Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 19, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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idiosyncrasy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "May" to Ask for PermissionThe modal verb "may" is very commonly used to express or ask for permission to do something. While "may" is considered the most polite and formally correct option when asking for permission, what other modal verbs can be used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Steam DonkeyThe steam donkey is the strangely named auxiliary steam engine used for hoisting or pumping, especially on a ship. The name "steam donkey" comes from its origin in sailing ships, where the "donkey" engine was typically used to load and unload cargo and raise the larger sails. Patented in 1882, the steam donkey became a key tool for the logging industry as well, but its popularity waned with the advent of diesel-powered equipment. At what amusement park can you find a steam donkey on display? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Silvertown Explosion (1917)During World War I, a chemical factory in the highly populated area of Silvertown, England, was used to purify TNT in order to meet the urgent demand for explosive shells. Although a newer, safer plant was built elsewhere, production continued at the factory until a fire ignited 50 tons of TNT in 1917. The explosion killed 73 people, injured hundreds more, and destroyed the plant, many nearby buildings, and a gasholder—sparking an enormous fireball. To what is the low death toll attributed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Patricia Highsmith (1921)Highsmith started out as a comic book artist before becoming known for her chilling tales of crime and cruelty. Alfred Hitchcock propelled her career by adapting her first novel Strangers on a Train, and Highsmith gained further attention as a master of psychological menace with her books about handsome and "talented" psychopath Tom Ripley. Like many of her characters, though, Highsmith was prone to self-destructive and bizarre behavior, including keeping about 300 of what in her garden? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nothing ever comes to me, that is worth having, except as the result of hard work.Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on (someone's) wrong side— Displeasing to someone; provoking someone's anger, contempt, or dismissal. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Epiphany (Russia) (2022)On January 19th, members of the Russian Orthodox Church ritually bathe in a river or lake. The day marks the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, an event called the Epiphany, and Orthodox Catholics believe that bathing outside on that day washes away sin. As believers cut holes in the ice with chainsaws and plunge into the frigid water, priests chant prayers to bless the water. Altars and crosses made of ice and snow are sometimes constructed near the bathing site. Authorities advise against the practice, especially in the freezing temperatures of a Russian winter. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: heapmogul - A small mound of snow on a ski course, from Old Norse mugl, "little heap." More... congeries - A Latin word meaning "heap or pile of disparate items" or "disorderly collection." More... midden - Traces back to Scandinavian forms mog, "muck," and dynge, "heap," and first meant "dunghill" before it denoted a prehistoric or historic refuse heap. More... accumulate - One of its Latin elements is cumulus, "a heap." More... | |