Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 4, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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prefatory
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "To Be"The verb "to be" is the most common linking verb. It can link the subject to an adjective (known as a "predicative adjective") that describes it, or to a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that renames it. What are these are collectively known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MicrolithsFound in great numbers across Europe and Asia, microliths are very small blades made of flaked stone. Produced primarily during the Mesolithic Period, or Middle Stone Age, they were probably put to use in hunting and fishing weapons. Some could have been used as sharp tips for projectiles such as spears or arrows, while others may have been set together as teeth on harpoons. How do archaeologists distinguish microliths—which are typically shorter than the tip of a finger—from ordinary rocks? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 George Eastman Receives a Patent for His Kodak Camera (1888)Eastman was an American industrialist, inventor, and philanthropist. Interested in photographic processes from an early age, he invented roll film in 1884 and perfected a camera designed to use it, called the Kodak camera. In 1892, he established the Eastman Kodak Company and began to mass produce his inventions, transforming photography from an expensive hobby of the few to a relatively inexpensive, popular pastime. What was his contribution to the development of motion pictures? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Richard Wright (1908)Wright was an American author whose works helped redefine discussions of race in the mid-20th century. The grandson of slaves, he grew up in poverty in the American south. The fictionalized autobiography Black Boy vividly describes his often harsh youth. He first came to wide attention in 1938 with a collection of short stories titled Uncle Tom's Children and published his bestselling novel Native Son two years later. Why were some of his works reissued in 1991? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Gallows, n.: A stage for the performance of miracle plays, in which the leading actor is translated to heaven.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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l'esprit de l'escalier— A French phrase meaning "the wit of the staircase"; a perfect witty remark, retort, or rejoinder that occurs to one after the fact or too late to be used. (Also written as "l'esprit d'escalier.") More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Limassol Wine Festival (2024)This event is an annual celebration of the wine of Cyprus, lasting nearly two weeks and held in the Municipal Gardens of Limassol, the center of the wine-making industry. Wineries there compete to create the most original and decorative booths, and every evening pour out from barrels free samples of their wine. People sitting at picnic tables may watch exhibits of traditional wine pressing. There are also musical, theatrical, and dance performances. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: unexpectedvisit, visitation - A visit is an instance of visiting; a visitation is an act of visiting, and carries the connotation of an unexpected or undesired occurrence. More... October surprise - An unexpected, but popular, political act made just prior to a November election, in an attempt to win votes. More... off the wall - Alludes to squash or handball, when a shot comes off the wall at an unexpected or erratic angle. More... wrong-foot - To disconcert by doing something unexpected. More... | |