Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 6, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cataplasm
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Light VerbsLight verbs (also known as delexical verbs, thin verbs, semantically weak verbs, or empty verbs) are verbs that do not carry unique meaning on their own. What are common examples of light verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Lotus EatersIn Greek mythology, the Lotophagi, or lotus-eaters, were a race of people from an island near North Africa. Lotus fruits and flowers were the dominant plant life on the island and the primary source of food for its inhabitants, a peaceful, apathetic people calmed by the plant's narcotic effects. The Lotophagi have long been a popular literary referent, appearing in such works as Homer's epic the Odyssey, Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Lotus-Eaters," and what landmark modernist novel? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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.jpg) Joseph Bonaparte Named King of Spain (1808)The elder brother of Napoleon, Joseph Bonaparte served as king of Naples during Napoleon's reign, abolishing feudalism and reorganizing the judicial, financial, and educational systems. He was named king of Spain in 1808, but his reforms there were less successful, and he abdicated in 1813 and returned to France. After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Joseph lived in the US and later in Italy. What creature from American folklore was Joseph said to have encountered while in the US? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Diego Velázquez (1599)The most celebrated painter of the Spanish school, Velázquez was one of the outstanding artists of the 17th century. His early works were mostly religious or genre scenes. After arriving in Madrid in 1623, he painted a portrait of King Philip IV that won him immediate success and an appointment as court painter. Notable among his portraits is his masterpiece, Las Meninas—The Maids of Honor. Why is there debate about who the true subject of the painting is? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Trying to stop slanderers' tongues is like trying to put gates to the open plain.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be held in high regard— To be regarded with a large amount of respect or admiration. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Lanimer Day Festival (2019)The people of Lanark, Scotland, dedicate an entire week to inspecting and celebrating the boundary stones that enclose the territory gifted to them by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century. This event, known as the Lanimers, features public decorations, a parade of civic officials, marching bands, and a series of tableaux. The procession passes by each of the boundary stones—the days' activities close with the town clerk's pronouncement that the boundaries remain in good condition, and a 900-year-old bell rings in celebration. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: productivecost-effective - Anything effective and productive in relation to its cost. More... fecund, fecundation - Fecund is another word for "fertile, fruitful, productive"; fecundation is another word for "fertilization, impregnation." More... originary - An adjective meaning "causing existence; productive," or "primitive; primary; original." More... | |