Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 8, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
scavenger
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Defining InfinitivesAn infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. It is "unmarked" (which means that it is not conjugated for tense or person), and it is preceded by what particle? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Magdalene AsylumsNamed after Mary Magdalene, who, according to Christian tradition, repented her sins and became one of Jesus' closest followers, Magdalene asylums were institutions largely run by various orders of the Catholic Church to rehabilitate so-called fallen women—prostitutes, unwed mothers, even girls considered too promiscuous or flirtatious—through hard labor and penance. Many were admitted against their will, and some allege that they were subject to abuse. When was the last of these asylums closed? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Pope Pius IX Defines Immaculate Conception as Dogma (1854)The Immaculate Conception is the Roman Catholic dogma that asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved from the stain of original sin—the condition of sin that marks all humans as a result of Adam's first act of disobedience—at the moment of her conception. In 1709, Pope Clement XI made the feast of the Immaculate Conception a holy day of obligation—145 years before it became official church dogma. The Immaculate Conception is often confused with what other church doctrine? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Camille Claudel (1864)A skilled French sculptor in her own right, Claudel is best remembered for being a student, collaborator, model, and mistress of famed sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two had a tumultuous affair that began to crumble in the 1890s, and Claudel, who suffered from mental illness, became increasingly unstable and reclusive. She was committed in 1913 and remained institutionalized until her death 30 years later. Her work is highly valued by collectors, but little of it survives today. Why is this? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Books, not which afford us a cowering enjoyment, but in which each thought is of unusual daring; such as an idle man cannot read, and a timid one would not be entertained by, which even make us dangerous to existing institution--such call I good books.Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
get (one's) thinking cap on— To begin thinking or considering very carefully and seriously (about something), often to solve a problem. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Santon Fair (2025)Santons are the small, colored clay figures that appear in crêches throughout France at Christmas. Thousands of people come from all over to purchase their santons at the Santon Fair, which takes place during the month of December in Marseilles. In addition to the usual biblical figures, a number of local figures, garbed in traditional Provençal clothing, can be purchased at the fair. They are made by local families who have passed down the molds and models from generation to generation since the 17th century. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: pointedapothegm - A terse, pointed saying or pithy maxim; it is pronounced AP-uh-them and may also be spelled apophthegm. More... downward-facing dog - Also called downward dog, it is a yoga pose in which the hands and feet are on the floor and one's rear end is pointed up so that the body is in an upside-down V. More... fastigate - To make pointed. More... innuendo - Latin for "by nodding at, pointing to," or "intimating," from in-, "toward," and nuere, "nod." More... | |