Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, December 14, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dulcet
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adjectives with Multiple Comparative FormsComparative adjectives are adjectives that compare differences between the attributes of two nouns. We form comparative adjectives either by adding "-er" to the end of the adjective, or by adding the word "more" (or "less") before the adjective. However, some adjectives have two generally accepted comparative forms. What are some such adjectives? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 "…and Bob's Your Uncle.""Bob's your uncle" is an expression used in British English. It typically concludes a simple set of instructions and is equivalent to "you're all set." The phrase first appeared in print in the 1930s, and its origins are unclear. It may have been derived from the saying "all is bob," which means "all is well." Some theories point to specific "Bobs" who may have inspired the phrase. One such candidate, British Prime Minister Robert Cecil, appointed his nephew to what prestigious post in 1887? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Group of Explorers Reaches South Pole (1911)Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had been planning for a trip to the North Pole until he heard that someone had beaten him to it. Instead, he and his team set sail for Antarctica. There, they spent nearly a year preparing for the final two-month trek that made them the first people to reach the South Pole. With good equipment and plenty of sled dogs, the team was extremely well prepared compared to other polar expeditions of the day, some of which ended badly. How was their clothing better? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Margaret Chase Smith (1897)Smith served as her husband's secretary following his election as a US representative. After he died in 1940, she was elected to finish his unexpired term, becoming Maine's first congresswoman. Noted for her integrity and independence, she joined the Senate in 1948 and continued to be reelected until 1972. In 1950, she gave her famed "Declaration of Conscience" speech opposing the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy. The speech earned her what derisive nickname from McCarthy's staff? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness; dull, callous, and indifferent.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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throw (one's) toys out of the pram— To behave in a petulantly upset or angry manner; to act like an angry child. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Christkindlesmarkt (2025)Christkindlesmarkt is the biggest and best known of the Christmas markets of Germany. The market in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany, has been held since 1697 in the city's Hauptmarkt ("main market"). More than 100 booths are set up to offer only goods directly related to Christmas, and food booths sell Nuremberg's specialties—Lebkuchen, or gingerbread, and Zwetschgenmannlein, which are little people-shaped confections. The three-week festival is inaugurated with choral singing, the pealing of church bells, and illumination of a creche. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: helmetcrest - From Latin crista, "plume, tuft," it first referred to the erect feathers of a plume on a helmet or headdress. More... panache - Can be a tuft or plume of feathers on a headdress or helmet. More... coif, coiffure, coiffeur - Coif, coiffure, and coiffeur (hairdo, hairstyle) derive from Latin cofia, "helmet." More... galeated - Means "shaped like a helmet" or "wearing a helmet." More... | |