Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, October 15, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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homochromatic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Quantifying Uncountable NounsAlthough similar in nature to other nouns, uncountable nouns refer to things that cannot be divided into individual units, and that therefore cannot be made plural at all. How do we quantify them? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 FenghuangCommonly known in the West as the Chinese phoenix, the fenghuang is a mythical Chinese bird fabled to reign over all other birds. Though there was initially a distinction between the male feng and female huang, today the two are often combined into a single feminine entity that pairs with the masculine Chinese dragon to symbolize the yin-yang principle with respect to marital harmony. Ancient texts describe the fenghuang as having the physical traits of several different animals. What are they? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pierre Laval Is Executed for Treason (1945)In 1942, Laval, a French politician who had advocated collaboration with Nazi Germany, came to power. His government drafted laborers for German factories, cooperated in the deportation of Jews to death camps, and instituted a rule of terror. After France was liberated by the Allies, Laval fled. He was eventually captured and returned to France, where he was convicted of treason and executed. How was Laval's attempt to escape execution thwarted by his jailers? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Pelham Grenville "P. G." Wodehouse (1881)Wodehouse was an English-American comic writer who enjoyed enormous success during his more than 70-year career. His works are set in Edwardian England and feature idiotic youths, feckless debutantes, redoubtable aunts, and stuffy businessmen. His most famous characters are the young bachelor Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet Jeeves. Although Wodehouse was knighted shortly before his death, the character of Bertie did cost him entry into the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1967. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Be not penny-wise; riches have wings, and sometimes they fly away of themselves.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on (someone's) behalf— For the benefit, interest, or support of someone; as an agent, representative, or in place of someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 International Cervantes Festival (2020)Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), best known for Don Quixote (1605), is honored in a three-week festival held in Guanajuato, Mexico, featuring orchestral music, opera, theater, dance, film and folklore. Although most festival events are held in the Teatro Juarez and the Teatro Principal, amateur Mexican actors often give street performances of Cervantes's famous one-act plays in the Plaza de San Roque. Various musical performances are a popular attraction, as are art exhibits, children's theater, and folkloric dance ensembles. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mineralsdouse, dowse - Douse first meant "knock, punch, strike" and now means "to extinguish or wet thoroughly"; dowse means to look for water or minerals with a divining rod. More... hard water - That which contains large amounts of minerals. More... mica - Any of a group of minerals that occur in small glittering plates or scales in other rocks. More... micronutrient - One of the vitamins and minerals needed only in small amounts for normal body function. More... | |