Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, March 21, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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mountebank
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Plural Possession with ApostrophesIf there is more than one person, place, or thing that possesses something else, then the rules for showing possession change slightly. Because an "-s" is usually added to a word to make it plural, the "-s" that follows the apostrophe is dropped. What marks possession in this case? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 White TigersWith their striking coloration, white tigers are popular attractions at zoos and in other forms of entertainment that showcase exotic animals. Their white coats can be pure white, but more often they have dark stripes. Though these tigers seem exotic, they are not their own subspecies. Rather, they are a selectively bred mutant form of normal orange tigers. Because of the extreme rarity of the white tiger allele, white tigers are often inbred, which leads to what health problems? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Alcatraz Closes (1963)Alcatraz, a rocky island in western California's San Francisco Bay, served as a federal prison housing the country's most dangerous criminals from 1934 to 1963. It became a National Recreation Area in 1972, and by the mid-1990s, it was attracting almost a million visitors a year. Nicknamed "The Rock," Alcatraz was a symbol of the impregnable maximum security fortress prison. During its 29 years of operation, 34 prisoners attempted escapes, but only three may have succeeded. Who were they? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gary Oldman (1958)Oldman is an English actor known for playing eccentric characters and for his ability to master accents. He first appeared on screen in the 1982 film Remembrance and has since played a variety of characters including Dracula, Beethoven, and Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious. In 1997, he wrote, directed, and produced Nil By Mouth, an award-winning film reportedly based on his life. Recently, he has received acclaim for his portrayal of which character in the Harry Potter film series? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 War I abhor, and yet how sweet The sound along the marching street Of drum and fife, and I forget Wet eyes of widows, and forget Broken old mothers, and the whole Dark butchery without a soul.Richard le Gallienne (1866-1947) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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salt in the/(one's) wound(s)— An aggravation that makes something unpleasant, difficult, or painful even worse. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Shunbun-no-Hi (2022)In Japan, where the Vernal Equinox is a national holiday, the entire week during which the equinox occurs is called Higan, which means "other shore." The observance of Vernal Equinox Day began during the reign of 7th-century Prince Shotoku. It became a national holiday during the Meiji period. Visiting the family cemetery is popular on this day, and people tend to regard it as a happy event. Although no meat is served during the week, o-hagi, soft rice balls covered with sweetened bean paste, are popular. Shunbun-no-Hi is a day set aside to honor nature and to show respect for growing things. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: vaporatmosphere - Derives from Greek atmos, "vapor," and sphaira, "globe," and is literally "ball of vapor." More... brume, brumous - Brume is a poetic term meaning "mist, fog, or vapor"; brumous means "foggy." More... damp - The noun first meant "vapor, steam," or "smoke"—especially that which was harmful or noxious. More... transpire - Had an early sense of "emit as vapor through the surface"—from trans-, "through," and spirare, "breathe." More... | |