Daily Content Archive

(as of Friday, May 18, 2018)
Word of the Day

egotist

Definition:(noun) A conceited and self-centered person.
Synonyms:swellhead
Usage: Mr. Whittleworth is an insufferable egotist with delusions of omnipotence, but we tolerate him because he pays us well.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Defining Nominal Adjectives

We know that adjectives are words that modify (or describe) nouns. Nominal adjectives, on the other hand, are adjectives that perform the function of a noun in a sentence. They are preceded by the word "the" and can be found as the subject or the object of a sentence or clause. What are some examples of nominal adjectives? More...
Article of the Day

The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis

The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis, an oil painting by Dutch master painter Rembrandt, depicts a Roman historian's account of an episode from the Batavian rebellion, led by the one-eyed chieftain Claudius Civilis. At around 16 x 16 ft (5 x 5 m), it was Rembrandt's largest completed work before it was reduced in size for sale. Commissioned in the mid-17th century by Amsterdam's city council for the city hall, it was returned to Rembrandt after being displayed for only a short time. Why? More...
This Day in History

First Ascent of Lhotse (1956)

Reaching 27,890 ft (8,501 m), Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth. Tibetan for "south peak," it is located in the Himalayas on the Nepal-Tibet border and is connected to Mount Everest by a 25,000-ft (7,620-m) ridge. The first ascent of the mountain was made by Swiss climbers Fritz Luchsinger and Ernest Reiss in 1956. Thirty years later, what mountaineer summited Lhotse, becoming the first climber to have ascended all 14 mountains on Earth that peak more than 8,000 m above sea level? More...
Today's Birthday

Frank Russell Capra (1897)

One of the preeminent Hollywood directors of the 1930s and 40s, Capra produced idealistic populist movies that celebrate the virtues of the common American. At age six, the Sicilian-born future director immigrated with his family to the US. After holding various jobs in the film industry, he emerged as a major director in 1928. Within years, he had won his first Oscar. Which of his films is now considered one of the best American films ever made—despite having initially been a box office flop? More...
Quotation of the Day
Hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Idiom of the Day

abstract idea

An idea or thought that is intangible or outside the constraints or possibilities of the real world. More...
Today's Holiday

Haiti Flag and University Day (2023)

National unity is a primary theme of Flag and University Day in Haiti, an independence celebration and an occasion to recognize the country's educational system. Flag Day became an annual celebration shortly after Catherine Flon sewed the first red and blue flag in 1803, a year before Haiti won its independence from France. The government incorporated University Day as part of the celebration in 1919. Haitians wave flags throughout the day's parades and fairs, which take place throughout Haiti as well as in New York and Miami, two cities with large Haitian communities. More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: polished

facetious - Originally meant "having polished or urbane manners," and, along with sequoia, uses all five vowels. More...

nitid - A word for "bright, shining, polished, glossy." More...

polite - Actually meant "polished" or "burnished" when it came into English. More...

urban, urbane - Urban refers to a city; urbane means polished and smooth, as in a person's demeanor. More...

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