Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, February 19, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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portmanteau
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Compound AdjectivesA compound adjective (also known as a compound modifier or a phrasal adjective) is created by two or more words that work jointly to modify the same noun. How are they usually joined together? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Boll WeevilThe boll weevil is a beetle that feeds on bolls, the seed-bearing capsules of cotton plants. Probably of Mexican or Central American origin, the boll weevil appeared in Texas about 1892, spread to most cotton-growing regions of the US, and eventually became responsible for the destruction of about 8% of the nation's annual cotton crop. Eradication programs begun in 1978 have proven successful in many states. Why did the citizens of Enterprise, Alabama, erect a monument to the pest in 1919? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Thomas Edison Patents the Phonograph (1878)Though his formal schooling was limited to just three months of instruction before he was ten years old, Edison was one of the most prolific inventors of his time. His work in improving telegraph technology—particularly his discovery of a method for recording telegraph messages—led Edison to suspect he could do similar things with sound. Within months, the first working model of his phonograph was ready. Why, according to Edison, was he "taken aback" when his invention worked on the first try? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Amy Tan (1952)Born in Oakland, California, to Chinese immigrants, Tan is an award-winning author whose novels focus on the lives of Asian-Americans and the complexities of intergenerational relationships, particularly those of mothers and daughters. Her best-selling novel The Joy Luck Club was based on the tragic experiences of her mother, who had years earlier fled an abusive marriage, though it meant leaving her three daughters behind in Shanghai. When did Tan finally meet her half-sisters? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The days...come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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Hallmark moment— A particularly poignant, memorable, or emotionally touching moment or event, i.e., one that would be suitable as a greeting card. A reference to the Hallmark brand of greeting cards. Sometimes used ironically or satirically. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin (2020)On February 19, 1942, Japanese bomber and fighter planes conducted a devastating air raid on the town of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory. As a tribute to honor the dead and those who defended Darwin, an annual commemoration is held in Bicentennial Park by the Cenotaph, a monument to those slain in World War I. At 9:58 a.m., the exact time the attack began, an air raid siren sounds. During some observances, Australian regiments will reenact the attack: ground units fire their guns, and fighter planes perform fly-bys over the memorial site. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: intellectheart - As the seat of feeling and intellect, heart has been used since around 825. More... intellect, intelligent - Intellect and intelligent come from Latin intelligere, "perceive" or "understand." More... intelligible - Means "understandable through the intellect." More... inwit - Usually means "an inner sense of right or wrong," but its more general meaning is "reason, intellect, understanding, or wisdom." More... | |