Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, March 18, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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begrime
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Superlative AdverbsWe usually use superlative adverbs when describing an action of someone or something among a group of several others, either in a collective group or among several individuals. Superlative adverbs come after the verb in a sentence, and they are almost always preceded by what word? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Dust DevilsA dust devil is a rotating updraft that forms when hot air near the ground rises quickly through a small pocket of cooler, low-pressure air above it, picking up dust and debris as it spins. Formed most often over flat, barren terrain, dust devils are typically less than 3 ft (0.9 m) wide, reach maximum wind speeds of 45 mph (72 km/h), and dissipate in less than a minute. Though usually harmless, some are strong enough to pose a real danger. On what other planet have dust devils been observed? 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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 Teach him to think for himself? Oh, my God, teach him rather to think like other people!Mary Shelley (1797-1851) | |
| 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... | |