Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 19, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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afflict
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining SyntaxSyntax refers to the ways in which we order specific words to create logical, meaningful sentences. How does syntax work together with the parts of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ElamElam was an ancient country situated in what is today western Iran. The Elamite population was neither Sumerian nor Semitic, and their language—unrelated to any other—survives in a copious cuneiform literature. Elam seems to have maintained its independence through numerous invasions and counter-invasions, and a distinct Elamite culture flourished from the 13th century BCE. Though Elam was eventually absorbed in the rise of Persia, its culture persisted. What religion did the Elamites practice? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 A Christmas Carol Is Published (1843)English novelist Charles Dickens wrote many books and stories about Christmas. His first, the beloved A Christmas Carol, was written in just weeks, reputedly to meet the expenses of his wife's fifth pregnancy. An instant success, it has since been adapted countless times for theater and film. The last name of the story's protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, has even entered the English lexicon as a word meaning a mean-spirited, miserly person. What allegedly inspired Dickens to write the story? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1906)Brezhnev joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in 1931 and steadily rose through the ranks, eventually becoming general secretary of the CPSU (1964-1982) and president of the USSR (1977-1982). A protégé of Nikita Khrushchev, he took power after helping engineer Khrushchev's ouster. Brezhnev's regime was later criticized for its corruption and failed economic policies, but the global influence of the USSR increased dramatically during his tenure, thanks in part to what doctrine? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Patriotism is like charity—it begins at home.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lone it— To go somewhere or do something alone; to be by oneself. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Opalia (2021)The ancient Roman fertility goddess Ops was known by several different names—among them Rhea, Cybele, Bona Dea, Magna Mater, Thya, and Tellus. She married Saturn and was the mother of Jupiter. She is usually portrayed as a matron, with a loaf of bread in her left hand and her right hand opened as if offering assistance. Not much is known about what actually took place during the Opalia, but it appears that women played an important role in the festival. Because Ops was a fertility goddess, she was often invoked by touching the earth. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: snapchop - A snap with the jaws or mouth is a chop. More... crepitation, crepitate, crepitant - Crepitation is the sounds of Rice Krispies cereal (snap, crackle, pop); crepitate or crepitant is "making a crackling sound." More... oh snap - Also simply "snap"; an exclamation of dismay or disbelief, surprise, or joy. More... snack - First meant "bite, snap (of a dog)," from a Dutch word meaning "to bite." More... | |