Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, November 19, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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stevedore
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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HyphensA hyphen ( - ) is used primarily to join two or more words to form a new, compound word or to provide clarity when using certain affixes (such as prefixes). What is a hanging hyphen? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 CannibalismEvidence of human cannibalism suggests that the practice began thousands of years ago. Cannibalism, eating the flesh of the members of one's own species, is practiced ritually in some cultures, though in Western society people tend to turn to cannibalism only in situations of extreme starvation or when they are mentally ill. Historically, the Aztec Empire is the most famous example of a cannibalistic society. What country was once known as the "Cannibal Isles"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Prestige Oil Spill (2002)On Nov. 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker suffered damage in a storm and began leaking oil. Denied entry to ports in Spain, France, and Portugal, the stricken vessel was kept at sea for nearly a week before it broke apart and sank about 150 mi (250 km) from the Spanish coast. The resulting oil spill, the worst environmental disaster in Spain's history, fouled much of the Galician coastline as well as parts of the French coast. How did this spill compare to that of the Exxon Valdez? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (1862)Sunday was the most popular American evangelist of the World War I era, drawing an estimated 100 million people to his revival meetings. Preaching was a second career for him. Before undergoing a religious conversion, he had been a professional baseball player. A flamboyant fundamentalist whose sermons reflected the social upheaval of the transition from a rural to an urban society, Sunday advocated a strict morality and promoted Prohibition. As an evangelist, what were his thoughts on baseball? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance…and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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stuffed to the gills— Completely full; teeming; having no room to spare. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Garifuna Settlement Day (2018)Garifuna Settlement Day honors the heritage of the Garifuna people, a unique ethnic group in the Caribbean and Central America. In 1943, Garafuna Settlement Day was declared a holiday in the southern districts of Belize, and it is now celebrated throughout the country. There are long sessions of traditional drumming and dancing, and Garifuna crafts and food are sold and displayed. Events to raise awareness and appreciation of Garifuna culture are common, including special days to dress in traditional clothing, a Miss Garifuna Belize beauty pageant, parades, and rallies. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plumdrupe - A fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone (e.g. almonds, cherries, plums, olives), it comes from Latin drupa, "overripe olive," from Greek druppa, "olive." More... plum, prune - Plum and prune are ultimately the same word, coming from Greek proumnon. More... plum job - Relates to the 1600s British term "plum" for 1,000 pounds, meaning a serious amount of money. More... plum pudding - So named because it was originally made with plums—the word was retained to denote "raisin," which became the main ingredient. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Why Writers RunFrom Homer's The Iliad to A.E. Housman's poem about an athlete dying young, there's no shortage of literary depictions of running. “Move, as the limbs / of a runner do,” writes W.H. Auden. “In orbit go / Round an endless track.” There's also a long ... More... | |