Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, July 31, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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harbor
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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IntensifiersIntensifiers are adverbs or adverbials that modify adjectives and other adverbs to increase their strength, power, or intensity. What are some examples of intensifiers? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 KnucklebonesNow known as the game of jacks, knucklebones is an ancient pastime played with five small objects—originally the knucklebones of a sheep—which are thrown into the air and caught in various ways. To win, one must complete a prescribed series of throws and catches—many of which have distinctive names like "riding the elephant"—while also carrying out tasks like picking up stones from a surface. The origin of knucklebones is closely connected to that of what other game? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Daniel Defoe Placed in a Pillory (1703)Although Defoe achieved literary immortality with the novel Robinson Crusoe and is called the father of modern journalism, he also produced eloquent, witty, often audacious tracts on public affairs during his prolific writing career. After Defoe's publication of a pamphlet that ruthlessly satirized the High Church Tories, he was arrested and placed in a pillory. According to legend, what did Defoe's pillory audience throw at him instead of the customary harmful and noxious objects? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 J.K. Rowling (1965)Joanne Kathleen Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter book series, which has been credited with sparking an interest in reading at a time when children were thought to be abandoning books. She parlayed the series into a global brand, including the popular movie adaptations, worth an estimated $15 billion. All seven volumes of the series have broken sales records, and the last four have been the fastest-selling books in history. Where was Rowling when she first conceived the story? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We love flattery even though we are not deceived by it, because it shows that we are of importance enough to be courted.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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winning ways— One's charming, endearing, or likeable personality or demeanor. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jamaica Festival (2022)Originally called the Independence Festival of Jamaica because it ended on Jamaica's Independence Day, the Jamaica Festival emphasizes the cultural roots, conservation, and revival of traditional art forms by ethnic groups—particularly music, dance, and games of African origin—as well as nurturing contemporary arts. Competitions determine who will perform each year, the categories of which include fine art, photo, and culinary exhibits, music, dance, plays, and literary readings. The festival has been held in Kingston, Montego Bay, and elsewhere on the island since 1963. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: huskbeer nut - A peanut served with its husk but not its shell. More... brown sugar, brown rice - Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined; brown rice is unpolished with only the husk removed. More... husk - A shortening of Dutch huisken, "little house." More... paddy - As in "field," it is from a Malay word meaning "rice in the straw or husk" (making rice paddy redundant). More... | |