Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, August 28, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nonpareil
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Periods with AbbreviationsWhile the period is most commonly used to mark the end of a sentence, it is also used to mark abbreviations. In addition to standard abbreviations (words that are shortened by omitting one or more letters), there are also three sub-categories that can use periods. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 St. Pierre and MiquelonThe sole remnant of France's once vast territory in North America, St. Pierre and Miquelon is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. France and Britain fought over control of the islands for centuries, until France finally retook them for good in 1814. The area was a hotbed of alcohol smuggling during the US prohibition era and has the odd distinction being the only place in North America where a guillotine was ever used. What is the "Mouth of Hell"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Caleb Davis Bradham Begins Selling "Pepsi-Cola" (1898)Bradham was a pharmacist who invented a soft drink made with kola nut extract, vanilla, and "rare oils." He believed his drink aided digestion and renamed it "Pepsi-Cola" after the kola nut and pepsin, an enzyme that aids in digestion. In 1902, he incorporated the Pepsi-Cola Co, and, in 1931, the trademark and assets were bought by Charles Guth, who improved the formula and marketed a 12-ounce bottle for five cents with huge success. What did Bradham originally call his drink? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749)Goethe was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, and scientist whose dramatic poem Faust is considered one of the world's greatest poetic and philosophic creations. In it, he represents Faust, the legendary scholar who sold his soul to the devil, tragically, as a singularly modern figure who is condemned to remain unsatisfied by life. In his later years, Goethe was celebrated as a sage and visited by world luminaries. Goethe wrote which of his novels while suicidal over an unrequited love? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.James Madison (1751-1836) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be left in the lurch— To be left or abandoned without assistance in a particularly awkward, difficult, or troublesome situation. (Sometimes written as "left in a lurch.") More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Puccini Festival (2024)The Puccini Festival is held annually each summer in Torre del Lago in Tuscany, Italy, to honor and celebrate Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), the Italian composer of such beloved operas as La Boheme and Madame Butterfly. Throughout August, the festival presents distinguished and often innovative productions of Puccini's works. The productions take place in an open-air theatre close to the Villa Mausoleum, where Puccini lived and worked. Events such as talks and art exhibitions about Puccini's life and work are held throughout the area all summer as well. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lessenalleviate - Can mean "diminish the weight of"; to alleviate is not to cure, but rather to lighten, lessen, or relieve to some degree. More... minute, second - Latin minutus, "small," came from minuere, "lessen," and the term pars minuta prima, "first small part," was applied to a 60th of a whole—a minute, originally of a circle and later of an hour; likewise, a second was originally a secunda minuta, a 60th of a 60th. More... mince - Can mean "lessen or diminish (something)" or "minimize." More... bated breath - The expression is based on bate, meaning "to moderate, restrain" or "to lessen, diminish"; though bated was once rather common, it is now rare except in this set expression. More... | |