Testament gospel, an aged and devout Jew named Simeon held the baby in his arms and said he would be "a light to lighten the Gentiles". It is for this reason that February 2 has come to be called Candlemas and has been celebrated by the blessing of candles since the 11th century. In both the Eastern and Western churches, it is now known as the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: thiefjilt - A female accomplice to a thief. More... furtive - Someone who is furtive literally "carries things away like a thief." More... ferret - Its name comes from Latin furritus, "little thief"—alluding to the animal's affinity for stealing hens' eggs. More... thief - Has the underlying meaning of "crouching, furtive person." More... | |