Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, November 25, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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grinder
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Second-Person PronounsWe use the second-person pronouns to indicate those who are being addressed directly by the speaker. Unlike first-person pronouns, there is not a distinction between singular and plural second-person pronouns, except in what form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Oracle BonesOracle bones—often the shoulder blades of oxen or turtles’ shells—were used for divination during China's Shang dynasty, which dates to the 18th century BCE. They were inscribed with questions, then heated to produce cracks from which answers were somehow derived. A small number of them are inscribed with the answers to their questions and eventual outcomes. The inscriptions are some of the earliest examples of Chinese writing. When they were first discovered, what were they believed to be? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap Begins Its Record-Breaking Run (1952)When The Mousetrap opened in London, Christie, a legendary mystery author, predicted her play would run for just eight months. However, its initial run never ended, and it is now the longest-running play in the world. The murder mystery has been performed more than 24,000 times and is a popular tourist attraction. At the end of each performance, the audience is asked not to reveal the play's notorious twist ending. Who owns the rights to the play, and how did he get them? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Virgil Thomson (1896)An influential American music critic and composer, Thomson studied in Paris. There, he met Gertrude Stein, with whom he wrote the operas Four Saints in Three Acts and The Mother of Us All. He also wrote several film scores. As music critic for New York's Herald Tribune, he delivered gracefully written criticism that was respected for its concern with music rather than the performers. What unusual method of composition was Thomson known for reviving? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We called him Tortoise because he taught us.Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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temper tantrum— An extreme and childish display of unreasonable anger, frustration, or distemper. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Catherine's Day (Estonia) (2025)Estonian folklorists believe that the customs associated with Kadripäev, or St. Catherine's Day, may date back to pre-Christian times. The holiday is strongly associated with women and their traditional activities, such as herding. People dress up in light-colored clothing, symbolizing winter's snow, and visit their neighbors, singing songs and offering blessings for the family's animals. In return, householders offer them cloth, wool, or food. An old superstition connected with the day forbade such activities as shearing as a means of protecting the sheep. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: witchtroll - Originally a witch or sorceress. More... fly-by-night - Said to be an old term of reproach to a woman signifying that she was a witch, and was extended to "anyone who departs hastily from a recent activity," especially while owing money. More... hag - First meant "witch." More... witch - In Old English, it was actually wicca and originally (c. 890) was a man who practiced magic or sorcery, who we now call a wizard; by the year 1000, witch came to be defined as "a female magician or sorceress." More... | |