Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, February 13, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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unnameable
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositional Phrases Used AdverbiallyPrepositional phrases are often used adverbially, though they can also function as adjectives. If the phrase is modifying an adjective, verb, or adverb, it is an adverbial phrase. If the phrase is modifying a noun or a pronoun, what is it called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The UraeusThe uraeus is the stylized upright form of an Egyptian spitting cobra that often adorned the headdresses of the pharaohs as a symbol of divine authority. It represented one of the earliest Egyptian deities, Wadjet, and was believed to protect the pharaohs by spitting her fire at their enemies. According to myth, Isis made the first uraeus from the dust of the earth and the spittle of the sun god. Upon the unification of Egypt, the uraeus was joined with what other symbol? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Massacre of Glencoe (1692)Following the deposition of King James II in 1689 and the accession of William III, some Scottish clans fought—and failed—to restore James to the throne. In 1691, William offered to pardon all Highland clans that took an oath of allegiance to him before January 1, 1692. The MacDonald clan of Glencoe missed the deadline by six days, and for this they paid with their lives. The unsuspecting MacDonalds were massacred in their homes by soldiers that had arrived seeking shelter how many days earlier? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Grant Wood (1891)Wood was an American artist famous for painting scenes from the rural Midwest that feature austere people and stylized landscapes. Born in Iowa, Wood traveled to Europe in the 1920s and was exposed to the late medieval primitive painting style that would later influence his own art. One of the best-known icons of American art, his American Gothic features a stern Midwestern farmer holding a pitchfork and a woman who is often assumed to be the farmer's wife but is not. Who is she? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I realized that ritual will always mean throwing away something; destroying our corn or wine upon the altar of our gods.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make an end of (something)— To stop, cease, or conclude something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Parentalia (2025)This was an ancient Roman festival held in honor of the manes, or souls of the dead—in particular, deceased relatives. It began a season for remembering the dead, which ended with the Feralia on February 21. This week was a quiet, serious occasion, without the rowdiness that characterized other Roman festivals. Everything, including the temples, closed down, and people decorated graves with flowers and left food—sometimes elaborate banquets—in the cemeteries in the belief that it would be eaten by the spirits of the deceased. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: judgeaffidavit, deponent - An affidavit (literally, "he has stated on oath") is taken by a judge, while the deponent swears, makes, or takes an affidavit. More... arbiter - Latin for "judge, supreme ruler." More... arbitrate - Can mean "give an authoritative decision" (from Latin arbiter). More... judge - From Latin jus, "law," and dicere, "to say." More... | |