Daily Content Archive

(as of Monday, December 23, 2019)
Word of the Day

parterre

Definition:(noun) Seating at the rear of the main floor (beneath the balconies).
Synonyms:parquet circle
Usage: They found the whole of the audience in the parterre standing up and directing their gaze towards the box formerly possessed by the Russian ambassador.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives describe the attribute of a person or thing that is the highest (or lowest) in degree compared to the members of the noun’s group. What suffix is added to the end of an adjective to form a superlative adjective? More...
Article of the Day

The Steam Engine

In a steam engine, hot steam expands under pressure, and part of the heat energy is converted into work. The idea to harness steam’s power and convert it to mechanical energy dates back 2,000 years to Hero of Alexandria and his aeolipile, but the concept was not successfully applied to the building of a power source until about 1700. Improvements to the steam engine over the next century allowed it to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution. Why is there renewed interest in steam power? More...
This Day in History

Seven Japanese Military Leaders Executed for War Crimes (1948)

In the aftermath World War II, thousands of people in Europe and Asia were tried for war crimes. In Tokyo, US General Douglas MacArthur presided over the years-long trial of 28 high-ranking Japanese military and political leaders, all of whom were found guilty. Seven of them—including Hideki Tojo, the former prime minister of Japan—were sentenced to death. A month later, they were executed by hanging. At the execution, MacArthur defied the wishes of US President Harry S. Truman in what way? More...
Today's Birthday

Sir Richard Arkwright (1732)

Arkwright was a British textile industrialist whose inventions marked an integral step in the Industrial Revolution. His first spinning machine was patented in 1769, and with further innovations he was able to mechanize much of the fabric-production process. The huge cotton mills he founded helped bring about the factory system. Though Arkwright's patents were later disputed, his inventions nevertheless made him very wealthy. As a young man, Arkwright developed a dye for use in what product? More...
Quotation of the Day
The evolution of man is slow. The injustice of men is great.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Idiom of the Day

too clever by half

Too contrived or arrogant in one's cleverness or intelligence, to the point of being irritating to others. Primarily heard in UK. More...
Today's Holiday

Japanese Emperor's Birthday (2025)

This is a national holiday in Japan honoring the birth of Emperor Akihito (b. 1933). He and his family traditionally appeared on the Imperial Palace balcony to greet visitors invited to enter the grounds on the day. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: whistle

fipple flute - The same as a recorder or flageolet—a flute blown from one end like a whistle. More...

pistol - Derives from a Czechoslovakian word meaning "whistle," and evolved into the name of the firearm because of a resemblance in shape. More...

lanyard - The cord holding a whistle. More...

quill - The whistle of a steam engine. More...

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