Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, March 19, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ethnic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Adverbial NounsAdverbial nouns are nouns or noun phrases that function grammatically as adverbs to modify verbs and certain adjectives. Why are they sometimes referred to as "adverbial objectives"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The GlyptodonAn ancient relative of the armadillo, the Glyptodon was a large, armored, herbivorous mammal that that lived during the Pleistocene epoch and became extinct just 10,000 years ago. Covered by a protective shell composed of more than 1,000 one-inch-thick bony plates, the Glyptodon also possessed a bony cap on its skull and a ring of bones on its tail for protection. Slow moving, it was approximately the same size and weight as what kind of car? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, Murdered by His Own Men (1687)La Salle was a celebrated French explorer of North America. He began exploring the Great Lakes in 1679, setting up forts in the region and organizing a federation of native American tribes to fight the Iroquois. Given power to colonize the region between Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico, he set sail in 1684 for the mouth of the Mississippi River, which he was ultimately unable to locate. Beset by losses of men and ships, La Salle was killed by mutineers after having mistakenly landed where? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Richard Frances Burton (1821)Burton lived a life of adventure and scandal as an explorer, translator, fencer, ethnologist, poet, and spy. He spoke at least 25 languages and put these skills to use translating works like the Arabian Nights and Kama Sutra into English. His linguistic skills also helped him pass himself off as a Muslim so that he could visit the forbidden holy cities of Mecca and Medina. After he died, his wife burned 40 years' worth of his diaries. What caused the distinctive scars on his face? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Money and goods are certainly the best of references.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be rushed off (one's) feet— To be exceptionally busy, especially to an exhausting or exasperating degree; to be made to work very hard and very quickly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 San José Day Festival (2022)The San José Day Festival at Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, used to take place only on St. Joseph's Day, March 19. Today it is also celebrated on September 19, when freshly harvested crops can be sold and festivities enjoyed in the summer weather. The fiesta's events reflect both traditional Laguna events and the Roman Catholic influence common to the pueblos. There are Catholic masses and processions honoring St. Joseph as well as traditional Laguna dancing. Attendees, including other native peoples, can also enjoy a carnival with rides, numerous food stands, and sporting events. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: voteco-opt - "To select (someone) for a group or club by a vote of members," it is from Latin cooptare, "to choose as a colleague or member of one's tribe"; its sense of "take over" came by 1953. More... ostracism - In ancient Greece, when it was proposed that a person be sent into exile, a vote was taken and the method of registering the vote involved putting the name on a piece of broken pottery called ostrakon; casting the vote was ostrakizein, giving us English ostracism. More... red state, blue state - A red state is any U.S. state that tends to vote for candidates of the Republican party in a general election; a blue state votes for Democratic candidates. More... chirotonize - To elect by voting or to vote. More... | |