Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, February 2, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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temerity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Regular and Irregular InflectionRegular inflection is governed by consistent, predictable rules. Irregular inflection doesn’t seem to follow any rules or conventions at all. What are some examples of irregular inflection? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 FilibustersA filibuster is an obstructionist tactic used in legislative assemblies. It is particularly associated with the US Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is strong, and it has been used by conservatives and liberals for very different purposes. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture—or ending of the debate—by a vote of two-thirds of the Senators present. Yet, despite many attempts, cloture has been applied only rarely. What is the etymology of the term "filibuster"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 New Amsterdam Incorporated as a City (1653)In 1625, the Dutch West India Company decided to build a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, in close proximity to the fur-rich forests bordering the Hudson River. Named Fort Amsterdam, it became the capital of New Netherland and was incorporated as the city of New Amsterdam a few decades later. In 1664, it was captured by the British and renamed New York. The Dutch retook the city in 1673, and before the British claimed it yet again, it was briefly known by what third name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ayn Rand (1905)1926, Rand fled post-revolution Russia for the US, which she considered the "country of the individual." She worked for many years as a screenwriter before winning a cult following with two influential novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Her works present her belief in rational self-interest, a philosophy she called "objectivism," and made her an icon of radical libertarianism. What unusual floral arrangement was placed near the casket at Rand's funeral? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Success comes to a writer, as a rule, so gradually that it is always something of a shock to him to look back and realize the heights to which he has climbed.P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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knock (someone) over with a feather— To shock, confuse, or astonish someone to a point of complete bewilderment; throw someone for a loop. More often phrased as "you could have knocked me over with a feather," expressing great bewilderment or surprise. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Yemanjá Festival (2021)Yemanjá is a major festival of the Candomblé religion in the Rio Vermelho district of Salvador, Bahia state, Brazil. Maes-de-santo and filhas-de-santo (men and women mediums, or followers of the saints) sing and dance from daybreak on, summoning Yemanjá, or Iemanjá (the goddess of the ocean), to the festival. Offerings are placed in boats and carried down to the sea, where they are set afloat. Thousands of people flock to the coast for the festivities. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: rindcrust - From French crouste, from Latin crusta, "rind, shell; incrustation." More... pith - First referred to the spongy cellular tissue in the stems and branches of many plants, and also the spongy white tissue lining the rind of citrus fruits. More... rind, peel - The rind is the hard or tough covering on oranges, grapefruit, and watermelon; once removed, skin or rind is usually known as peel. More... | |