Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, October 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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poltroon
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Aspects of the Past TenseWe use different aspects with verbs in the past tense to describe exactly how an event is structured in relation to a point in time in the past. When is the past perfect continuous used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 False FriendsFalse friends are words that look or sound the same in different languages but have different meanings. Unlike false cognates, which are completely unrelated, false friends may have a shared origin. For example, gift has a far more sinister German meaning—poison—than it does in English, though both languages derive the word from the same Germanic root. How might a new Spanish speaker worsen her situation by mistakenly using the word embarazada to indicate that she is embarrassed? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Los Angeles Times Bombing (1910)In 1910, amidst the Los Angeles Times's editorial crusade against local unions, two brothers belonging to the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers bombed the newspaper's headquarters with dynamite. The resulting fire killed 21 newspaper employees and injured dozens more. The American Federation of Labor hired noted trial attorney Clarence Darrow to represent the brothers, James and Joseph McNamara, who eventually pleaded guilty. What happened to them? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Annie Besant (1847)Besant was an English social reformer who, in 1889, embraced theosophy, a religious philosophy with mystical concerns. She served as international president of the Theosophical Society from 1907 until her death. After moving to India in 1893, she became an independence leader and established the Indian Home Rule League. She was president of the Indian National Congress in 1917 but later split with Gandhi. Besant lost custody of her children and was nearly imprisoned for publishing what in 1877? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When people ask for time, it's always for time to say no. Yes has one more letter in it, but it doesn't take half as long to say.Edith Wharton (1862-1937) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) hand out— To be in request, demand, or expectation of benefits, such as welfare, especially when undeserved or unneeded. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cyprus Independence Day (2023)Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain on August 16, 1960. On that day, British governor Hugh Foot departed amid much ceremony, and Greek Cypriot freedom fighters landed on a plane from Athens with a heroes' welcome. The new Cypriot president, Archbishop Makarios III (1913-1977), gave a speech inspiring Cypriots to improve their new nation. Independence Day is observed as a public holiday on October 1 each year. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mashed potatoeschampit tatties - Scottish for mashed potatoes. More... mashed potato, creamed potato, whipped potato - Creamed potato and whipped potato are synonyms for mashed potato. More... mashed potatoes - Used to be called Dutch potatoes or German potatoes. More... potato bread - A type of bread made with mashed potatoes. More... | |