Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 3, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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pretermit
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositions that Describe PerformanceWhen we describe how well someone does something, we often use the verb phrase "is good" followed by the preposition "at." However, if we use the verb phrase "does well," what preposition do we use? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Khayr ad-Din BarbarossaBarbarossa was a 16th-century Greek-born Turkish corsair who terrorized the Mediterranean, raiding numerous coastal cities in Spain, Italy, and along North Africa's Barbary Coast. He offered allegiance to the Ottoman sultan in return for aid that enabled him to capture Algiers, which he then placed under Turkish control. He was made admiral of the Ottoman Empire, conquered Tunisia, and secured the eastern Mediterranean for the Turks for 33 years. How do Turkish seamen honor his memory today? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Former Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega Surrenders to US (1990)The reign of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega had been rife with turmoil, corruption, and diplomatic tension with the US, and his decision to void the results of the 1989 Panamanian presidential election, which had been won by a US-backed candidate, brought matters to a head. That December, US President George H.W. Bush sent troops to depose him. Noriega initially went into hiding, but he surrendered days later and was taken to Miami to face drug trafficking charges. Where had he been hiding? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Anna May Wong (1905)One of the first Chinese-American movie stars, Wong played her first leading role, at age 17, in The Toll of the Sea. At that time, most Asian character roles were played by white actors in "yellowface." As a result, Wong was frequently passed over for leading roles due to the anti-miscegenation laws that prevented her from sharing an on-screen kiss with a white actor. Nevertheless, her acting skills and impeccable fashion sense made her a star. How was she received in China? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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jaw away— To talk incessantly and/or at great length. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ball-Catching Festival (2021)This 500-year-old tradition, said to have its roots in the legend of a dragon god (Ryujin) offering two balls to the Empress Jingu (170–269), takes place each year in Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka City, Japan. Two teams of Japanese men, wearing only loincloths (fundoshi), compete for a ball that weighs about 18 pounds; these teams consist of the Land Team, made up of farmers who work the fields, and the Sea team, composed of fishermen. A Shinto priest awaits the winner to hand him the ball—the size of the harvest or of the catch during the new year is determined by which team wins. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: thickfoggy, fog - Foggy first meant "covered with a grass; mossy; boggy," as fog first meant "coarse grass" and evolved to mean "thick, murky" in relation to atmosphere. More... riley - Has two meanings: thick and turbid, or angry and irritable. More... baobab tree - Is so thick—up to 30 feet across—that some African tribes hollow them out so families can live inside. More... | |