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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 Soviet Embassy Cipher Clerk Igor Gouzenko Defects to Canada (1945)Considered by some to be the first major international event of the Cold War, the defection of Soviet cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko radically transformed the way the West regarded and approached Soviet espionage. The authorities at first dismissed Gouzenko's reports of Stalin's efforts to steal nuclear secrets and of Soviet spy rings operating in Canada and the US, but he soon convinced them of the truth behind his allegations. The information he revealed helped lead to the apprehension of whom? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Arthur Koestler (1905)Born in Hungary, Koestler was an influential Communist journalist in Berlin in the 1930s. He was captured by fascist forces while on assignment during the Spanish Civil War and was later held in a concentration camp after the German invasion of France. In 1940, inspired by his break with Communism, he published his most important novel, Darkness at Noon, an examination of the moral dangers of totalitarianism. How did the terminally ill Koestler show his support for voluntary euthanasia? 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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sleep rough— To sleep outside at night, usually because one has no home or shelter. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ginseng Festival (2025)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: mineralsdouse, dowse - Douse first meant "knock, punch, strike" and now means "to extinguish or wet thoroughly"; dowse means to look for water or minerals with a divining rod. More... hard water - That which contains large amounts of minerals. More... mica - Any of a group of minerals that occur in small glittering plates or scales in other rocks. More... micronutrient - One of the vitamins and minerals needed only in small amounts for normal body function. More... | |