Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 26, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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half-baked
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining MitigatorsMitigators, a subset of adverbs of degree, are adverbs or adverbials that modify adjectives and adverbs to reduce their intensity, making them seem less extreme or powerful. "Slightly" is an example of a mitigator. What are some others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Reductio ad HitlerumReductio ad Hitlerum is a type of modern logical fallacy. Derived from the well-known logical argument called reductio ad absurdum, the phrase was coined in 1950 by political philosopher Leo Strauss, who noted the increasing trend of trying to discredit views or practices simply because they are said to have been shared by Hitler. Use of the tactic often derails arguments, since such comparisons distract from the debate. Engaging in this fallacy is sometimes known as playing what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Steamship RMS Queen Mary Is Launched (1934)Construction on the Queen Mary ocean liner began in Scotland in 1930. In 1934, British King George V's consort, Queen Mary, christened the ship in her own name. Operated by the Cunard Line, the glamorous luxury ship carried passengers between New York and England for decades—except during World War II, when it was painted grey and converted to carry troops. In the 1960s, air travel rendered transatlantic passenger ships obsolete, and the Queen Mary was retired. Where is it now? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot (1888)Eliot was an American-British poet and critic and an immensely distinguished literary figure who, from the 1920s on, was the most influential English-language modernist poet. His early poems, such as "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Waste Land," express the anguish and barrenness of modern life and the isolation of the individual. In his later poetry, he turned from spiritual desolation to hope for human salvation. What book by Eliot is the basis for the musical Cats? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Very few reputations are gained by unsullied virtue.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be cleaned out— To be emptied or devoid of money, food, resources, etc. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cure Salée (2020)The Tuareg, a largely nomadic ethnic group found primarily in Algeria, Niger, Mali, and Libya, converge with their camels and cattle on a place known as Ingal just after the first rains of the season arrive. The Salt Festival takes its name from the salt contained in the new grass, which is essential to the animals' diet. Each Tuareg group participating in the Cure Salée follows a very specific transhumance or seasonal migration route, some traveling hundreds of miles. The return of the rains is also celebrated with dancing, singing, and camel races. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: ignoreflout, flaunt - Flout means "defy, ignore" and flaunt means "show off." More... ignore, disregard - Ignore is properly used of things that are present in one's surroundings; for things like rules, conventions, stipulations, and contracts, the right word is disregard. More... stet - Latin for "let it stand," a notation to ignore a correction made to a text. More... | |