Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 29, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hobgoblin
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Concrete and Abstract NounsConcrete nouns name people, places, or things with physical properties. Abstract nouns name intangible things, such as concepts, feelings, characteristics, etc. Gerunds are verbs that end in "-ing" and function as nouns. Are they concrete or abstract? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 RagweedRagweeds are flowering plants of the genus Ambrosia, most of which are native to America. The pollen of the weedy herbs is recognized as the primary cause of hay fever in eastern and middle North America. Its effects are exacerbated by the fact that ragweeds—which are anemophilous, or wind-pollinated—are each thought to be able to produce about one billion grains of pollen in a single season. For what other reasons is ragweed so difficult to eradicate? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Assassinated (1170)Becket was a brilliant administrator and diplomat who served as chancellor of England under Henry II. In a bid to reinforce royal control of the church, Henry appointed Becket archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. However, Becket embraced his duties devoutly and opposed royal interference in the church. This led him to be denounced as a traitor, whereupon he fled to France to live in exile. Upon his return in 1170, he once again drew the ire of the king and was murdered by whom soon after? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Venustiano Carranza (1859)After Mexican leader Porfirio Díaz was deposed in 1911, a protracted power struggle ensued. Carranza was the third person in as many years to assume executive power after Díaz's ouster, but revolutionary leaders Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata objected and responded with force. Carranza prevailed, but his failure to implement key provisions of the liberal constitution of 1917 led to further unrest, and he was killed in 1920. What does carrancear, coined during Carranza's tenure, mean? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is nothing so strange and so unbelievable that it has not been said by one philosopher or another.Rene Descartes (1596-1650) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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home, James (, and don't spare the horses)— A humorous directive for a driver to take one home directly and without delay. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fiesta of the Black St. Benito (2023)This fiesta is celebrated by a number of locales in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, and is especially popular in Bobures. After early morning mass, the chimbángueles, or vassals of the saint, put St. Benito's statue on a litter and surround it with flowers. They then carry it through the streets while performing an unusual bouncing kind of dance, in which they continually move forward and backward to the accompaniment of seven drums. Throughout the long procession, St. Benito's image is sprinkled with perfumes and presented with drinks of homemade whiskey. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: purposesall intents and purposes - A redundant phrase, created for emphasis. More... blamestorming - An intense discussion for the purposes of placing blame or assigning responsibility for a misdeed or failure. More... celebrant, celebrator, reveler - Celebrants take part in religious ceremonies; celebrators or revelers gather for purposes of revelry. More... teleology - The study of design in nature; the word's basic meaning is "the study of ends or purposes"—attempts to understand the purpose of a natural occurrence by looking at its results. More... | |