Daily Content Archive

(as of Tuesday, November 20, 2018)
Word of the Day

supernumerary

Definition:(adjective) More than is needed, desired, or required.
Synonyms:excess, extra, redundant, supererogatory, surplus, superfluous, spare
Usage: His appearance...is apt to occasion some little stir at the tea-table of a farmhouse, and the addition of a supernumerary dish of cakes or sweetmeats, or, peradventure, the parade of a silver teapot.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Aspect

Aspect has to do with how an action, state of being, or event as described by a verb relates to time. It is often confused with tense. How do aspect and tense differ? More...
Article of the Day

Demiurge

Derived from a Greek word meaning "artisan" or "public worker," the Demiurge was first described by Plato in his dialogue Timaeus, in which he identifies the Demiurge as the force that fashioned the world from the preexisting materials of chaos. In Gnosticism, the Demiurge is regarded as an inferior deity who created the imperfect, material world and belongs to the forces of evil opposing the supreme God of goodness. What are some of the many names of the Demiurge? More...
This Day in History

Oil Rig Accidentally Drains Lake Peigneur (1980)

When Leonce Viator, Jr., set out in his boat for a day of fishing on Louisiana's Lake Peigneur, he never imagined he would end up fighting for his life. But that is exactly what happened after an oil rig on the lake's surface accidentally bored through the roof of a salt mine beneath it. Like a bathtub whose plug has been pulled, the lake began draining into the mine, creating a whirlpool that sucked in not just water but barges, trees, and acres of surrounding land. What happened to Viator? More...
Today's Birthday

Selma Lagerlöf (1858)

Lagerlöf was a Swedish author who is best known for her children's book, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. While working as a teacher, Lagerlöf got her big break as a writer when chapters of her first novel, Gösta Berling's Saga, won first prize in a literary contest. Lagerlöf rooted her work in legend in a reaction against contemporary Swedish realism. In 1909, she became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. What did she do with her medal during World War II? More...
Quotation of the Day
Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water.

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)

Idiom of the Day

have a/the wolf by the ear(s)

To be in a difficult situation from which it is as dangerous to extricate oneself as it is to remain in it. More...
Today's Holiday

Opening of the Underground Caves Day (2023)

The end of World War II is marked annually by the people of Butaritari Island (northern islands of the independent republic of Kiribati). Each year, they open the caves that were built to shelter them during the war. Accompanied by a celebration, the event takes place on the anniversary of the day the caves initially were opened after the war ended in 1945. The event's main activities take place in Ukiangang village on Butaritari Island, featuring singing, dancing, feasting, and indoor and outdoor games. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: lift

heavy - From the Proto-Germanic verb khabjan, "lift," came the noun khabiz, "weight," which begat the Dutch hevig and then English heavy. More...

hover - Comes from hove, "raise, lift, rise" or "linger, wait." More...

lift - The action of cutting a deck of cards used to be called the lift. More...

weigh - First meant "carry, lift, bear, raise up." More...

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