Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 28, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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forswear
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Superlative AdjectivesSuperlative 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 | |
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 DEETDEET is the abbreviation of N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, a chemical compound commonly used as an insect repellent. DEET was developed by the US Army following its experience with jungle warfare during World War II and entered civilian use in 1957. Intended to be applied to skin or clothing to protect against tick and mosquito bites, it is believed to work by blocking the receptors insects use to locate hosts. What potential detrimental health effects have been linked to its use? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Horace Walpole Coins the Word "Serendipity" (1754)Defined as the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident, the word "serendipity" was first coined in 1754 by English author Horace Walpole in one of his more than 3,000 letters. In it, he explains that the root of his new word is taken from "The Three Princes of Serendip," a Persian fairytale about princes who "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of." Past serendipitous discoveries include x-rays, helium, and what else? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Robert Franklin Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz (1890)Stroud was a convicted murderer serving time in prison when he came across some injured sparrows in the Leavenworth prison yard. He kept the birds and soon began raising canaries, which he could sell for supplies and to help support his mother. Using equipment furnished by a new warden, Stroud created an aviary and became an expert in avian pathology, writing 2 books on the subject and even developing a cure for hemorrhagic septicemia. How much of his sentence was spent in solitary confinement? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I don't think of the past. The only thing that matters is the everlasting present.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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take a walk on the wild side— To engage in risky, raucous, adventurous, or licentious behavior. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Charlemagne's Day (2018)Charlemagne wasn't actually a saint at all; he was an emperor and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, crowned in 800 by Pope Leo III. Although he was never able to read and write himself, Charlemagne, whose name means "Charles the Great," founded the University of Paris. In fact, his reign was marked by a huge cultural revival, including significant advances in scholarship, literature, and philosophy. He died on January 28, 814. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: suddenall of a sudden - Is the grammatically correct version; do not say "all of the sudden." More... coup de main - A sudden and unexpected movement or attack. More... sudden - From Latin sub-, "up to," and ire, "come, go," making subitus, "come or go up stealthily." More... vicissitude - A sudden or unexpected change in life. More... | |