Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 5, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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wonted
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Slash vs. BackslashThe slash must not be confused with a backslash ( \ ), which is used in computer programming but not in written English. When a distinction between the two needs to be made, what is the slash sometimes called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 HummingbirdsHummingbirds are small New World birds that feed on insects and nectar, for which their long, slender bills are adapted. They have jewel-toned feathers whose prismatic construction iridesces in changing light and are usually seen hovering or darting, at speeds of up to 60 mph (97 km/h), their wings appearing blurred due to the rapidity of their beating. In flight, they have the highest metabolism of all animals but insects and must feed almost constantly to survive. What do they do at night? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Battle of Dogger Bank (1781)The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval battle that took place in the North Sea during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, which broke out over Dutch trade with Britain's enemies during the American Revolution. The battle is therefore considered part of the American War of Independence. The clash began after the British spotted and began to chase a Dutch merchant fleet being escorted by a convoy of warships. Both sides suffered significant casualties during the three-hour skirmish. Who emerged the victor? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Joseph Merrick, "The Elephant Man" (1862)Known as "The Elephant Man," Merrick was an Englishman who suffered from a severely disfiguring disease, mistakenly thought to have been elephantiasis, that caused growths all over his skin and bone surfaces and made it difficult for him to walk and speak. He escaped from a workhouse at 21 to join a freak show, where he was discovered by a physician who later admitted him to London Hospital. He was cared for there until his death at age 27. What rare syndrome likely caused his deformities? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Among all forms of mistake, prophecy is the most gratuitous.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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gun it— To accelerate or increase speed suddenly or rapidly; to travel or move very quickly. Usually said while traveling in an automobile. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hanagasa Odori Matsuri (2023)One of the largest festivals in the Tohoku region of Japan, Hanagasa Odori Matsuri is held in Yamagata on August 5-7. Thousands of dancers holding hanagasa, which are hats made out of bamboo or rush and decorated with flowers, dance through the city while spectators cheer them on. The rhythmic pulse of the hanagasa songs keeps the dancers moving together as they march down the city streets yelling "Yassho! Makasho!" and twirling their hats to the left, right, up, and down. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: housesginnel - A long narrow passage between houses. More... row house - Part of an unbroken line or series of houses. More... domal - Means of or pertaining to a house or houses. More... vicinal, vicinity - Vicinal, from Latin vicus, "group of houses," means "of or pertaining to a neighborhood"—hence, vicinity. More... | |