Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, September 5, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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obeisance
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Prepositional IdiomsMany prepositions can be used with certain words or phrases to form idioms (expressions that have a unique meaning that cannot be inferred from their constituent parts). Prepositional idioms can function adverbially, adjectivally, or verbally. Where can they appear in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Planned ObsolescencePlanned obsolescence is a policy of deliberately limiting the life of a product in order to encourage the purchaser to replace it, thereby stimulating sales. Now applied to many different products, notably computer software, the concept first emerged in the 1920s when companies began to analyze every aspect of mass production. Planned obsolescence can refer to both technical failures and to "style" obsolescence. What are some examples of modern products that are designed to become obsolete? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sam Houston Elected First President of Texas (1836)A teenage runaway who spent three years living with Cherokee Indians, Houston went on to serve in the War of 1812 and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1823. Attracted to the struggle for Texan independence, he led the army of the provisional government of Texas to victory against the Mexicans in 1836 and served as the newly independent Republic of Texas's first president. He helped Texas win statehood in 1845 and became governor in 1859, but he was deposed in 1861 for what reason? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Cage (1912)Cage was an American avant-garde composer and writer. In the 1930s, he began writing all-percussion pieces and proclaimed the use of noise as the next musical horizon. In 1938, he introduced the "prepared piano," an instrument whose sound is radically modified by various objects placed on the strings. He developed the idea of indeterminacy, music that is not strictly controlled. The notorious 4'33", probably his most famous piece, consists of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Traveling is a fool's paradise. Our first journeys discover to us the indifference of places.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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let down (one's) hair— To cease acting formally or conservatively; to let go of one's inhibitions or reservations. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ginseng Festival (2024)This festival is a celebration of ginseng in Fusong, a county in the Changbai Mountains of China and the largest ginseng grower in the country. The people of Fusong have traditionally celebrated the ginseng harvest, and, in 1987, the government officially set aside three days for both a festival and a trade fair of ginseng products. The festival features performances of yangko, dragon, and lion dances; story-telling parties with a ginseng theme; art and photo exhibits; and a fireworks display. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: rubbishbilge - Can mean "nonsense, rubbish." More... culch - Rubbish or refuse, or meat scraps. More... flathers - A synonym for rubbish or dirt. More... quisquilious, quisquiliary, quisquilian - Quisquilious and quisquiliary mean "having the nature of refuse or rubbish," and quisquilian means "consisting of trash or rubbish." More... | |