Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, February 6, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cleaver
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "Must" to Convey CertaintyThe modal verb "must" can be used to indicate that something is certain or very likely to happen or be true. Generally speaking, though, we do not use the negative of must ("must not" or "mustn't") to express a negative certainty or strong disbelief. What do we use instead? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Brain MushroomDespite its recognized toxicity, the false morel mushroom Gyromitra esculenta is a popular delicacy in Europe, especially in Scandinavia. Also called a "brain mushroom" because it looks like a dark red brain, it can be deadly if it is not carefully and thoroughly cooked or dried. Some experts advise boiling and rinsing it twice to draw out the toxin, but even this process can be dangerous, as the toxin can build up in the air when boiled. Why do some deny that the mushroom is poisonous? 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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 We must have ideals and try to live up to them, even if we never quite succeed. Life would be a sorry business without them. With them it's grand and great.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not know (someone) from a bar of soap— To be completely unaware of or know nothing about someone; to have never met the person indicated. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Sàmi National Holiday (2021)The Sàmi people are indigenous to the arctic area of the Nordic countries. February 6 is recognized as Sàmi National Holiday in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. This day is full of activities that celebrate the Sàmi culture. First celebrated in 1993, it has become a popular event and a time for the indigenous Sàmi people to celebrate their cultural identity. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shouthue and cry - Somewhat redundant, as hue means "shout, make an outcry"; hue and cry was a medieval law requiring that all citizens within earshot give chase to a fleeing criminal. More... jubilate - From a Latin word meaning "shout for joy." More... slogan - From Scottish-Gaelic slaugh, "army," and gairm, "shout"—since the first slogans were actually battle cries. More... claim - The etymological notion behind claim is "calling out," from Latin clamare, "cry out, shout." More... | |