Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, September 8, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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preponderate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Idioms that Start with PrepositionsMost idioms that start with prepositions are prepositional phrases and consist of a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase. What are the most common prepositions found at the beginning of prepositional idioms? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Green RoofsGreen roofs are rooftops that are covered with vegetation. Though more expensive than conventional roofs, green roofs can reduce heating and cooling costs, and they can also filter pollution from air and rainwater. A concentration of green roofs in a city can even decrease the overall temperature of the surrounding area in the summer. Notable buildings with green roofs include Chicago City Hall and Rolls-Royce’s headquarters in England. In what region have green roofs been in use for centuries? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Delano Grape Strike Begins (1965)In late 1965, California grape workers went on strike to protest poor pay and labor conditions. Labor leader César Chávez soon took up their cause, and in 1966, he and his followers began a 340-mi (547-km) trek from Delano to the state capitol to raise awareness of the farm workers' plight. The march began with 75 people and ended in a rally of 10,000 people on the capitol steps. Many Americans rallied to their cause and boycotted table grapes. The strike lasted five years and accomplished what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Marie Thérèse Louise de Savoie-Carignan, Princesse de Lamballe (1749)Marie Thérèse was a French aristocrat and confidant of Queen Marie Antoinette, who met with members of the National Assembly in Thérèse's salon. As the French Revolution escalated, Thérèse attempted to stir English support for the monarchy but was soon imprisoned with the queen. After refusing to oppose the monarchy, she was delivered to a bloodthirsty mob that murdered and mutilated her in the September Massacres of 1792. After her head was cut off, it was placed on a pike and brought where? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Amnesty, n.: The state's magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make (someone's) jaw drop— To cause someone to pause in astonishment, awe, or disbelief, especially with their mouth left open. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 International Literacy Day (2021)Established by the United Nations to encourage universal literacy, this day has been observed since 1966 by all countries and organizations that are part of the UN system. Observances are sponsored primarily by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) and include the awarding of special literacy prizes. Prizes are also awarded by the International Reading Association and the Japanese publisher Shoichi Noma to literacy programs that have made a significant difference. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tobaccoblend - A combination of different types or grades of fabric, spirits, tea, tobacco, etc. More... tabac - A color, from the French for tobacco. More... cud, quid - The etymological base of cud appears to be "glutinous substance"; quid—"piece of tobacco for chewing"—is a variant of cud. More... petunia - It is related to the tobacco plant, hence its name, from Portuguese petum, "tobacco." More... | |