Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, January 17, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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has-been
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - MightThe modal verb "might" is most often used to express an unlikely or uncertain possibility. How is "might" used in reported speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Border ReiversDuring the Middle Ages, England and Scotland were almost constantly at war. Born out of these conflicts were the border reivers, English and Scottish raiders loyal only to their families or clans. They raided both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border impartially, rustling cattle, stealing household goods, and taking prisoners for ransom. Considered the finest light cavalry in Europe, reivers sometimes hired themselves out as mercenaries or were forced into army service. What was a "Hot Trod"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Popeye Makes His Debut in the Thimble Theater Comic Strip (1929)Popeye, the popular cartoon character who turns from sailor to strongman with a few swallows of spinach, started out as a minor character in the Thimble Theater comic strip. In its early days, the strip starred Olive Oyl and her boyfriend, Ham Gravy. However, after cartoonist E.C. Segar introduced Popeye, he became so popular that his role was expanded, and he soon replaced Ham as Olive's love interest, going on adventures with her brother, Castor Oyl, and facing what nemesis? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mack Sennett (1880)Sennett was an American movie director, considered the father of slapstick comedy in film. After directing comedies under the tutelage of D.W. Griffith, he left to form his own Keystone Company and produced the first American feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance, in 1914. He made more than 1,000 comedy shorts, often featuring the wild antics of the Keystone Kops, and received a special Academy Award in 1937. As an actor, Sennett played what iconic character in several films? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Opportunities flit by while we sit regretting the chances we have lost, and the happiness that comes to us we heed not, because of the happiness that is gone.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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guess again— A rhetorical imperative indicating that the person being spoken to is mistaken about, and thus should reconsider, something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Anthony the Abbot (2020)St. Anthony the Abbot was one of the earliest saints, and, if St. Athanasius's biography of him is correct, Anthony lived more than 100 years (251-356). He eventually came to be regarded as a healer of animals as well as of people. His feast day is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America by bringing household pets and livestock into the churchyard, where the local priest blesses them with holy water. All the animals are carefully groomed and often decorated with ribbons and fresh flowers. In some Latin American cities, the Blessing of the Animals takes place on a different day—often on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: spinningheckle - First a "flax comb" for splitting and straightening the fibers for spinning; its metaphorical sense developed from its verb form, "to mangle by cutting, to cut roughly." More... distaff side, spear side - The female side of a family is the distaff side—the distaff being a stick used for holding yarn when spinning; the male side is the spear side. More... fouette - A spectacular pirouette in which the ballerina whips her raised leg around in an eggbeater motion while spinning on the other leg. More... | |