Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, September 8, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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swindle
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Stative Verbs and TenseStative verbs can be in the present, past, or future tense; however, because they describe static conditions, they are usually unable to progress through time, and they therefore cannot be used when forming the continuous or progressive forms of verb tenses. However, some stative verbs can be used in a continuous tense in what situations? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 First-Person ShootersFirst-person shooters are action video games in which players use handheld weapons to shoot targets in game worlds rendered from the visual perspective of the player characters. These types of games were the first to make extensive use of multiplayer gaming. Among the most popular video games on the market today, first-person shooters are also the subject of controversy due to their graphic depictions of violence and killing. What games are landmarks of the genre? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Star Trek Premieres (1966)Though the original Star Trek series was cancelled in its third season, the groundbreaking show—in which William Shatner's memorable Captain Kirk leads the crew of the starship Enterprise—developed a cult following of "Trekkies." Over the next four decades, the influential science-fiction franchise spawned five more Star Trek series, more than 10 feature films, and myriad conventions. Its motto, "to boldly go where no man has gone before," may have been partially copied from what source? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alfred Jarry (1873)Jarry was a French writer. After exhausting the inheritance that had allowed him to move to Paris at 18, he led a life of calculated buffoonery. His 1896 farce, Ubu Roi, is considered a forerunner of theatre of the absurd and of Surrealism. It featured the grotesque Père Ubu, a repulsive and cowardly hero based on one of his former teachers. The brilliant imagery and wit of his works usually lapse into unintelligible symbolism. A heavy drinker, he died at 34. What was his last request? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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beer muscles— An inflated notion of one's strength, ego, or bravado due to excess consumption of alcohol (not necessarily beer). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Giles Fair (2020)The St. Giles Fair, held in Oxford, England, dates back even further than Oxford University. It is the only one remaining of the five great fairs once held in Oxford, and it still occupies its original site on St. Giles Street. Today it features sports and popular amusements, including "dodgem" cars, swing-boats, and gaily painted roundabouts. Booths sell holiday foods and other merchandise, and visitors flock to the fair from throughout Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties. The Fair is held on the Monday and Tuesday after the Sunday following St. Giles' feast day, September 1. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: variegatedchintz - Comes from the plural of Hindi chint, a printed Indian calico, from earlier Sanskrit chitra, "variegated." More... moire - Having a variegated or clouded appearance, like that of watered silk. More... variegated - Can mean "having variety in character, form, etc." More... vary - From Latin varius, "speckled, variegated; changeable." More... | |