Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 20, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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anthropomorphous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Conjunctive Adverbs for Complete ContrastThere are two types of contrast that we can illustrate using conjunctive adverbs. One, known as "complete contrast," is when the two opposing things are total opposites. What conjunctive adjectives can be used to show complete contrast? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Cullinan DiamondThe Cullinan diamond, the largest gem diamond ever discovered, weighed about 3,106 carats when it was found in 1905 in Transvaal, South Africa. Named for the mine’s owner, Thomas Cullinan, the gem was purchased by the Transvaal government and presented to King Edward VII. It was reportedly sent to England by regular parcel post while a decoy was transported by boat. It was cut into nine large stones and about 100 smaller ones; the largest, the Cullinan I, was polished and mounted on what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Is Launched (1967)By the time Cunard's RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, ocean liner was built, airplanes had already largely supplanted ships for transatlantic travel. Thus, the vessel needed to be more efficient and versatile than her predecessors in the fleet. During her 39 years in service, she completed 806 transatlantic crossings, ferrying 2.5 million passengers across nearly six million miles of ocean. During what war was she pressed into service as a troop carrier? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Maxwell Perkins (1884)After joining the publishing firm of Charles Scribner's Sons, Perkins became an enormously well-regarded editor with a genius for recognizing and fostering new talent. Though best known for the intensive editorial work that shaped Thomas Wolfe's sprawling manuscripts into publishable form, he also edited and published early works by then-unknown writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Erskine Caldwell. How many words did Perkins persuade Wolfe to cut from his first novel? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Virtue is like a rich stone,—best plain set.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not get a wink of sleep— To not get any sleep. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Mothman Festival (2025)In 1966, the first sightings of a creature that came to be known as Mothman were first reported in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Since 2001, the Mothman Museum of Point Pleasant has sponsored the Mothman Festival. Those interested in the Mothman phenomena and in such paranormal topics as ghosts and UFOs gather in the town. Merchandise booths are set up along the town's main streets, and posters, books, T-shirts, and a host of other products are available. Music concerts are also held along the river. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: thiefjilt - A female accomplice to a thief. More... furtive - Someone who is furtive literally "carries things away like a thief." More... ferret - Its name comes from Latin furritus, "little thief"—alluding to the animal's affinity for stealing hens' eggs. More... thief - Has the underlying meaning of "crouching, furtive person." More... | |