Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 4, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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prefatory
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "To Be"The verb "to be" is the most common linking verb. It can link the subject to an adjective (known as a "predicative adjective") that describes it, or to a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that renames it. What are these are collectively known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MicrolithsFound in great numbers across Europe and Asia, microliths are very small blades made of flaked stone. Produced primarily during the Mesolithic Period, or Middle Stone Age, they were probably put to use in hunting and fishing weapons. Some could have been used as sharp tips for projectiles such as spears or arrows, while others may have been set together as teeth on harpoons. How do archaeologists distinguish microliths—which are typically shorter than the tip of a finger—from ordinary rocks? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Los Angeles Is Founded (1781)Now one of the most populous and diverse counties in the US, Los Angeles was first founded by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve and settled by missionaries. Its original name was El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porciuncula, or The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula. It became part of the US in the 1840s and is today a global hub for culture and technology. Located on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, Los Angeles has about how many earthquakes every year? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Anton Bruckner (1824)Bruckner was an Austrian composer who established a reputation as a virtuoso organist in Vienna. However, as a composer, he gained recognition slowly. He was 60 before he achieved fame with his 1884 Symphony No. 7 in E Major, one of nine that he completed. Socially awkward and eccentric, he developed a pattern of courting much younger women without success. Bruckner once accidentally alienated an influential critic after getting mixed up in a feud between what two famous composers? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Gallows, n.: A stage for the performance of miracle plays, in which the leading actor is translated to heaven.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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romp home— To deftly or easily win a race, contest, or competition. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Roman Games (2025)Like the Plebeian Games, the Roman Games were held in honor of Jupiter. They date back to the dedication of the temple to Jupiter on the Capitoline hill on September 13, 509 BCE, and were originally a one-day event. By the time of Caesar, the Games lasted a full 15 days, beginning on September 4. A grand procession to the Circus Maximus, a huge arena just outside Rome, signaled the beginning of the festival. Events included boxing, running, and wrestling contests, occasional mock battles, and two- and four-horse chariot races. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: unexpectedvisit, visitation - A visit is an instance of visiting; a visitation is an act of visiting, and carries the connotation of an unexpected or undesired occurrence. More... October surprise - An unexpected, but popular, political act made just prior to a November election, in an attempt to win votes. More... off the wall - Alludes to squash or handball, when a shot comes off the wall at an unexpected or erratic angle. More... wrong-foot - To disconcert by doing something unexpected. More... | |