Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 13, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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wallop
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Ditransitive Verbs"Ditransitive verbs" take two objects: a direct object and an indirect object. The direct object relates to the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb, while the indirect object relates to the person or thing that indirectly receives or benefits from the action as a result. Where does an indirect object appear in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Jean DuvetBorn in 1485, Duvet was a French engraver and goldsmith. His most famous works are two dozen engravings in a series depicting scenes from the biblical Apocalypse. Published in 1561, the engravings do not depict space or proportion realistically. Rather, they have a distinctive style that is crowded, urgent, and intense, as every available space is filled with detail. Duvet, whose printmaking style is often compared to that of William Blake, began his career copying prints by what artists? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sidney Poitier Becomes the First African American to Win Best Actor Oscar (1964)The first African American to achieve leading man status in Hollywood, Poitier began acting with the American Negro Theatre in New York City and made his film debut soon after. He won acclaim on Broadway for his role in 1959's A Raisin in the Sun and, in 1964, became the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role in Lilies of the Field. Many of his films address issues of race, yet some have criticized his choice of film roles for what reason? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lanford Wilson (1937)One of the founders of the "off-off-Broadway" theater movement, Wilson began writing plays in 1962 and helped found the Circle Repertory Company in New York City in 1969. His plays frequently address themes of decay, solitude, and loss and are known for their realistic dialogue in which monologue, conversation, and direct audience address overlap. His Pulitzer Prize-winning Talley's Folly (1979) depicts a man and woman falling in love, but some critics believe it is really about what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 What have wealth or grandeur to do with happiness?Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) head in the sand— To refuse to acknowledge or deal with problems, danger, or difficulty, especially in the hopes that they will resolve themselves. The phrase is a reference to ostriches, which were believed (incorrectly) to hide their heads in the ground at the sight of approaching danger. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Annual Bottle Kicking and Hare Pie Scramble (2020)This 700-year-old event is the highpoint of the local calendar in the small village of Hallaton in Leicestershire, England. Opposing teams from Hallaton and the neighboring town of Medbourne scramble to maneuver two out of three small wooden beer kegs across a goal line. The event begins when the local rector blesses the Hare Pie—originally made of hare but now of beef. After handing out slices to some of the villagers, he scatters the remainder on the rectory lawn, where people scramble for it. Then comes the contest for the beer-filled kegs. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: polessedan chair - An enclosed chair carried on poles. More... oblate, prolate - Oblate means "flattened at the poles," and the opposite is prolate; the Earth is an oblate spheroid. More... tent - Comes from a Latin word for "stretch," as early tents were made from cloth or skins stretched on poles. More... running boards - Originally extended from bow to stern on canal boats—which men walked along, propelling the boats with poles. More... | |