Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 2, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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bemuse
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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AspectAspect has to do with how an action, state of being, or event as described by a verb relates to time. It is often confused with tense. How do aspect and tense differ? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 CheckmateNow employed in modern parlance to describe an irrefutable, strategic victory, "checkmate" is the term used in the game of chess to indicate the situation in which one player's king is threatened with capture and no escape or defense is possible. Delivering checkmate is the ultimate goal in chess, and the player who forces it wins the game. The term "checkmate" is an alteration of the Persian phrase shah mat, which means what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)While on patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Two days later, US boats were supposedly attacked again without provocation. These events—known collectively as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident—prompted US Congress to pass a resolution allowing President Lyndon B. Johnson to use military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war, leading to increased US involvement in the Vietnam War. Had there in fact been a second attack? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Constantine I of Greece (1868)The reign of Constantine I was a trying one. He succeeded his father as king of Greece in 1913 and was almost immediately faced with World War I. His neutralist, yet essentially pro-German, attitude caused the Allies and his Greek opponents to force his abdication and send him into exile in 1917. His leading opponent's fall from power in 1920 opened the door for Constantine to be restored to the throne, but his homecoming was short lived. Why did he abdicate for a second time in 1922? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is sometimes a little lonely to be surrounded everywhere by a happiness that is not your own.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lose the number of (one's) mess— obsolete military and naval To die or be killed. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Virgen de Los Angeles Day (2021)Costa Rica honors its patron saint, La Virgen de los Angeles (also known as La Negrita), on this day. La Negrita is a statue of the Virgin Mary carved in dark wood, which is how La Negrita ("little dark one") earned its name. It is housed in the Basilica Virgen de Los Angeles in Cartago, next to a small stream. People from all over the country come to Cartago on August 2 to celebrate the mass at the Basilica, pray to Little Negrita, and collect water from the stream. Celebrations include street fairs, live music, and feasts throughout Costa Rica. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: powderelixir - Derives from Arabic al-'iksir, "the powder for drying wounds." More... kohl - A powder used to darken the eyes, it is from ancient Arabic and Egyptian times. More... loaded for bear - Dating from the mid-1800s, it alludes to the heavy charge of powder or lead that hunters use for large animals, such as bears. More... take a powder - Comes from "take a runout powder," with powder meaning "impetus, rush; impetuosity." More... | |