Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 13, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ballyhoo
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Infinitives as Non-Finite VerbsAn infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. It is "unmarked" (which means that it is not conjugated for tense or person), and it is preceded by the particle "to." Infinitives are also known as non-finite verbs. What does that mean? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 OcherAmong the earliest pigments used by mankind, ocher has a yellow-orange to orange color and is made of varying proportions of iron oxide and clay. The world's first known works of art, found in South Africa’s Blombos Cave and dated to 75,000 years ago, consist of ocher pieces engraved with abstract designs, and Cro-Magnon artists living about 10,000 to 40,000 years ago used ocher in their cave paintings. The 2nd-century BCE Egyptian Ebers Papyrus lists what non-artistic use for ocher? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Council of Trent Convened (1545)The Council of Trent made sweeping reforms to the Catholic Church over 18 years, eliminating many abuses criticized in the Protestant Reformation. Convened by Pope Paul III at Trento, Italy—28 years after Martin Luther issued his 95 Theses—the council fixed the canon of the Old and New Testaments, set the number of sacraments at seven, defined the nature of original sin, and confirmed the doctrine of transubstantiation. How many years was it until the next ecumenical council? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Emily Carr (1871)Now considered an icon of Canadian art, Carr did not receive widespread recognition for her work until later in life. She primarily painted indigenous-themed or landscape scenes, and she was relatively unknown until her work was featured in a 1927 exhibition at the National Gallery, when she was in her 50s. Carr continued to paint thereafter but had to reduce her artistic output in her 70s due to health concerns. Instead, Carr began to pursue what other talent for which she is also remembered? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is impossible for good or evil to last for ever; and hence it follows that the evil having lasted long, the good must be now nigh at hand.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mixed signal— A signal, message, or communication that has, or is interpreted as having, multiple, ambiguous, or contradictory meanings. (Often plural.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Lucy's Day (2021)According to tradition, St. Lucy, or Santa Lucia, was born in Syracuse, Sicily, in the 3rd or 4th century. Her day is widely celebrated in Sweden as Luciadagen, which marks the official beginning of the Christmas season. It is traditional to observe Luciadagen by dressing the oldest daughter in the family in a white robe tied with a crimson sash. Candles are set into her crown, which is covered with lingonberry leaves. The "Lucia Bride" wakes each member of the household on the morning of December 13 with a tray of coffee and special saffron buns or ginger cookies. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pupileleve - A French term used for a pupil or scholar. More... indocible - Means unteachable as a pupil. More... pupil - From Latin pupilla, it first meant "orphan, ward, minor." More... apple of his eye - Results from the fact that the pupil of the eye was called the "apple" in earlier English because it was thought to be a solid sphere. More... | |