Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 8, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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sawhorse
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - WouldThe modal auxiliary verb "would" has a variety of functions and uses, including replacing "will" for things that happened or began in the past, or describing hypothetical situations. What type of mood is used to express hypotheticals and desires? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Lingua IgnotaLingua Ignota, Latin for “unknown language,” is considered one of the first constructed languages, meaning that it was devised by an individual and did not evolve naturally within a culture. The 12th century abbess Saint Hildegard developed the 23-letter language, describing it in a two-manuscript work containing a 1,011 word glossary. She defines her words in hierarchical order, listing the terms for God and angels before words for humans. What is the language's relationship to Latin? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Crazy Horse's Last Stand: The Battle of Wolf Mountain (1877)At the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, American Indian forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull soundly defeated US Lt. Col. George Custer in what would come to be known as "Custer's Last Stand." Six months later, Crazy Horse made a final stand of his own. At Wolf Mountain in Montana, he and his men engaged US Cavalry forces in harsh winter weather, despite being outnumbered, weak, and starving. Though he had been prepared to negotiate peace, something changed his mind—what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Carl Ransom Rogers (1902)An influential American psychologist, Rogers is best known for having developed the technique of nondirective therapy, in which therapists refrain from offering advice or interpretation so as to allow clients to talk freely. By the 1960s, his method had been widely adopted, and Rogers became one of the best-known professionals in his field. His books include 1961's On Becoming a Person. According to Rogers, what are the characteristics of a fully functioning person living "the good life"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Here is true immorality: ignorance and stupidity; the devil is nothing but this.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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Jill of all trades(, master of none)— A woman who is skilled in or adept at a wide variety of tasks or abilities (i.e., the female equivalent of "Jack of all trades"). If used with "master of none," it implies that while competent in a variety of things, she is not highly skilled in a particular one. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Gudula's Day (2021)St. Gudula (or Gudule) is the patron saint of Brussels, Belgium. According to legend, Satan was so envious of her piety and influence among the people that he often tried to extinguish her lantern as she returned from midnight mass. But as she prayed for help, an angel would re-light the candle. Her relics were moved to Brussels in 978. Since 1047 they have remained in the church of St. Michael, thereafter called the Cathedral of St. Gudula. Her feast day is observed with great solemnity in Brussels, particularly at the cathedral that bears her name. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: princeadmiral - First used in English to mean "an emir or prince under the Sultan," coming from Arabic amir al, "commander of"; admiral was originally a sea lord due to the office of amir-al-bahr or amir-al-ma (Arabic), "ameer/emir of the sea." More... prince - Derived from Latin princeps, "chief man" or "leading citizen." More... tycoon - Comes from Japanese tai, "great," and kun, "prince, lord," from Chinese da, "great," and jun, "prince, ruler." More... whipping boy - Meaning "scapegoat," the phrase derives from the boy formerly raised with a prince or other young nobleman and whipped for the latter's misdeeds. More... | |