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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 Concordat of Worms (1122)The Concordat of Worms was an agreement reached by Pope Calixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V that put an end to the first phase of the power struggle between Rome and what was becoming the Holy Roman Empire. Under its terms, the king was recognized as having the right to invest bishops "by the lance" but not "by ring and staff," meaning he could grant them secular but not sacred authority. What message about the divine right of kings did the concordat convey? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mickey Rooney (1920)Rooney was an American actor who began his career when he was just 17 months old, as part of his family's vaudeville act, and made his film debut at 6. He went on to star in 50 RKO short comedies, and his diminutive size allowed him to play boys until he was nearly 30. From 1937, he played the cocky, energetic Andy Hardy in a series of popular films, often teamed with Judy Garland. In 1983, he received an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement. What now-famous TV role did he turn down? 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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control freak— Someone who has an obsessive or compulsive need to control every aspect of a situation and/or the ways in which others act. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Autumnal Equinox (2019)The sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator twice a year: on or about March 21 (the Vernal Equinox) and again six months later, on or about September 22 or 23 (the Autumnal Equinox). On these two occasions, night and day are of equal length all over the world. In the Northern Hemisphere, September 22 or 23 is the first day of autumn. Autumnal Equinox Day is a national holiday in Japan, observed on either September 23 or 24 to celebrate the arrival of autumn and to honor family ancestors. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: spendscabbage pounder - An inept golfer who spends a lot of time in the rough. More... carpet knight - A knight who spends his time in luxury and idleness—knighted on the carpet at court rather than on the field of battle. More... mouse potato - A person who spends too much time on the computer, patterned on couch potato. More... spendthrift - One who spends the "thrift" or earnings/wealth of another. More... | |