Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 22, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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silver-tongued
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Idioms that End with "Off"Many idioms end with the preposition "off." Some examples include "drop off" and "take off." What are some others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 NickelodeonsIn the early days of motion pictures, screenings were part of vaudeville shows and arcades. However, in 1902, a California shop that showed only moving pictures had great success. Soon, "movie houses" were springing up nationwide. The first movie theater, complete with luxurious accessories and a piano, was built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1905. A nickel was charged for admission, and the theater was called the nickelodeon. In general, how long were the films screened at nickelodeons? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Earth Day Celebrated (1970)The first Earth Day was organized in 1970 to promote ecological ideas, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight growing concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water. Earth Day is now observed in more than 140 nations with outdoor performances, exhibits, street fairs, and television programs that focus on environmental issues. In 1990, Earth Day was marked by an "International Peace Climb," in which climbers from the US, Soviet Union, and China scaled what peak together? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Henry Fielding (1707)Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his humor and satire. He settled in London in 1729 and began writing comedies, farces, and burlesques, including Tom Thumb. Two of his satires attacked the Walpole government and provoked the Licensing Act of 1737, which initiated censorship of the stage and ended his career as a playwright. He thereupon turned to writing novels, publishing his most popular work, Tom Jones, in 1749. Why did he travel to Portugal in 1754? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I'll give you my opinion of the human race in a nutshell...their heart's in the right place, but their head is a thoroughly inefficient organ.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(in) up to (one's) eye(ball)s— Extremely busy; deeply involved or engrossed (in or with something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Peppercorn Ceremony (2024)This ceremony has been a tradition on the island of Bermuda since 1816, when a lease to the State House in St. George was granted to the common council of St. George in trust by the members of the Masonic Lodge for the annual rent of one peppercorn. On the day of the Peppercorn Ceremony, the governor of Bermuda arrives at the State House in a horse-drawn carriage and receives a key to the State House. The rent of one peppercorn is delivered on a velvet pillow, and members of the Executive Council proceed to the State House for their meeting. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pointedapothegm - A terse, pointed saying or pithy maxim; it is pronounced AP-uh-them and may also be spelled apophthegm. More... downward-facing dog - Also called downward dog, it is a yoga pose in which the hands and feet are on the floor and one's rear end is pointed up so that the body is in an upside-down V. More... fastigate - To make pointed. More... innuendo - Latin for "by nodding at, pointing to," or "intimating," from in-, "toward," and nuere, "nod." More... | |