Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 6, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cheapjack
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Em DashWhen we refer to dashes, we are usually referring to em dashes. In appearance, an em dash is slightly longer than an en dash, approximately the width of a capital M. What is the em dash primarily used to indicate? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Mixed Martial ArtsMixed martial arts (MMA), or cage fighting, is a combat sport incorporating various fighting techniques. Professional bouts began in the US in the 1990s and were in the style of vale tudo—"anything goes" in Portuguese—but as MMA gained more mainstream popularity, some safety rules were adopted. Though it is often seen as brutal, MMA may actually be safer than boxing because it results in fewer knockouts. How many deaths have been attributed to injuries sustained in sanctioned MMA events? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Drive-In Theater Opens in New Jersey (1933)The drive-in theater was the creation of New Jersey chemical company magnate Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. In 1932, Hollingshead nailed a screen to trees in his backyard and set a projector on the hood of his car. After applying for a patent for his creation, Hollingshead opened the first drive-in the next year. Though it only operated for three years, the concept soon caught on in other states. How many drive-ins are estimated to have existed in the US at the height of their popularity? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799)Among the giants of Russian literature, Pushkin was a poet and writer whose masterpieces include the poem The Bronze Horseman, the drama The Stone Guest, and his verse novel Eugene Onegin, which contains witty descriptions of 19th-century Russian society. Pushkin established the modern poetic language of Russia, using Russian history for the basis of many works, but his career was cut short when he died after a duel with a young Frenchman. How old was he when he died? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I hold every man a debtor to his profession; from the which as men of course do seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavor themselves, by way of amends, to be a help and ornament thereunto.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be potty about (something)— To be very excited or enthusiastic (about something). Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 D-Day (2023)This day marks the start of the Allied invasion of occupied France in 1944, which led to the final defeat of Hitler's Germany the following May. About 3,000 ships transported 130,000 British, Canadian, and American troops across the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy. Airborne troops began parachuting into Normandy at 15 minutes past midnight on June 6, and Landing Craft Transports plowed through the surf to spill troops onto the beaches. About 10,000 troops were killed or wounded that day. Each year, simple ceremonies at the Normandy cemeteries commemorate the men who fell. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shotshot - Referring to a fluid dram of liquor, the term is fairly new, dating to 1928 (PG Wodehouse). More... deadline - Originally a Civil War term for a line that marked the distance a prisoner could go before being shot on sight. More... schuss - A straight downhill ski run, it is literally German for "a shot." More... beside the point - The expression is from ancient archery, and literally means one's shot is wide of the target. More... | |