Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 6, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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incendiary
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Absolute PhrasesAn absolute phrase (also known as an absolute construction) is a grammatically independent group of words that serves to modify an entire sentence. Because an absolute phrase is not an integral part of the sentence, how is it always set apart? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Shetland PonyAlthough the Shetland is one of the smallest breeds of horse, measuring no more than 46 inches (117 cm) high, it is extremely hardy and needs little care, having adapted to the harsh climate and scarcity of food in Scotland's Shetland Islands. Shetland ponies were thus used as pack horses and worked in England's coal mines in the 19th century. These diminutive horses are also known for their gentle disposition and are a favorite mount for children. Shetland ponies can live to be how old? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Figure Skater Nancy Kerrigan Is Attacked (1994)Shortly before the 1994 Winter Olympics, Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee in an attack that had been planned by the ex-husband of Tonya Harding, one of Kerrigan's rivals for a place on the US Olympic team. Footage of Kerrigan's reaction to the attack was replayed heavily on television, and the story became a media sensation. Despite the injury, Kerrigan won an Olympic silver medal. Harding also performed, but poorly. Kerrigan's image suffered after she made what remarks about the gold medalist? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Heinrich Schliemann (1822)As a boy, Schliemann loved Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. After making his fortune, he devoted himself at the age of 36 to searching for the ruins of the ancient city of Troy, which played a prominent role in Homer's account of the Trojan War but was believed to be fictional. In 1873, Schliemann not only found the remains of Troy—verifying the Trojan War's place in history—but also uncovered the ruins of several other cities that had been built on the same site. Where did he find Troy? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is better not to live at all than to live disgraced.Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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the jet set— A group of wealthy individuals who travel globally, especially by private jet, to frequent fashionable resorts, social events, and the like. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Perchtenlauf (2021)The Perchtenlauf in Austria is usually held on Epiphany. The Perchten are old masks, usually of witches and fearsome animals, that have been handed down for generations. People wearing the masks run through the village beating drums, ringing bells, singing, shouting, and making as much noise as possible to scare winter away—an ancient custom that can be traced back to pre-Christian times. The procession of masked figures stops in the main square of the village and everyone begins to dance wildly, making even more noise than before. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: squeezeanguish, anxious, anxiety - Anguish, anxious, and anxiety come from Latin angere, "to choke, squeeze, strangle." More... kvetch - To complain chronically or habitually, from Yiddish kvetshn, "pinch, squeeze; complain." More... squash - As a verb, it is an alteration of quash, and means, generally, to "crush, squeeze, or suppress." More... tapioca - Comes from Tupi-Guarani tipi, "residue," and ok/og, "squeeze out." More... | |