Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, January 9, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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seemly
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Substituting Modal VerbsModal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, and it is sometimes unclear when it is appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, "will," "can," "could," and "would" can all be used to make a request of someone, with differing degrees of what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The FedoraThe fedora is a soft, medium-brimmed, felt hat with a creased crown and, usually, a band. It is often associated with film noir private detectives and Prohibition-era Mafiosos, and it tops off most zoot suits. Considered an essential piece of menswear in the US in the 1940s and 50s, the fedora fell out of fashion in the early 60s, when thinner lapels and ties called for shorter-brimmed hats. The fedora was thrust back into the limelight in the 1980s, however, thanks to what fictional character? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Martyrs' Day: Riots over Sovereignty of Panama Canal Zone (1964)Martyrs' Day is a Panamanian holiday commemorating the 1964 riots that began after a Panamanian flag was torn in a conflict between Panamanian and Canal Zone students over the right of the Panamanian flag to be flown alongside the US flag. US Army units became involved in suppressing the violence, and 4 soldiers and more than 20 Panamanians were killed. The incident contributed to the US decision to transfer control of the Canal Zone to Panama. When was full control of the canal given to Panama? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Richard Halliburton (1900)Halliburton was an American adventurer and pioneer of adventure journalism. He liked to recreate historical and legendary feats in his travels, such as Hannibal's passage over the Alps on an elephant and Odysseus's journey around the Mediterranean, and made his living writing and lecturing about his experiences. He is, however, perhaps best known for having swum the length of the Panama Canal. He disappeared while attempting to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, from Hong Kong to where? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Any one who has gumption knows what it is, and any one who hasn't can never know what it is. So there is no need of defining it.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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house cooling party— A party thrown to commemorate when someone leaves an apartment, flat, or house. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Agonalia (2024)In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and of doorways. The worship of Janus is believed to have been started by Romulus, one of the legendary founders of Rome. Usually depicted with two faces, one looking forward to the future and the other looking back to the past, his image appeared on an early Roman coin with a ship's prow on the reverse side. During the festival in honor of Janus known as the Agonalia, the rex sacrorum, or officiating priest, sacrificed a ram. Offerings of barley, incense, wine, and cakes called Januae were also common. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pronebellicose, belligerent - Bellicose orients "prone to fighting" toward an individual, while belligerent refers to an organized body, a national or political entity—a person is bellicose, a nation is belligerent. More... grovel, groveling - Grovel is a back-formation from groveling—which first meant "face downward in a prone or prostrate position." More... prone, prostrate, supine - Prone is lying on your face—facing downwards—which is also true for prostrate, but only in expressing adoration or begging for protection; supine is lying on your back. More... kratogen - The dormant area of land lying next to one that is prone to earthquakes. More... | |