Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 17, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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labyrinthine
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Relative ClausesRelative clauses (also known as adjective clauses or adjectival clauses) are dependent clauses that provide descriptive information about a noun or noun phrase. What introduces a relative clause? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 DerringersThe term "derringer" derives from a misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer, a famous maker of small pocket pistols in the 1800s. Deringer's popular design was copied by gun makers across the globe, and "derringer" soon became a generic term for any pocket pistol. Derringers, which are usually the smallest handguns of a given caliber, are especially popular among women because they can be easily concealed in a purse or stocking. What notorious assassin used an original Deringer pistol? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project: First Docking of Russian and US Spacecrafts (1975)The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint flight of the US and Soviet space programs. Its primary purpose was symbolic, to show that the two superpowers were easing the tensions of their Space Race. The two mission commanders exchanged the first international handshake in space through the open hatch of the Soyuz. Though American Deke Slayton had been selected for the Mercury mission in the 1950s, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was his first flight into space. Why did he have to wait? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ismail I (1487)The young Ismail I went into hiding after his father's death and emerged at age 14 to proclaim himself Shah of Iran. Despite his youth, he was able to reunify Iran and establish the Safavid Empire, which remained intact until 1736. Ismail converted Iran from the Sunni to the Shi'a sect of Islam, drawing the ire of Selim I, the Sunni sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who wrote Ismail belligerent letters before invading Iran. Ismail was also a prolific poet who wrote under what pseudonym? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge.L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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look (someone) off— In sports, especially American football, to mislead an opponent with one's eyes as to one's intentions in a given play. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 King's Birthday (Lesotho) (2021)Veneration for royalty is still customary for the Basotho, the majority group living in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Accordingly, the birthday of monarch King Letsie III is a momentous occasion. Born in 1963, King Letsie is the son of King Moshoeshoe II, who became Lesotho's first monarch after the country gained full independence from Great Britain in 1966. Many citizens honor the king on his birthday by attending his parade, at which he appears in regal attire and is usually accompanied by his wife, Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: snubsneb - A reprimand or a snub. More... avert - Etymologically, it means "to turn away": blows can be averted, but not pain; a snub can be averted, but not a humiliation; violence can be averted, but not damage. More... cold shoulder - This term for a snub started when people overstayed their welcome and were served cold beef shoulder, rather than hot food. More... snouch - To snouch someone is to snub or treat with scorn. More... | |