Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 13, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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devotee
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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IntensifiersIntensifiers are adverbs or adverbials that modify adjectives and other adverbs to increase their strength, power, or intensity. What are some examples of intensifiers? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Marvin Heemeyer's "Killdozer"In 2004, Heemeyer, a muffler repair shop owner, went on a rampage following a feud with city officials in Granby, Colorado. His vendetta stemmed from a zoning dispute involving a concrete factory constructed near his shop that he believed caused his business to fail. Heemeyer, who was a welder, armored a bulldozer—later dubbed the "Killdozer"—with layers of steel and concrete and used it to demolish the town hall, a former judge's home, and other buildings in Granby. How did his rampage end? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sidney Poitier Becomes the First African American to Win Best Actor Oscar (1964)The first African American to achieve leading man status in Hollywood, Poitier began acting with the American Negro Theatre in New York City and made his film debut soon after. He won acclaim on Broadway for his role in 1959's A Raisin in the Sun and, in 1964, became the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role in Lilies of the Field. Many of his films address issues of race, yet some have criticized his choice of film roles for what reason? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lanford Wilson (1937)One of the founders of the "off-off-Broadway" theater movement, Wilson began writing plays in 1962 and helped found the Circle Repertory Company in New York City in 1969. His plays frequently address themes of decay, solitude, and loss and are known for their realistic dialogue in which monologue, conversation, and direct audience address overlap. His Pulitzer Prize-winning Talley's Folly (1979) depicts a man and woman falling in love, but some critics believe it is really about what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up, and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) head in the sand— To refuse to acknowledge or deal with problems, danger, or difficulty, especially in the hopes that they will resolve themselves. The phrase is a reference to ostriches, which were believed (incorrectly) to hide their heads in the ground at the sight of approaching danger. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Annual Bottle Kicking and Hare Pie Scramble (2020)This 700-year-old event is the highpoint of the local calendar in the small village of Hallaton in Leicestershire, England. Opposing teams from Hallaton and the neighboring town of Medbourne scramble to maneuver two out of three small wooden beer kegs across a goal line. The event begins when the local rector blesses the Hare Pie—originally made of hare but now of beef. After handing out slices to some of the villagers, he scatters the remainder on the rectory lawn, where people scramble for it. Then comes the contest for the beer-filled kegs. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: polessedan chair - An enclosed chair carried on poles. More... oblate, prolate - Oblate means "flattened at the poles," and the opposite is prolate; the Earth is an oblate spheroid. More... tent - Comes from a Latin word for "stretch," as early tents were made from cloth or skins stretched on poles. More... running boards - Originally extended from bow to stern on canal boats—which men walked along, propelling the boats with poles. More... | |