Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 24, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - MightThe modal verb "might" is most often used to express an unlikely or uncertain possibility. How is "might" used in reported speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Chess BoxingChess boxing combines the two titular activities, speed chess and boxing, in a competition that tests participants' mental agility and physical prowess. Matches consist of as many as 11 alternating four-minute chess sessions and two-minute boxing rounds. A competitor can win by knockout, checkmate, judge's decision, or if his opponent's 12 minutes of chess time elapses. The sport, now governed by the World Chess Boxing Organisation, was first envisioned in 1992 by Enki Bilal in what art form? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pete Rose Is Banned from Baseball (1989)During his 24-year baseball career, Rose played in more games and got more hits than any player in history. Even so, the onetime Most Valuable Player could not avoid a lifetime ban from the sport after being accused of betting on baseball games—including those of his own team. In return for not having the charges formally proven, Rose accepted the banishment, which rendered him ineligible for induction into baseball's Hall of Fame. However, he later spent five months in federal prison—for what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jorge Luis Borges (1899)Borges was an Argentine poet, essayist, and short-story writer. Much of his work is rich in fantasy and metaphorical allegory, including the story collection Ficciones, which won him an international following. In the 1920s, Borges was afflicted by a worsening hereditary blindness and was totally blind by the mid-1950s. Forced to abandon the writing of long texts, he began dictating his works. What literary movement is Borges credited with establishing in South America? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When he stepped off the straight and narrow path of his peculiar honesty, it was with an inward assertion of unflinching resolve to fall back again into the monotonous but safe stride of virtue as soon as his little excursion into the wayside quagmires had produced the desired effect.Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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find (something) out the hard way— To learn or discover something through personal experience, especially that which is difficult, painful, or unpleasant. Can also be phrased as "find out about something the hard way." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Bartholomew's Day (2023)St. Bartholomew is the patron saint of beekeepers and honey-makers, and for this reason it was traditional in England for the honey crop to be gathered on August 24. Since the main ingredient in mead—an ancient alcoholic drink that is still made in some parts of England today—is honey, the Blessing of the Mead is also observed on St. Bartholomew's Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: leftoverspick-up, pick-up dinner - A pick-up or pick-up dinner is one made up of leftovers. More... ort, orts - An ort is a morsel or remaining scrap; orts is another name for leftovers. More... leftover, relic, relief - Before leftovers were called leftovers, they were called relics, and, before that, relief. More... gallimaufry - A medley or confused jumble, especially a dish made of leftovers, from French gallimaufry, "ragout, hash." More... | |