Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 28, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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acerbic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining AdjunctsAdjuncts are parts of a sentence that are used to elaborate on or modify other words or phrases in a sentence. Along with subjects, verbs, objects, and complements, adjuncts are one of the five main components of the structure of clauses. What is a distinguishing feature of adjuncts? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Et in Arcadia Ego: I Am Also in Arcadia"Et in Arcadia Ego" is a Latin phrase that most famously appears as the title of two highly influential 17th-century paintings depicting shepherds from classical antiquity gathered around an austere tomb. The phrase is usually interpreted as "I am also in Arcadia," and its purpose is to set up an ironic contrast between mortality and idle merriment. Recently, however, the phrase has been used in conspiracy theories and interpreted to mean what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Issue of Scientific American Magazine Is Published (1845)In 1845, Rufus Porter—an eccentric inventor, painter, and editor—published the first issue of Scientific American, a weekly newspaper about new inventions. By 1853, its circulation had reached 30,000 and it was reporting on various sciences, such as astronomy and medicine. In 1921, it became a monthly. Its solidly-researched, well-written articles, accompanied by illustrations and explanations, have made it a highly regarded publication. How much did the first subscriptions cost? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Robertson Davies (1913)Davies was one of Canada's most distinguished writers. Educated at Oxford, he produced more than 30 works of fiction throughout his long literary career, as well as plays, essays, and criticism. Among the themes explored in his densely plotted novels are life's moral dimensions and the isolation of the spirit. He is best known for his three novel trilogies dealing with life and culture in fictional Ontario villages. What innovative technology, considered indispensible today, did he proudly shun? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Cruelty is the law pervading all nature and society; and we can't get out of it if we would.Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not have a hope in hell (of doing something)— To not have any chance at all of doing or achieving something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Puccini Festival (2020)The Puccini Festival is held annually each summer in Torre del Lago in Tuscany, Italy, to honor and celebrate Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), the Italian composer of such beloved operas as La Boheme and Madame Butterfly. Throughout August, the festival presents distinguished and often innovative productions of Puccini's works. The productions take place in an open-air theatre close to the Villa Mausoleum, where Puccini lived and worked. Events such as talks and art exhibitions about Puccini's life and work are held throughout the area all summer as well. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: subduemortify - From Latin, meaning "kill or subdue the flesh," it originally meant "to kill," then "to destroy the vitality or vigor of," before it took on its present meaning. More... pacify - Can mean "to subdue by armed action." More... subdue - From Latin subducere, "draw from below." More... tame - Came from Indo-European dom-, "tame, subdue." More... | |