Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 29, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
acquiescent
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Ungradable AdjectivesUngradable adjectives are adjectives that can't move up and down on a scale of intensity. "Married" and "dead" are both ungradable adjectives. Can ungradable adjectives be used in the comparative form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The Plumed BasiliskKnown in Costa Rica as the "Jesus Christ lizard" for its ability to run short distances across water using both its feet and tail for support, the plumed basilisk is a species of lizard native to Latin America, with a natural habitat that ranges from Mexico to Ecuador. An excellent swimmer, Basiliscus plumifrons can stay under water for up to 30 minutes. Plumed basilisks are omnivorous and eat insects, small mammals and lizards, fruits, and flowers. What predators prey on the lizard? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Discovery of Dwarf Planet Eris Is Announced (2005)Though Eris was first photographed in 2003, scientists working at the Palomar Observatory did not realize that they had captured pictures of a previously unknown planet until re-analyzing the images in 2005. That year, news of the newly discovered planet was announced. Slightly larger than Pluto, the icy dwarf planet has its own moon, Dysnomia, and is one of the most distant objects in the solar system. Before its official naming in 2006, it was popularly known by the name of what TV character? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Ken Burns (1953)Burns is an acclaimed American director and producer of lengthy historical documentaries. Known for his extensive use of archival footage and photographs, he is considered one of the most influential documentarians in the US. His films have been among public television's most-watched programs, and include The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The War, and The National Parks. The Civil War is considered to be his masterpiece. What is the "Ken Burns Effect"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 I cannot think well of a man who sports with any woman's feelings; and there may often be a great deal more suffered than a stander-by can judge of.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
like piffy on a rock bun— Conspicuous but ignored or left out, especially from a group or activity. (A "rock bun" or "rock cake" is a type of hard cake with currants; what "piffy" refers to is unknown.) Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 St. Olav's Day (2024)St. Olav is the patron saint of Norway, and the anniversary of his death is still marked by religious services, fireworks, and public merry-making. Every year the battle in which he died is reenacted during the St. Olav Festival in Trondheim. In the Faroe Islands, this is known as Olavsoka, or "St. Olav's Wake," a national holiday. Parliament opens on the 29th, but the festivities—which include dancing, sports events, speeches, drinking, and a parade of members of Logting (parliament)—begin the night before and continue into the early hours of the 30th. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: insignificantpiff - Something insignificant. More... bee's knees - Used from 1797 for "something insignificant." More... floccinaucinihilipilification, floccipend - Floccinaucinihilipilification is estimating or categorizing something as worthless, and floccipend means "regard as insignificant" (from Latin flocci pendere, "hold at little value"). More... piteous, pitiable, pitiful - Piteous is generally not used when speaking of people, pitiable means "able to be pitied," and pitiful most often means "insignificant; below contempt." More... | |