Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 7, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gustation
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Avoiding Unnecessary PrepositionsWhile it is perfectly correct to end a sentence with a preposition, we must be careful that we do not include extraneous prepositions that do not serve a grammatical function. What is the very common error in the following sentence? "Where are you at?" More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 NetsukeNetsuke are tiny carved figurines used to secure the cord of a purse or container to the sash of a kimono. Carved by Japanese artists from materials such as ivory and wood, netsuke reflect many aspects of Japan's culture, with some representing simple objects and others depicting entire scenes from history and folklore. First invented in the 17th century, the practical yet artistic items are still produced today. Why did the Japanese need to attach containers to their robes in the first place? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Theatre Royal Opens at Covent Garden in London, England (1732)The original Covent Garden playhouse, called the Theatre Royal, was built in 1732 and hosted performances of plays, pantomimes, and opera. Twice destroyed by fire and rebuilt, the theater that stands today is the third built on the site. The Royal Ballet began performing there in 1946. The Royal Opera House reopened in 1999 after an 18-month renovation. It seats 2,268 people and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies. What actor financed the construction of the original theater in 1732? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gerard Peter Kuiper (1905)The "father of modern planetary science," Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper made many discoveries about the solar system, among them the presence of a methane atmosphere around Saturn's satellite Titan and a carbon dioxide-rich one on Mars and the existence of Uranus's satellite Miranda and Neptune's satellite Nereid. He also proposed the existence of a disk-shaped region of minor planets and comets—now called the Kuiper belt—outside Neptune's orbit. What did he help identify on the Moon? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mind the gap— An audio or visual instruction used in the UK and Ireland to be careful stepping over the space between a train's carriage and the platform when boarding or disembarking. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Burning the Devil (2021)La Quema del Diablo takes place in Guatemala. Men dressed as devils chase children through the streets from the start of Advent until December 7, the eve of the Immaculate Conception. On this day, trash fires are lit in the streets of Guatemala City and other towns, and the devils' reign of terror comes to an end. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: saddleapishamore - A blanket used under a saddle. More... col - A saddle between two mountain peaks, from Latin collum, "neck." More... caparison - A cloth or covering spread over the saddle or harness of a horse, often ornamented; this word can also mean "housings, trappings." More... larigos - The rings on a saddle through which the straps pass. More... | |