Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 23, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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smarmy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Phrasal VerbsPhrasal verbs are verb phrases that have idiomatic meanings—that is, their meaning is not obvious from the individual words that make up the phrase. What parts of speech typically make up a phrasal verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ChameleonsChameleons have laterally flattened bodies and bulging, independently rotating eyes. They are variously ornamented with crests, horns, and spines. They feed chiefly on insects and are unique among lizards in possessing long, sticky tongues with which they capture their prey. Their changes in skin color are under hormonal and nervous control and are not affected by the color of the background but by stimuli such as light, temperature, and emotion. "Chameleon" is derived from what Greek words? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Video Uploaded to YouTube (2005)One of the most well-known examples of meteoric success on the Internet, the highly popular video sharing website YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim in 2005. The next year, it was acquired by Google for $1.65 billion. Within a few years, more than 25 quadrillion bytes of videos were being streamed from the site each month from myriad sources, amateur and professional alike. However, it all started with a single video, uploaded in April 2005, titled what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Stephen A. Douglas (1813)Short and heavyset, Douglas was dubbed "the Little Giant" for his oratorical skill. In 1858, he engaged in a number of widely publicized debates with Abraham Lincoln in a close contest for the Senate seat in Illinois. The Democrats nominated Douglas for president in 1860, but a splinter group of Southerners chose a different nominee, which divided the Democratic vote and gave the presidency to Lincoln. What extraordinary gesture was Douglas said to have offered at Lincoln's inauguration in 1861? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors!Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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breach of etiquette— A violation of established social norms or expectations, especially as relates to polite society or specific professions. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. George's Day (2021)Nothing much is known for certain about St. George, but the patron saint of England is popularly known in medieval legend for slaying a vicious dragon that was besieging a town in Cappadocia. When the people saw what had happened, they were converted to Christianity. To this day, St. George is often depicted with a dragon. St. George's Day, sometimes referred to as Georgemas, has been observed as a religious feast as well as a holiday since the 13th century. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: summitcolophon - A crowning or finishing touch, from Greek kolophon, "summit" or "finishing stroke." More... knoll - The summit or rounded top of a mountain or hill, it seems to derive from Old Teutonic knoo-lo, meaning "ball, clod, knot." More... acrobat - Derived from Greek akrobatos, "walking on tiptoe," from Greek akron, "summit," and baino, "walk." More... | |