Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, March 18, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cock-a-hoop
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Making a Noun MasculineNouns that are, were, or can be distinguished between feminine and masculine genders are often masculine in their basic form. Masculine nouns tend to end in what two suffixes? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 "They Shall Not Pass!"The phrase "they shall not pass" has been used in several languages to express fortitude in defending a position against the enemy. Its most famous use was by French General Robert Nivelle in World War I during the Battle of Verdun. The Spanish "no pasarán" became an international communist slogan after it was used in 1936 by an antifascist leader in Spain defending against nationalist forces laying siege to Madrid. How did the nationalist leader allegedly respond upon taking the city? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Peace of Riga between Poland and Soviet Union (1921)When Poland declared its independence in 1918 in the aftermath of WWI, its borders—like many at that time—were not formally determined. By 1920, war had broken out over conflicting expansionist attempts between Soviet Russia and Poland, which wanted its 1772 border restored. The Peace of Riga treaty split contested land between Poland and the Soviets, setting the border and effectively halting Russian expansion into Europe. Where were Poles left on the wrong side of the border sent in the 1930s? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Hoyer Updike (1932)Updike was a prolific American author whose novels and stories usually deal with the tensions and frustrations of middle-class life. Published between 1961 and 1990, his four famous "Rabbit" novels follow an ordinary American man through the latter decades of the 20th century. Updike is one of the few authors to have won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction more than once. He was also a respected literary critic who championed young authors and espoused what five rules for literary criticism? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Adam was but human—this explains it all. He did not want the apple for the apple's sake; he wanted it only because it was forbidden.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a match made in hell— An extremely ill-suited pairing of people or things; a match that will result in a particularly negative or disastrous outcome. (A play on the more common phrase "a match made in heaven," meaning the opposite.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Congo National Days (2025)The Republic of the Congo has two historical holidays in addition to its independence day: the assassination of President Marien Ngouabi on March 18, 1977, and the beginning of the civil war on June 5, 1997, which restored President Denis Sassou-Nguesso to power. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pupileleve - A French term used for a pupil or scholar. More... indocible - Means unteachable as a pupil. More... pupil - From Latin pupilla, it first meant "orphan, ward, minor." More... apple of his eye - Results from the fact that the pupil of the eye was called the "apple" in earlier English because it was thought to be a solid sphere. More... | |