Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 17, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbial ClausesAn adverbial clause, or adverb clause, is a group of words behaving as an adverb. What is used to connect an adverbial clause to the main clause in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Snake OilSnake oil is a traditional Chinese remedy for joint pain and inflammation derived from the Chinese Water Snake. Imitations with unidentified or mischaracterized ingredients have caused the term "snake oil" to become synonymous in Western culture with remedies fraudulently marketed by charlatans as miraculous panaceas but which actually provide little health benefit. What were some of the ingredients of these so-called snake oils? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Luxor Massacre (1997)Located on the west bank of the Nile across from the city of Luxor, Deir al-Bahri is one of Egypt's most popular attractions. It encompasses the remains of three ancient temples, among them the terraced temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which in 1997 became the site of a terrible massacre. On that day, six terrorists armed with guns and knives descended on the temple and systematically killed more than 60 people, most of them foreign tourists. What did the terrorists hope to achieve with the attack? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Isamu Noguchi (1904)Noguchi was a prominent American sculptor. After briefly studying medicine, he won two Guggenheim fellowships that allowed him to study in Paris under renowned modern artist Constantin Brancusi. In his work in stone, wood, and metal, Noguchi integrated European modernism with Japanese traditionalism, harmonizing rough and smooth, geometric and organic. Among his diverse artistic creations are playgrounds, sculpture gardens, ballet sets, and furniture. With which inventor did he collaborate? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 History, n.: An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) heart in (something)— To be emotionally and enthusiastically involved in something; to do or undertake something with passion and zeal. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Festival Indígena (Jayuya Indian Festival) (2023)The Jayuya Indian Festival was started in 1969, when new traces of the Taíno Indian culture were discovered in and around Jayuya, Puerto Rico. Festival events include Indian ceremonies and dances as well as concerts featuring fotutos (conch shells) as instruments. There is a ceremonial Taino ball game that resembles soccer, and a village (yukayeque) of thatched-roof huts that enables visitors to see how the Indians lived. Visitors can attend lectures on the Taino language and customs or take a tour of the caves containing the Indian drawings. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scrapmammock - A scrap, shred, or piece that is torn or broken off. More... riffraff - Rif/riff, "spoil, strip," and raf, "carry off," combined as rif et raf in French, then went to English as riff and raff, "everything, every scrap," and then riffraff. More... scrip - Can be a scrap of paper with writing on it. More... tatter - A scrap of cloth, from Old Norse totrar, "rags"; often used as tatters. More... | |