Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, March 26, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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connoisseur
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Noun AdjunctsNoun adjuncts are nouns that are used to modify other nouns. What is the resulting phrase called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Nazca LinesAerial exploration of the arid tableland surrounding Peru's Palpa valley has revealed a remarkable network of geometric and zoomorphic forms etched in the desert floor. Created by the Nazca, a pre-Incan civilization that flourished from about 200 BCE to about 600 CE, the Nazca Lines span about 200 sq mi (500 sq km). The glyphs are only recognizable as coherent figures from the air, but the Nazca never possessed the technology to view them from that vantage point. Why, then, did they create them? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Earthquake Destroys Caracas, Venezuela (1812)Founded by the Spanish in 1567, Caracas is the capital of Venezuela, located in the northern part of the country near the Caribbean coast. In 1811, Venezuela declared its independence from Spain, but the revolution soon met difficulties. Less than a year later, Caracas was destroyed by an earthquake, hampering efforts by the patriots and prompting authorities to portray the disaster as divine punishment for those who rebelled against Spain. When were the patriots able to secure independence? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 A. E. Housman (1859)Housman studied at Oxford but left without a degree because he failed his final examinations. While working as a Patent Office clerk, Housman studied Latin texts and wrote journal articles that led to his appointment as a professor at University College, London, and later at Cambridge. He is remembered for the much-anthologized poem "When I was One-and-Twenty," and his verse, based on Classical and traditional models, exerted a strong influence on later poets. Who was his famous brother? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A woman's heart must be of such a size and no larger, else it must be pressed small, like Chinese feet; her happiness is to be made as cakes are, by a fixed recipe.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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shifty-looking— Having or of an untrustworthy, dubious, or deceptive appearance. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bangladesh Independence Day (2022)This public holiday celebrates the declaration of independence of the state of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971. When India gained independence from Britain in 1947, the region that is now Bangladesh became East Pakistan, and was governed together with West Pakistan as one country. By early 1971, differences between East and West Pakistan had led to war. When India entered the war in November, independence was assured. Bangladeshis observe this national holiday in the capital city of Dhaka with memorial ceremonies, a boat race on the Buriganga river, and other festivities. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: hintadumbrate - Means "to give a sketchy outline or disclose only in part; hint," and its root is Latin umbra, "shadow." More... allude, refer - To allude is to "mention indirectly, hint at," and to refer is to "mention directly." More... infer, imply - Infer means "to deduce, reason," and imply means "to hint at, suggest." More... inkle, inkling - To inkle is to communicate in an undertone or whisper, to give a hint of something, which gives us inkling. More... | |