Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, August 2, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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asthenopia
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Most as an "Intensifier"We often find the adverb "most" being used as an intensifier of other adverbs, especially in formal speech or writing. In these instances, "most" does not indicate a superlative adverb (i.e., in comparison to others in a group). How does it function instead? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 KrypteiaIn the Spartan tradition of Krypteia, young men who successfully completed their rigorous training regime were sent into the countryside unarmed and told to kill any members of Sparta's serf population, or "Helots," that they encountered at night and to take any food they needed. The tradition derives it name from a Greek word meaning "hidden, secret things," and its goal and nature are still a matter of debate among historians. What purposes do scholars believe Krypteia served? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Potsdam Conference Concludes (1945)The Potsdam Conference was an Allied conference held in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam after Germany's surrender in World War II. Representing the US, USSR, and UK, respectively, Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill met there to discuss European peace settlements and reparations, the administration of Germany, the demarcation of Poland, the occupation of Austria, the USSR's role in eastern Europe, and the war against Japan. Who replaced Churchill during the conference? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Carroll O'Connor (1924)O'Connor was an American actor who started out on the stage and appeared in a number of movies in the 1950s and 60s. He gained fame in the 70s and early 80s playing Archie Bunker in All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place, winning numerous Emmy awards for his portrayal of the bigoted yet loveable blue-collar family man. He later starred as a progressive Southern sheriff on the TV show In the Heat of the Night. Which of O'Connor's relatives also had a role on that show? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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case of the dropsy— A fictitious "condition" characterized by continually dropping things from one's hands. It is a play on the term "dropsy," which was formerly used to denote the condition now known as edema (or oedema). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of Porcingula (2019)On the Feast of Porcingula (named after the shrine in Portiuncula, Italy), Native Americans at the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico hold a celebration that combines both traditional Indian and Roman Catholic elements. On August 2, a mass is sung in honor of Santa Maria de los Angeles, after which the priest of Jemez accompanies her image to the shrine in the plaza. Throughout the festival, the Pecos "bull" (a dancer carrying a framework that resembles a bull) is prodded with sticks and tormented in mock bullfights. After that the corn dance is performed before Santa Maria's shrine. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: jestjoke - Latin jocus, "jest, joke," gave us joke. More... ludicrous - Early senses of ludicrous, from the adjective ludic, were "sportive," "intended as jest" and "spontaneously playful." More... juggle, juggler - Juggle is from Latin joculus, a diminutive of jocus, and a juggler was originally a jester. More... jocose - From Latin jocus, it means "full of jokes." More... | |