Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 13, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Mitigators and IntensifiersAdverbial phrases are commonly formed when an adverb's intensity is being modified by another adverb. These modifying adverbs are known as "mitigators" and "intensifiers." How do mitigators and intensifiers each function in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 PattensPattens are various types of wooden-soled footwear, such as sandals or clogs, worn by men and women of the Middle Ages to increase their height or to keep their feet out of the mud or dirt of the street. In use until the early 20th century, pattens were worn outdoors over normal shoes and held in place by leather or cloth bands. Their name is derived from the Middle English word patin, which may come from the Old French word pate, meaning what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Cornerstone of the White House Is Laid in Washington, DC (1792)Originally called the "President's Palace," the official residence of the president of the United States was designed by Irish-American architect James Hoban with guidance from President George Washington, whose term ended before he was able to move in. Some slaves took part in the construction, which lasted eight years. Today, the White House is the oldest public building in Washington. Very little of the original structure survived an 1814 fire, set by British troops in retaliation for what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mary Henrietta Kingsley (1862)Kingsley was an English explorer and writer who challenged and influenced European ideas about Africa. Following the deaths of her parents, Kingsley travelled to West Africa to complete her father's unfinished book. There, she studied local customs and explored uncharted territory. Returning to her native England, she criticized missionary efforts and defended traditional African culture—including aspects such as polygamy. Another female explorer introduced her to what murderous tribal custom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 He was a bold man that first eat an oyster.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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set (someone) by the ears— To cause (someone, generally a group of two or more people) to engage in a squabble, dispute, or altercation. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 International Cervantes Festival (2025)Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), best known for Don Quixote (1605), is honored in a three-week festival held in Guanajuato, Mexico, featuring orchestral music, opera, theater, dance, film and folklore. Although most festival events are held in the Teatro Juarez and the Teatro Principal, amateur Mexican actors often give street performances of Cervantes's famous one-act plays in the Plaza de San Roque. Various musical performances are a popular attraction, as are art exhibits, children's theater, and folkloric dance ensembles. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: twigsdrey - A squirrel's nest of twigs in a tree. More... broom - Was first called a besom, but evolved because many of them were made of twigs from the wild broom shrub. More... lop - The smaller branches and twigs of a tree. More... whiskers - Originally the word for a bundle of feathers, twigs, etc. used for whisking (from "whisk"), it then came to denote the projecting hairs or bristles of mammals. More... | |