Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 15, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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balderdash
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Participle PhrasesWhen they function as adjectives, participles can form "participle phrases" (sometimes known as "participle clauses") with any information that modifies or complements them. Because they function as adjectives, what do participle phrases modify in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 BeelzebubIn the Old Testament, Beelzebub is a fertility god worshipped by the Philistines of Ekron and other Semitic groups. In the New Testament, he is the leader of the devils, sometimes identified with Satan and sometimes with his chief assistant. One of the fallen angels of John Milton's 17th-century epic Paradise Lost, Beelzebub is described by the author as being next to Satan in power. His name, Beelzebub, ultimately derives from the Hebrew words bá'al zebub, meaning "lord of" what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mafia Boss Salvatore Riina Apprehended after 23 Years in Hiding (1993)Riina started out as a mafia hit man and ascended the ranks, becoming a feared leader of the Sicilian Mafia. When control of the heroin trade in Sicily led to fierce rivalry among the Mafia clans, Riina—known as "The Beast"—orchestrated the murders of high-profile public officials while living in hiding for 23 years. His tactics were unusual—mafia bosses tended to be highly visible in their communities while keeping their violent activities under the radar. How did the police finally find him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mihai Eminescu (1850)Eminescu is considered Romania's greatest poet. His first poems were published when he was just a teen, and a few years later he joined the literary circle Junimea and began contributing to its journal, Convorbiri literare. His lyrical, passionate, and revolutionary poems had a profound influence on Romanian letters. Eminescu suffered from periodic attacks of insanity and died shortly after one such attack. He is honored in a monument in the capital city of what Islamic country? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Poor nations are hungry, and rich nations are proud; and pride and hunger will ever be at variance.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lose no time (in) doing (something)— To do something immediately or as expediently as possible. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Suminuri Matsuri (2025)Suminuri Matsuri is a New Year tradition observed for more than half a millennium in a district of Matsunoyama, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. People adorn their homes and streets for Oshogatsu (New Year's Day) with decorations made of paper, tree branches and bamboo. After the holiday, they take down the decorations and burn them, keeping the ashes for the Suminuri Festival. People take the ashes outside and mix them with snow, then rub the concoction on each other's faces for luck in the new year. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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