Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 19, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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afflict
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Nominalization (Creating Nouns)Nominalization is the creation of a noun from a verb or adjective. Most of the time, nouns are created from other parts of speech through the use of suffixes. What suffix is added to a verb to make a gerund? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ElamElam was an ancient country situated in what is today western Iran. The Elamite population was neither Sumerian nor Semitic, and their language—unrelated to any other—survives in a copious cuneiform literature. Elam seems to have maintained its independence through numerous invasions and counter-invasions, and a distinct Elamite culture flourished from the 13th century BCE. Though Elam was eventually absorbed in the rise of Persia, its culture persisted. What religion did the Elamites practice? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Original FIFA World Cup Trophy Is Stolen (1983)The World Cup has been held every fourth year since 1930, except during WWII. The international soccer tournament's original prize was officially renamed the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1946 in honor of the former Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) president, who stipulated that the first team to win the World Cup three times could keep the trophy in perpetuity. Brazil earned this right in 1970, but, in 1983, the trophy was stolen while on display there. Was it ever recovered? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Édith Piaf (1915)Encouraged by her father, a circus acrobat, Édith Giovanna Gassion began singing in the streets of Paris at age 15. She was eventually discovered by a cabaret owner who gave her her first nightclub job, taught her the basics of stage presence, and suggested she change her name to Piaf, Parisian slang for "sparrow." As her popularity grew, she began performing in clubs across Europe and the Americas and appeared in several films. How did she allegedly aid French prisoners of war during WWII? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Patriotism is like charity—it begins at home.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hog (something)— To take or use something all for oneself; to not allow others to have or use something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Opalia (2023)The ancient Roman fertility goddess Ops was known by several different names—among them Rhea, Cybele, Bona Dea, Magna Mater, Thya, and Tellus. She married Saturn and was the mother of Jupiter. She is usually portrayed as a matron, with a loaf of bread in her left hand and her right hand opened as if offering assistance. Not much is known about what actually took place during the Opalia, but it appears that women played an important role in the festival. Because Ops was a fertility goddess, she was often invoked by touching the earth. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: smokingstogie, stogy - A stogie (or stogy) is named for the Conestoga wagon—as drivers of the wagons rolled tobacco into thin ropes for smoking on long trips; stogies are now long, thin cigars. More... cigar - Comes from Spanish cigarro, from the Mayan verb sik'ar, "to smoke" or "smoking." More... dottle - Any tobacco left in a pipe after smoking. More... pipe dream - Originated with opium smoking. More... | |