Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 4, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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indubitable
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs of PlaceAdverbs of place tell us about an aspect of location associated with the action of a verb, specifying the direction, distance, movement, or position involved. Because adverbs of place are specific to actions of verbs, they cannot be used to modify adverbs or adjectives—with one exception. What is it? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 H.M.Henry Molaison, better known as H.M., was an American memory disorder patient whose case played a key role in the development of theories regarding the link between brain function and memory. In 1953, after parts of his brain were removed to treat his otherwise intractable epilepsy, it was found that he was unable to form new long-term memories. He thus became the subject of numerous studies on brain function and amnesia. What did scientists learn about memory by studying H.M.? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Run of the Orient Express (1883)Synonymous with intrigue and luxury, the legendary Orient Express was a passenger train that ran from Paris to Istanbul for more than 80 years. Europe's first transcontinental express train, it covered over 1,700 miles (2,740 km), and its lavishly furnished cars became the symbol of glamour for Europeans. It was discontinued in 1977 and revived in 1982 to run between London and Venice as the "Venice Simplon Orient Express." An alluring backdrop for writers, the train line appears in what novels? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Damon Runyon (1884)Runyon was an American short story writer and journalist. He served in the Spanish-American War as a teenager and moved to New York in 1911, where he began to write humorous stories about the city's hoodlums, racketeers, bookies, and other underworld characters. The stories are written in a picturesque, slangy journalistic idiom often referred to as "Runyonese" or "Runyonesque." What famous musical is based on a collection of his stories about a racy section of Broadway? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Influence, n.: In politics, a visionary quo given in exchange for a substantial quid.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have seen (one's) day— To be beyond one's prime; to be no longer useful, effective, or functional. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (2023)In Assisi, Italy, the feast of St. Francis commemorates the saint's transition to the afterlife. For two days the entire town is illuminated by oil lamps burning consecrated oil brought from a different Italian town each year. A parchment in St. Francis's handwriting is taken to the top of the Santa Maria degli Angeli basilica and the people are blessed by the pope's representative. In the United States, people bring their pets to church to be blessed on St. Francis's feast day, because of his love for animals as expressed in his Canticle of Creatures. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: magicianmagus - A person regarded as having great wisdom or powers likened to those of a magician. More... archimage - A great magician, from Greek archi-, "chief, principal," and Latin magus, "magician." More... fascinate, fascinator - Fascinate is derived from Latin fascinare, "to bewitch or enchant," and a fascinator was a magician. More... mage, magian - Mage and magian are two other ways to say magician. More... | |