Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 30, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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discomfit
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Categories of PrepositionsMost prepositions have multiple usages and meanings. Generally speaking, prepositions can be divided into which eight categories? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 GargoylesGargoyles are waterspouts that were used in medieval Europe to draw rainwater from church and cathedral roofs. They were fashioned imaginatively in the forms of human grotesques, beasts, and demons, supposedly to scare off evil spirits. This form of sculpture reached its peak in the Gothic period and declined with the introduction of lead drainpipes in the 16th century. A similar type of sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental function is called what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Saddam Hussein Is Executed (2006)During his presidency of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, Hussein instituted a brutal dictatorship, launching wars against Iran and Kuwait and directing campaigns against Iraqi minorities, particularly the Kurds. After an Anglo-American force invaded Iraq in 2003 and drove him from power, he spent several months in hiding but was captured by US forces. In 2006, the Iraqi High Tribunal sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity. What hobby did Hussein take up while in prison awaiting execution? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Bo Diddley (1928)Diddley was a pioneering African-American rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known for his pounding signature beat, guitar effects, and jive talk, and he was a powerful influence on generations of rockers, including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones. Nicknamed after the single-stringed folk instrument called a diddley bow, he studied the violin at his Baptist Church in Chicago and began performing in South Side clubs, playing what unique type of guitar? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To be wise and love Exceeds man's might: that dwells with gods above.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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long since— Long ago; of the (relatively) distant past. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Rizal Day (2024)A national holiday in the Philippines, Rizal Day commemorates the execution of the national hero, Dr. José Rizal, on this day in 1896. Flags fly at half-staff throughout the country, and special rites are led by the president at the 500-foot Rizal Monument in Manila. Writing from Europe and denouncing the corrupt ruling of the Philippines by Spanish friars, Rizal became known as a leader of the Philippine reform movement. He had no direct role in the nationalist insurrection, but he was arrested, tried for sedition, and executed by a firing squad. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: slantwine cradle - A basket (etc.) used to hold wine at a slant. More... slant - A variant of slent, an older word. More... slash - The slash is also called a virgule, diagonal, separatrix, slant, and solidus. More... tilt - Originally meant "fall over," from Germanic taltaz, "unsteady," long before it meant "slant." More... | |