Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 23, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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peavey
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Identifying Auxiliary VerbsAuxiliary verbs are verbs that add functional meaning to other "main" verbs in a clause. Auxiliary verbs can be identified by two main criteria. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Water ClockThe clepsydra, or water clock, is an ancient timekeeper that operates by measuring the regulated flow of liquid into or out of a vessel. It is believed to have been used in Egypt as early as 2,000 BCE, making it one of the earliest known time-measurement devices. Early water clocks were calibrated with a sundial, and they remained the most accurate timekeeping devices until the invention of the pendulum clock in the 17th century. When did knowing the time become important to the common man? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Lewis and Clark Expedition Returns (1806)In May 1804, about 40 men left St. Louis, Missouri, and headed west on an expedition initiated by US President Thomas Jefferson to search out an overland route to the Pacific Ocean, make contact with indigenous peoples, and survey the new Louisiana Purchase. More than two years later, the party returned to great acclaim. Their journey had an incalculable effect on the history of the American West. Who accompanied the explorers and helped them negotiate with the Native Americans they encountered? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Coltrane (1926)Coltrane was an influential American jazz saxophonist and composer. He worked with numerous big bands before emerging in the 1950s as a major stylist while playing with Miles Davis. His playing exhibited a dazzling technical brilliance as well as ardent emotion. Coltrane made a number of influential recordings, among them the 1960s classics My Favorite Things and A Love Supreme. He was deeply spiritual and interested in all religions. What church made him a saint after his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If youth did not matter so much to itself it would never have the heart to go on.Willa Cather (1873-1947) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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wash (someone's) mouth out (with soap)— To punish someone for using rude, vulgar, or obscene language by cleaning their mouth with soap (usually used merely as a threat). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Erau Festival (2020)This Indonesian festival takes place in Tenggarong, in the province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Today the Erau Festival is celebrated for as long as a week around September 24, the anniversary of the city's founding, though many of the ceremonies performed during the festival go back much further. The festival opens with special blessing and purification ceremonies, followed by musical and dance performances, art exhibits, and more traditional Dayak ceremonies. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scentbreath - From an Old English word meaning "scent, smell." More... flair - Comes from Latin fragrare, "smell sweet," and was first the ability to detect the "essence" or "scent" of something and know how to act accordingly. More... red herring - Something intended to be misleading or distracting, so named from the practice of using the scent of red herring in training hounds. More... relish - First meant "odor, scent," then "taste, flavor." More... | |