Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, April 25, 2018)Word of the Day | |||||||
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veneration
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Absolute PhrasesAn absolute phrase (also known as an absolute construction) is a grammatically independent group of words that serves to modify an entire sentence. Because an absolute phrase is not an integral part of the sentence, how is it always set apart? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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![]() Blindfold ChessIn blindfold chess, players engage in a chess match without being able to see or touch the pieces. Moves are communicated via chess notation, a system which describes the pieces' location on the board. While it is generally thought that most strong players can play at least one game blindfolded, some masters are able to play dozens of blindfolded games simultaneously with different opponents. What is the world record for the number of blindfold chess games played simultaneously by one person? More... |
This Day in History | |
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![]() Robinson Crusoe Is Published (1719)Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is a fictional autobiography of the eponymous English castaway marooned on a desert island for 28 years. During this time, Crusoe encounters cannibals, captives, and mutineers and endures endless hardships while preserving his human integrity. The first volume of Defoe's Crusoe story was published in 1719 and garnered immediate acclaim. It is considered by some critics to be the first true English novel. What is the book's full title? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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![]() Oliver Cromwell (1599)A controversial figure in English history, Cromwell was a leader of the parliamentary forces that battled the royalists in the English Civil War. After the execution of Charles I in 1649, Cromwell became lord protector and virtual dictator of England and raised his country's status once more to that of a leading European power by means of a strict military administration and the enforcement of the Puritan moral code. What did the royalists do to his corpse when they returned to power in 1660? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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![]() Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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set (someone) by the ears— To cause (someone, generally a group of two or more people) to engage in a squabble, dispute, or altercation. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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![]() Portugal Liberation Day (2022)Liberation Day, or Liberty Day, is a public holiday commemorating the military coup on this day in 1974 that removed Marcello Caetano (1906-1980) from power, reflecting the opposition of many Portuguese to their government's military policies and wars in Africa. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: rollingbeachcomber - A long wave rolling in from the sea. More... sprag - A block placed behind a car wheel to keep it from rolling down a hill. More... keep the ball rolling - An allusion to rugby or bandy. More... voluble - "Flowing with speech, talkative"; such a person has words "rolling" off their tongue. More... |