Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, May 23, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
coterie
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Collective Adjectives and Verb TenseCollective adjectives are a subgroup of nominal adjectives, or adjectives that act as nouns. They are used to refer to a group of people based on a characteristic that they share. What verb forms do collective adjectives have to take? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Prayer WheelsA prayer wheel is a mechanical device used by Tibetan Buddhists as an equivalent to the recitation of a mantra. It consists of a rod upon which is mounted a hollow metal cylinder inscribed with or containing a prayer. Each turn of the wheel is considered equivalent to orally reciting the prayer. Variants to the handheld prayer wheel are large cylinders that can be moved by hand or kept in continuous motion by windmills or waterwheels. What is an Internet-operated prayer wheel? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Girolamo Savonarola Executed for Heresy (1498)Savonarola was an Italian preacher and religious reformer. After the overthrow of the Medici family, he became the ruler of Florence, setting up a democratic but severely puritanical government. He was opposed by the allies of the Medici and by Pope Alexander VI, who attempted to restrain Savonarola's unusual interpretations of scripture and his claim of prophecy. He was tried, convicted of heresy, and hanged. His government was known for its "bonfire of the vanities," which was what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Rosemary Clooney (1928)Clooney was an American singer popular in the 1950s with hits such as "Come On-a My House." She also appeared in several movies, including White Christmas (1954), which co-starred Bing Crosby. In the 1960s, mental illness and drug addiction took a toll on her career, but she made a comeback in the mid-1970s and performed until her death in 2002. Her 1968 mental breakdown was precipitated by the assassination—as she stood nearby—of what personal friend? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any relation.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
meet (someone's) expectations— To be as good as or have the qualities that someone predicted, expected, or hoped for. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Declaration of the Bab (2022)Declaration of the Bab is a joyous Baha'i festival to celebrate the Bab's announcement in 1844 in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran), that he was the "gate" (which is the meaning of Bab) to the coming of the promised one of all religions. This proclamation is considered the beginning of the Baha'i faith, although the religion was founded after the Bab's death. This day is holy to Baha'is and a day on which work is suspended. Its observation begins at about two hours after sunset on May 22. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: swinegruntle - Can be used for swine, meaning "to make a little grunt." More... pig - Originally meant just "young pig" until the 16th century—the word in Old and Middle English for the animal was swine. More... swine - The collective (and ancestral) term for domesticated pigs and hogs; a hog is 120 pounds and ready for market, while a pig is immature and weighs less. More... | |