Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 24, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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misgiving
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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"Be" as an Auxiliary Verb vs. "Be" as a Linking VerbWe must be careful not to confuse how "be" functions as a linking verb with how it functions as an auxiliary verb. When it is used as an auxiliary, "be" is no longer an independent verb describing the subject of the sentence. What does it do instead? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Pacinian CorpusclePacinian corpuscles are mechanoreceptors found in the skin of the fingers and other parts of the body. About .04 inches (1 mm) long and formed of concentric layers of connective tissue, the small oval bodies are responsible for sensitivity to pressure. In the center of each is a single nerve ending. These corpuscles are especially sensitive to vibrations, which they can sense even from short distances. What helpful mechanism keeps us from constantly sensing the pressure exerted by our clothing? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Black Friday (1869)In 1869, American financial speculators Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market by trying to prevent the sale of government gold, which they hoped to achieve by influencing President Ulysses Grant. The plan backfired when Grant discovered the plot and released $4 million of government gold for sale. On a day that came to be known as Black Friday, the price of gold plummeted, panic ensued, and thousands were ruined—though not Gould or Fisk. How did they gain access to Grant? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896)An American novelist and short-story writer, Fitzgerald was the literary spokesman of the "jazz age" of the 1920s. The characters in his books—which include This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and the Damned, and his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby—lead madcap, gin-drenched, spiritually bankrupt lives that closely resemble his own. In his later years, Fitzgerald was plagued by financial worries and his wife's insanity. Why might he have lied about having tuberculosis? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Enough is equal to a feast.Henry Fielding (1707-1754) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be as good as gone— To be very nearly, inevitably, or for all intents and purposes lost, departed, defunct, or deceased. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Festa de la Mercè (2020)Nearly 400 events celebrate the patron saint of Barcelona, La Madonna de la Mercè, each year for a few days including September 24. In years past, the Madonna's feast was observed with religious processions, but these days the processions are augmented by the city's liveliest party of the year with fireworks, street art, live music and dancing, acrobats forming human towers, and sporting events. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: surroundedinvolve - First meant "enfold, surround, wrap." More... enclave, exclave - An enclave is a group or area different from the surroundings, a secured area within another secured area, from Latin clavis, "key"; an exclave is the same thing, but usually describes a portion of a country separated from the main part and surrounded by politically alien territory. More... woebegone - Begone in woebegone means "beset" or "surrounded," so the word means "beset by woe." More... glade - Originally referred to a part of water not frozen over, but surrounded by ice, drawing an analogy to the same word for an opening in the woods. More... | |