Today's Highlights
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pertain
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Phrasal VerbsPhrasal verbs are verb phrases that have idiomatic meanings—that is, their meaning is not obvious from the individual words that make up the phrase. What parts of speech typically make up a phrasal verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Velvet WormOften called the "missing link" between annelids—such as earthworms and leeches—and arthropods—such as crustaceans, insects, and centipedes—velvet worms are found in wet, warm to temperate habitats on several continents. They are named for the feel of their skin, which is covered in fine hairs. Velvet worms are predators that can immobilize animals several times their own size with an adhesive substance ejected from glands in their heads. In what unusual way do velvet worms breathe? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Natalie Wood Drowns (1981)At the age of 43, actress Natalie Wood, who first won acclaim as a child for her role in Miracle on 34th Street and went on to become a successful film star, drowned after apparently falling overboard following a night of drinking on her yacht. Though the death was ruled an accident, a woman on a nearby boat reported hearing cries for help that night. Wood had been spending a holiday weekend aboard the yacht with her husband, actor Robert Wagner. Who else was aboard the yacht that night? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Clive Staples "C. S." Lewis (1898)Lewis was an Irish-British scholar noted for his witty explorations of Christianity, as well as for his classic series of children's fantasy novels, The Chronicles of Narnia, which includes The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He also wrote The Screwtape Letters, a satirical novel in which an experienced devil teaches his young charge about temptation. During World War I, Lewis made a pact with a fellow soldier before the man was killed. How did Lewis keep his promise? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Jealousy is never satisfied with anything short of an omniscience that would detect the subtlest fold of the heart.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be the business— To be exceptionally great, excellent, high-quality, or skillful. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Andrew's Eve (2025)The eve of St. Andrew's Day is a special night for young Polish girls who want to find husbands. They play Andrzejki, or "Andrew's games," a kind of fortune telling. They break off dry branches from cherry trees, place them in wet sand, and tend them carefully for the next few weeks. If the branch blooms by Christmas, it is believed that they will marry within the year. Pouring liquid wax into cold water is another popular method of foretelling their romantic futures. The shapes formed by the hardened wax often provide clues with which they can read their fate. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: princeadmiral - First used in English to mean "an emir or prince under the Sultan," coming from Arabic amir al, "commander of"; admiral was originally a sea lord due to the office of amir-al-bahr or amir-al-ma (Arabic), "ameer/emir of the sea." More... prince - Derived from Latin princeps, "chief man" or "leading citizen." More... tycoon - Comes from Japanese tai, "great," and kun, "prince, lord," from Chinese da, "great," and jun, "prince, ruler." More... whipping boy - Meaning "scapegoat," the phrase derives from the boy formerly raised with a prince or other young nobleman and whipped for the latter's misdeeds. More... | |
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