Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, May 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
abhorrence
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Mitigators vs. IntensifiersMitigators are the opposite of intensifiers, which are used to increase the intensity of the words they modify. "Very" is an example of an intensifier. What are some others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The HakaThe haka is a traditional dance of the Maori of New Zealand, performed by a group in unison and incorporating rhythmic shouting, foot stamping, and contorted facial expressions. It was traditionally performed when two groups met, whether for war or diplomacy. Many people today are familiar with this type of dance because it is performed by New Zealand's international rugby team, the All Blacks, while facing the opposing team before each match. How is the haka said to have originated? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Founding of the Illuminati (1776)The Illuminati were members of a rationalistic society founded in Germany by Adam Weishaupt. Having close affinities with the Freemasons and seemingly organized on a Masonic plan, the group was briefly very popular among German rationalists but had limited influence. The Roman Catholic Church, which Weishaupt left in his youth and rejoined before his death, condemned the Illuminati. In 1785, the Bavarian government dissolved the organization. What conspiracy theories involve the Illuminati? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Calamity Jane (1852)Born Martha Jane Canary, Calamity Jane was a legendary American frontierswoman. She grew up in Montana and worked in mining camps, where she acquired riding and shooting skills. In 1876, she appeared in Deadwood, South Dakota, the site of new gold strikes, boasting of her marksmanship and her exploits as a pony-express rider and as a scout with Custer's forces. It was there that she likely met Wild Bill Hickok, who would become her companion. How did Jane claim to have acquired her nickname? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 To attain happiness in another world we need only to believe something, while to secure it in this world we must do something.Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
fingers crossed— An expression of hope that something one desires will come to pass or turn out to be true. A truncated version of the phrase "keep your fingers crossed." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Beltane (2024)Beltane is the Celtic name for the first day of May, which divided the ancient Celtic year in half. It was believed that each day began with the setting of the sun the night before, so Beltane was celebrated by lighting bonfires to honor the sun god. Contact with the fire was symbolic of contact with the life-giving sun. The day is still observed in parts of Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, Wales, Brittany, and the Isle of Man, with most of the celebrations revolving around fire and reflecting ancient fertility rites. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: notchcrenelation, crenelle - A crenelation (from Latin crena, "notch") is a series of indentations or loopholes around the top of a castle, battlement, or wall—with each indentation being a crenelle (or crenel). More... carf, kerf - A cut or notch in timber is a carf or kerf—which are also used to describe the width of such a cut. More... dent - As in "notch," it comes from the French word for tooth; its original meaning was "blow, stroke" in general. More... score - First a notch used to keep count, as on a stick. More... | |