Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, June 16, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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mendacious
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Interrogative Pronouns and Reported QuestionsInterrogative pronouns can appear in the middle of reported questions. Reported questions are actually a form of declarative sentences using reported speech, which is what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Sokal AffairIn 1996, physics professor Alan Sokal submitted a parody article to the journal Social Text to see if the editors would publish it just because it "sounded good" and "flattered" their views. Though Sokal disregarded their requested edits, they still published his article. In a different journal, he revealed that his piece was a hoax meant to expose the unreliable nature of non-peer reviewed publications and the bias of "the academic Left." What was the subject of Sokal's article? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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.jpg) Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho Opens in New York (1960)Groundbreaking in its depiction of sex and graphic violence and in its exploration of mental illness, Psycho is often seen as marking a turning point in film history, simultaneously labeled as the first slasher film and a work of cinematic art. The film's "shower scene" has taken on an iconic status as one of the most terrifying scenes ever filmed. What blooper did Hitchcock's wife reportedly notice during one of the film's final screenings before its official release? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Joyce Carol Oates (1938)Oates is an American author of over 50 novels and numerous volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. She has won the National Book Award and the O. Henry Award and has been thrice nominated for a Pulitzer. She writes about modern American life and the connection between violence and love. Her characters are mainly ordinary, inarticulate people to whom terrible things happen. Her most famous short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is based on what real-life serial killer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There are men who could neither be distressed nor won into a sacrifice of their duty; but this stern virtue is the growth of few soils; and in the main it will be found that a power over a man's support is a power over his will.Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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nose into (something)— To investigate something; to try to find information about something, especially private, secret, or sensitive matters. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bloomsday (2025)James Joyce's novel Ulysses describes the events of a single day in Dublin: June 16, 1904. First published in Paris in 1922, Ulysses caused an uproar when it finally did appear in Ireland. But since 1954, Bloomsday—named after the novel's main character, Leopold Bloom—has been a Joycean feast day, observed with a number of events throughout Dublin that commemorate its illustrious author and the lives of his characters. There is a ritual pilgrimage along the path followed by Bloom, public readings from the novel, costume parties, and parades. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wormscan of worms - Based on an image of a container of maggots for use as fish bait. More... food for worms, food for fishes - A dead human being is food for worms; a drowning victim is food for fishes. More... silkworm - Is not a worm, but a caterpillar. More... wormwood - There are no worms or wood involved in wormwood, which is an alteration of the word wermod, a plant used for making vermouth, absinthe and medicine. More... | |