Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 12, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cocksure
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "Must" to Convey CertaintyThe modal verb "must" can be used to indicate that something is certain or very likely to happen or be true. Generally speaking, though, we do not use the negative of must ("must not" or "mustn't") to express a negative certainty or strong disbelief. What do we use instead? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Active Denial SystemInformally labeled the "pain ray," the Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal weapon being developed by the US military. Designed for use in crowd control operations, the ADS emits electromagnetic radiation that excites water molecules in the epidermis, causing an intensely painful burning sensation. Though the device does not actually burn the skin, its effect is said to feel similar to a hot light bulb being pressed against it. How long do these painful effects last? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Elizabeth Barrett Elopes with Robert Browning (1846)Elizabeth Barrett's Poems, published in 1844, brought her immediate fame and became a favorite of the poet Robert Browning. The two began to correspond, fell in love, and, after a courtship kept secret from her tyrannical father, married and settled in Italy. The once frail and sickly Elizabeth grew stronger and, at age 43, gave birth to a son. Her poetic reputation rests chiefly on the love poems written during their courtship, Sonnets from the Portuguese. Who is "the Portuguese"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alfred A. Knopf (1892)Knopf was a leading American publisher of the 20th century who founded Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., in 1915. He emphasized translations of great contemporary European literature, at that time neglected by American publishers, and paid special attention to the printing, binding, and design of his books, earning a reputation as a purist in both content and presentation. By the time of his death, authors published by the firm had won 16 Nobel and 27 Pulitzer prizes. What was his colophon? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum—"I think that I think, therefore I think that I am."Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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letters after (one's) name— A series of abbreviations indicating the various levels of higher education or military honors one has received, thereby denoting a presumed level of intelligence, wisdom, or respectability. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bad Durkheim Wurstmarkt (2024)Although called Bad Durkheim Wurstmarkt, or Sausage Fair, this is actually Germany's biggest wine festival—the name is said to have originated about 150 years ago because of the immense amounts of sausage consumed. The opening day of the festival features a concert and a procession of bands, vineyard proprietors, and tapsters of the tavern stalls with decorated wine floats. The following days are a medley of fireworks, band playing, dancing, and singing through the night. Wine is served in glasses called Schoppen that hold about a pint. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shedtrain shed - A large structure sheltering tracks and platforms of a railroad station. More... hangar - Simply meant "shed" for carriages when it came into English. More... shebang - May come from an Irish name for a speakeasy—shebeen—so the "whole shebeen" was the whole drinking establishment; shebang also first meant "hut, shed, dwelling." More... shoding, shed - The part in a person's hair is the shoding or shed. More... | |