Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, April 11, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
pincer
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Prepositions in IdiomsMany prepositions can be used with certain words or phrases to form idioms. These prepositional idioms typically begin or end with a preposition. How can prepositional idioms function in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 CommodusThe son of Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus was a Roman emperor who ruled from 180 to 192 CE—a period some historians view as the beginning of the empire's decline. Though his reign was relatively peaceful, Commodus was a tyrant who spent lavishly on gladiatorial combats, persecuted the Senate, and even renamed Rome after himself. He fancied himself a gladiator, frequently battling both men and animals, and considered himself the reincarnation of what mythical hero? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak (1965)During the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak of 1965, as many as 78 tornados—47 of which were confirmed—hit the midwestern US over the course of 11 hours. Affecting Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa, the outbreak resulted in 271 deaths, thousands of injuries, and widespread damage. In Indiana alone, it killed 137 people and injured more than 1,200, becoming the deadliest tornado outbreak in the state's history. Overall, it was the third deadliest outbreak on record. Which was the deadliest? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Septimius Severus (145 CE)Severus became emperor of Rome in 193 CE, also known as the "Year of the Five Emperors." In the months before he ascended the throne, two emperors were assassinated and a third—Didius Julianus—earned the position by buying it from the Praetorian Guard. With the empire in disarray, Severus marched on Rome, ousted Julianus, and was proclaimed emperor. He then built himself a strong army that would protect both him and his empire. It is said that he gave what advice to his sons before his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Clock, n.: A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time remains to him.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
catch (on) fire— To begin to burn, usually after being touched by an existing fire. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Juan Santamaría Day (2019)Juan Santamaría is remembered as a national hero in Costa Rica. The country had been threatened in 1856 by William Walker, an American imperialist who planned to conquer Central America and use its citizens for slave labor. Santamaría, a 19-year-old drummer boy from the town of Alajeula, was part of the makeshift militia that fought off Walker's forces. Juan Santamaría Day is actually a week-long festival of parades, concerts, and marching bands throughout the country, with the biggest celebrations in Alajuela. The official holiday is on April 11, the anniversary of Santamaría's death. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: huntingpark - Originally a legal term for land held by royal grant for the keeping of game animals for royals to hunt. More... sealer, sealing - A sealer is a seal hunter and seal hunting is called sealing. More... half-cocked - Comes from hunting; a gun at half cock is in the safety position—so it came to mean "incompletely prepared." More... tryst - Comes from Scottish as a variant of an old word, trist, "an appointed place or station in hunting," and now means a "secret meeting of lovers." More... | |