Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, March 19, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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parlance
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Comparative AdjectivesComparative adjectives are adjectives that compare differences between the attributes of two nouns. We form comparative adjectives either by adding "-er" to the end of the adjective, or by adding what word before the adjective? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Phi Beta KappaPhi Beta Kappa is an academic honor society with the mission of "fostering and recognizing excellence" in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. Founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776, it is the oldest such society in the US and today boasts 283 chapters and over half a million living members. Its symbol is a golden key engraved with the image of a pointing finger, the Greek letters from which the society takes its name, and three stars. What principles do these stars represent? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Willie Mosconi Sinks 526 Consecutive Billiard Balls (1954)The son of a pool hall owner who tried to keep him from playing billiards, Mosconi learned the game by shooting with potatoes when his father hid the balls. A prodigy, he went on to win the world pool title 15 times before 1957. In 1954, he sank 526 consecutive balls in two hours and 10 minutes, and more than 35 witnesses signed an affidavit swearing to the feat. The record has never been broken. Mosconi was later hired to teach what actor how to convincingly play a pool hustler for a 1961 film? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Jennings Bryan (1860)Despite being a dominant force in the US Democratic Party, Bryan lost three bids for the presidency. However, he helped secure the presidential nomination for Woodrow Wilson, under whom he became secretary of state. Bryan's belief in neutrality led him to resign when it appeared that Wilson would enter the US into World War I. A devout Presbyterian, he later campaigned for Prohibition and, in 1925, died after exhausting himself prosecuting and finally winning what famous legal case? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The pen is the tongue of the mind.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a handle on (something)— To have a firm, clear understanding or determination of something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Return of the Swallows of San Juan Capistrano (2020)San Juan Capistrano was the name of a mission built on the Pacific Coast by Father Junípero Serra in 1777. Even after the buildings collapsed in an earthquake 35 years later, thousands of swallows continued to nest in the ruins of the church. Local people noticed that the swallows tended to fly south on October 23, the death anniversary of St. John of Capistrano, and returned on March 19, St. Joseph's Day. A Swallow Festival is held each year at the mission in San Juan Capistrano near Los Angeles, California, around the time of the birds' return. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: powderelixir - Derives from Arabic al-'iksir, "the powder for drying wounds." More... kohl - A powder used to darken the eyes, it is from ancient Arabic and Egyptian times. More... loaded for bear - Dating from the mid-1800s, it alludes to the heavy charge of powder or lead that hunters use for large animals, such as bears. More... take a powder - Comes from "take a runout powder," with powder meaning "impetus, rush; impetuosity." More... | |