Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 6, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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denizen
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Regular and Irregular VerbsRegular verbs form the past simple tense and past participle the same way (-d or -ed), while irregular verbs do not adhere to a distinct or predictable pattern. What common verb is known as a "highly irregular" verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ObscurantismFrom the Latin word for darkening—obscurans—comes obscurantism, referring to the practice of deliberately withholding information. This may be done either by concealing facts or—in literature and art—by using an intentionally vague style. The term derives from a 16th-century satire about the dispute between Jew-turned-Dominican friar Johannes Pfefferkorn, who sought to destroy all Jewish texts, and his humanist opponent Johann Reuchlin. Who gave Pfefferkorn permission to burn the works? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Dalton Gang Holds Up Its First Train (1891)After US Marshall Frank Dalton was killed in the line of duty, three of his nine brothers—Bob, Grat, and Emmett—became lawmen themselves. However, they soon decided that they preferred the other side of the law. Aided by another Dalton brother, Bill, the gang held up its first train in 1891. It did not go well. Undeterred, the brothers embarked on a train-robbing spree across much of the western US, which ended when the townspeople of Coffeyville, Kansas, saw through what unsuccessful disguise? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mary Leakey (1913)The daughter of an artist, Leakey had little formal education, but her love of archaeology led her to work on excavations, initially as an illustrator. Digging in Africa—often with her husband, fellow archaeologist Louis Leakey—she made some of anthropology's most significant finds, including a 20-million-year-old skull and a set of hominid footprints preserved in volcanic ash. When she was a youth, what incident resulted in her being expelled from a convent school for the second time? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss.Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a lot on (one's) plate— A lot to do. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Sapporo Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri) (2023)This exuberant celebration of snow and ice has been held since 1950 in Sapporo, the capital city Hokkaido. The week's activities feature a colorful parade and competitive events in winter sports, as well as a display of colossal snow sculptures along the main street and in Odori Park. The sculptures are spectacular—intricately carved and often several stories high. About three weeks before the festival, a wooden frame is built and packed with snow; after the snow has hardened the frame is removed and the carving begins. A different theme is chosen each year for the sculptures. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: peapeanut - Takes its name from its resemblance to peas in a pod and has these synonyms: pinda, goober, groundnut, ground pea, earthnut, and monkey nut; "peanut" appeared in the early 19th century. It is not a nut but a legume (pea). More... pisiform - Shaped like a pea. More... | |