Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 18, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
bric-a-brac
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Subject ComplementsA subject complement is the information that follows a linking verb to describe, identify, or rename the subject of the clause. What are the three types of subject complements? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Pike and ShotThough the earliest guns were developed in the 14th century, they did not immediately replace all other weapons. Rather, the armies of Europe began using combined formations in which troops armed with newfangled firearms—"shot"—fought alongside those with large, reliable spears—"pike." Known as "pike and shot," the technique represented a transitional period in the history of warfare. By the end of the 17th century, pikes had been replaced by bayonets. When did US troops carry pikes into battle? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Nutcracker Premieres (1892)Now a beloved Christmastime classic, The Nutcracker ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, to fairly negative reviews. Even Tchaikovsky himself, the composer responsible for the score, found the ballet lacking. Despite its initial failure, the ballet about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and battles the evil Mouse King has since become a holiday favorite. What helped turn things around for The Nutcracker? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Robert Moses (1888)For 40 years, Moses—"master builder" of mid-20th-century New York—held a series of municipal positions that allowed him to radically change the city and its environs by creating a system of parkways, bridges, tunnels, and housing projects. Arguably the most powerful person in state government from the 1930s to the 1950s, he is credited with building 416 miles of parkway, 13 major bridges, and 658 playgrounds and setting aside over 2 million acres of parkland. Why was his approach controversial? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Eulogy, n.: Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
hobby-horse— A subject, topic, or issue about which one frequently or incessantly talks, expounds, or complains. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Niger Republic Day (2023)On August 3, 1960, Niger gained full independence from France, after having been a colony since 1922. Niger had voted to become a republic on December 18, 1958. August 3 is a national holiday celebrating Independence Day, while December 18 is Republic Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: nimbleagile - Means having quick motion and being nimble, from Latin agere, "to do." More... flippant - Once meant "flexible, nimble, pliant." More... chopsticks - In Chinese, the word for chopsticks originally meant "quick sticks" or "nimble ones." More... wieldy - Means "easily controlled or handled," and once meant "agile, nimble." More... | |