Daily Content Archive

(as of Sunday, July 15, 2018)
Word of the Day

curare

Definition:(noun) A toxic alkaloid found in certain tropical South American trees that is a powerful relaxant for striated muscles.
Synonyms:tubocurarine
Usage: The arrow was usually tipped with a poison, such as curare, which would stun or kill the struck prey.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Using the Past Perfect Continuous for Past Durations of Time

We can use the past perfect continuous tense to describe the duration of continuous past action. The meaning is very similar to the present perfect continuous tense in this way. However, whereas the present perfect continuous describes an action that was happening up until the present moment, the past perfect continuous highlights what? More...
Article of the Day

Captain Nemo

One of the most famous antiheroes in fiction, Captain Nemo is an enigmatic character featured in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. A scientific genius, Nemo roams the depths of the sea in his submarine, the Nautilus. Though he projects a stern confidence, he is driven by a thirst for vengeance and, at the same time, is wracked with remorse over the deaths of his crew members and even his enemies. What does "Nemo" mean in Latin? More...
This Day in History

John Ball Is Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered (1381)

Ball, an English priest and social reformer, gained fame as a roving preacher advocating ecclesiastical poverty and social equality, which brought him into conflict with the archbishop of Canterbury. He was jailed three times and excommunicated in 1376. Four years later, he became one of the instigators of the Peasant's Revolt of 1381—the first great popular rebellion in English history—and was later captured and hanged, drawn, and quartered. His unconventional behavior earned him what nickname? More...
Today's Birthday

Inigo Jones (1573)

Jones was one of England's first great architects. After studying in Italy, he brought Renaissance architecture to England. His best known buildings are the Queen's House at Greenwich, London, and the Banqueting House at Whitehall, which is often considered his greatest achievement. For his design of Covent Garden, London's first square, Jones is credited with the introduction of town planning in England. Jones was also involved in stage design for theater and is credited with what innovations? More...
Quotation of the Day
We are not rich in the bank, but we have always prospered, and we have quite enough. I never walk out with my husband but I hear the people bless him ... I never lie down at night but I know that in the course of that day he has alleviated pain and soothed some fellow-creature in the time of need ... Is not this to be rich?

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Idiom of the Day

hard knocks

The real and practical experiences of life, especially those involving hardship or adversity. More...
Today's Holiday

Festival of Castor and Pollux (2023)

In Greco-Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux were twin gods who helped shipwrecked sailors and received sacrifices for favorable winds. Worshipped as the Dioscuri (from the Greek Dioskouroi, or "sons of Zeus"), their cult was a popular one in 484 BCE, when, according to legend, the twins fought on the side of the Romans in the Battle of Lake Regillus and brought word of their victory to Rome. A temple was built for them in the Forum, and it was here that the annual festival in their honor was celebrated on July 15. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: litter

reckling, wallydrag - Reckling and wallydrag are both names for the runt of a litter. More...

farrow - Now the term for a litter of pigs, it originally meant "young pig," from Indo-European porkos. More...

queen - A litter-bearing female cat. More...

tantony - The smallest pig in a litter. More...

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