Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 30, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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reprehensible
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Irregular AdverbsIrregular adverbs are adverbs that are not formed from standard English spelling conventions. Because they do not follow the "rules," there is no trick to using them: you simply have to memorize them. "Fast" and "good" are examples of irregular adverbs. What are others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Thermobaric WeaponsAlso known as fuel-air explosives, thermobaric weapons are considered to be as devastating as some nuclear weapons. Whereas most conventional explosives contain a mixture of fuel and oxygen, thermobaric weapons can hold more fuel because they rely on oxygen from the surrounding air. After a small charge is detonated to disperse the bomb's contents into the air, a second charge is used to ignite the cloud, creating an enormous, high-pressure blast wave. What was the "Father of All Bombs"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Anglo-Japanese Alliance Signed in London, England (1902)The First Anglo-Japanese Alliance was signed to protect the respective interests of Britain and Japan in China and Korea. Directed against Russian expansionism, the alliance helped Japan by discouraging France from entering the Russo-Japanese War on the Russian side. The alliance later prompted Japan to join the Allies in World War I. Britain allowed the alliance to lapse after the war, when it no longer feared Russian encroachment in China. What were the cultural effects of the alliance? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Shirley Hazzard (1931)Hazzard is an Australian novelist and short-story writer who has lived in the US since 1951. She and her husband, writer Francis Steegmuller, were both frequent contributors to The New Yorker magazine. Noted for her lyrical style, she achieved early success with her first story collection, Cliffs of Fall. Her 1980 novel, The Transit of Venus, brought her literary acclaim and a greatly expanded readership. Hazzard did not publish her next novel until 2003. What was it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(one's) lucky day— A particular day or moment in one's life when one experiences extremely good luck, fortune, or favor. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Day of the Three Archbishops (2025)In 11th-century Greece, there was a popular controversy over which of the three archbishops—Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, or John Chrysostom—was the greatest saint of the Greek Orthodox Church. In 1081, Bishop John of Galatia reported that the three saints had appeared to him in a vision to say that they were equal in the eyes of God. Their equality is celebrated on this day. In schools, special exercises are held in honor of the three saints, who supported classical Greek tradition at a time when many were opposed to all non-Christian literature. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pushingcentrifugal, centripetal - Centrifugal force pulls away or pushes outward; centripetal draws toward or pulls inward. More... cow tipping - A widely frowned-upon activity whereby one knocks over a sleeping cow (which sleeps standing up) by pushing on its side. More... exert - Can refer to a seed's pushing out or up. More... crowd - Its underlying notion is of "pushing, pressing," from Old English crudan, "press." More... | |