Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 4, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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mire
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Cardinal Numbers vs. Ordinal NumbersNumbers can be determiners when they are used to introduce and modify a noun. Cardinal numbers are used to count the specific quantity of a noun. How do they differ from ordinal numbers? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 EusocialityEusociality is a key concept in sociobiology, which is the study of the genetic and evolutionary bases of social behavior. Coined in 1966, the term "eusocial" describes an animal society—like that of bees, ants, shrimp, sponges, or others—largely made up of sterile individuals that work on behalf of the few reproductive members of the group, or in some cases the only reproductive member, and cooperatively care for the young. What are the only truly eusocial mammals? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Lebanon Hostage Crisis: Last US Captive Released after 7 Years (1991)After reporting from Vietnam as a war correspondent, American journalist Terry A. Anderson became chief correspondent for the Associated Press in Lebanon. In March 1985, he was abducted from a Beirut street by Shiite Hezbollah militants retaliating against the US for supplying Israel with weapons. Held with other American hostages taken at around the same time, Anderson remained in captivity for nearly seven years and was the last to be released. What has he done since regaining his freedom? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel Butler (1835)Butler was a British novelist and critic. Descended from clergymen, he grappled for years with Christianity and evolution in his writings, first embracing, then rejecting, Charles Darwin's theories. He is best known for his autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh. During his lifetime, his reputation rested on the utopian satire Erewhon (1872), which foreshadowed the end of the Victorian illusion of eternal progress. What prediction did Butler make about human evolution? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Let's not borrow trouble ... The rate of interest is too high.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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bless your pointy little head— A condescending phrase used to patronize someone for being foolish or not very bright. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Barbara's Day (2024)Scholars doubt that St. Barbara existed as more than a legend that emerged during the 2nd century. In parts of France, Germany, and Syria, St. Barbara's Day is considered the beginning of the Christmas season. In southern France, it is customary to set out dishes holding grains of wheat soaked in water on sunny window sills. If the "St. Barbara's grain" grows quickly, it means a good year for crops. There is a similar custom in Germany and the Czech and Slovak republics with cherry branches. In Syria, St. Barbara's Day is for feasting and bringing food to the poor. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lamblamb - In Gothic times, lamb was used for "adult sheep" as well as "baby sheep." More... rack of lamb - A roast of the rib section of lamb. More... shepherd's pie - Got its name from the meat it originally contained—lamb or mutton. More... white meat - The pale meat of poultry, rabbit, or veal; red meat is from beef or lamb. More... | |