Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 26, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nuzzle
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Reporting the NegativeWhen we tell other people what someone else told us, it is called "indirect speech" or "reported speech." When we are reporting negative information, how do we know where to put the negating "not" or "never"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Billie HolidayAffectionately known as "Lady Day," Billie Holiday is considered one of the greatest vocalists in jazz history as well as one of its most tragic figures. Known for her haunting rendition of the song "Strange Fruit," Holiday began singing professionally in 1930 and embarked on a successful solo career in 1940. However, Holiday's drug and alcohol addiction and abuse at the hands of men took a toll on both her health and her voice, and she died in 1959 at the age of 44. What was her real name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Soviet Union Officially Dissolves (1991)In December 1991, a series of events spelled the end of the Soviet Union—and each has been put forth as the date the Union truly broke up. On December 8, the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus declared the Soviet Union dissolved. Two weeks later, on December 21, representatives of most of the remaining Soviet states signed an agreement confirming the dissolution. On December 25, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned from office. The following day, what final step was taken? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Steve Allen (1921)The son of vaudeville performers, Allen got his start as a comedian on radio in the 1940s before moving to late-night television. He created and hosted The Tonight Show and The Steve Allen Show in the 1950s and appeared in numerous other programs, earning a reputation as the father of TV talk shows. He also composed thousands of songs, wrote more than 50 books, and appeared in films such as The Benny Goodman Story. What minor accident led to Allen's death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The doctrine of innate ideas is one of the most admirable faiths of philosophy, being itself an innate idea and therefore inaccessible to disproof...Among innate ideas may be mentioned the belief...in the greatness of one's country, in the superiority of one's civilization, in the importance of one's personal affairs, and in the interesting nature of one's diseases.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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bless your pointy little head— A condescending phrase used to patronize someone for being foolish or not very bright. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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_in_Dingle%2c_Co_Kerry.jpg) St. Stephen's Day (Ireland) (2017)On this day in c. 35, St. Stephen became the first Christian martyr. He was denounced as a blasphemer by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council in ancient Palestine, and stoned to death. In many countries, St. Stephen's Day is celebrated as an extra Christmas holiday. In Ireland, boys with blackened faces carrying a paper wren go about begging and "hunting the wren." The hunting of the wren is most likely a carryover from an old belief that the robin, symbolizing the New Year, killed the wren, symbolizing the Old, at the turning of the year. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: interestedacquisitive - Means "very interested in acquiring money or material things." More... athenaeum - Can refer to "an association of persons interested in scientific and literary pursuits, meeting for the purpose of mutual improvement," or a reading room or library. More... speed dating - A type of matchmaking service in which participants meet for seven to eight minutes each before moving on to another participant, ultimately making a list of those they are interested in dating. More... imparlibidinous - When one partner is more interested in sex than the other, their relationship is imparlibidinous. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Birds learn from each other's 'disgust,' enabling insects to evolve bright colorsMany animals have evolved to stand out. Bright colours are easy to spot, but they warn predators off by signalling toxicity or foul taste. Yet if every individual predator has to eat colourful prey to learn this unappetising lesson, it's a puzzle how conspicuous ... More... | |