Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, March 7, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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chiffonier
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Expressing Equality Using "As … As"One way of expressing similarities, differences, or changes with comparative adverbs is by using the structure "as … as." What construction do we use to describe two things as equal? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Chekhov's GunChekhov's gun is a literary technique in which a seemingly insignificant element is introduced early in a story and later becomes crucial to the plot. It is named for famed Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, who felt strongly that any object introduced in a story must be used, or it should not be featured in the first place. The technique has remained popular and is widely used in modern literature, film, and television. What popular fantasy novels frequently feature this plot device? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. (1994)Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was a landmark US Supreme Court case on intellectual property in which the court reviewed whether a parody of Roy Orbison's song, "Oh, Pretty Woman," by a rap group violated the Copyright Act of 1976. The court of appeals held that the parody did not constitute fair use, but the Supreme Court disagreed, holding that the commercial character of the song did not create a presumption that the parody violated fair use. What rap group recorded the parody? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondrian (1872)Mondrian was a Dutch painter whose work foreshadowed the rise of abstract art in the 1940s and 1950s. He went to Paris in 1910 where he developed his geometric, nonobjective style, which he called neoplasticism. It is characterized by the elimination of sensuality from artwork and the restriction of pictorial language to its most basic elements—the straight line, primary colors, and the neutrals of black, white, and gray. Along with Theo van Doesburg, Mondrian was a leader of what art movement? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any relation.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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I shudder to think— It is too worrying or unpleasant for me to think about something that might happen or might have happened. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Burbank Day (2024)The birthday of naturalist and plant breeder Luther Burbank (1849-1926) is observed in California in much the same way Arbor Day is observed in other states—that is, with activities promoting the value of natural resources and the protection of trees and birds. Burbank moved from his native Massachusetts to Santa Rosa, California, in 1875 and spent the rest of his life there experimenting with new varieties of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. On March 7, a birthday and Arbor Day celebration is held at the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: countryemancipate - Means "to free from legal, political, social control or restraint by others," and "to free from bondage." The word's Latin elements are manus, "hand," and capere, "to take," and first meant "to release or set free." More... assassin - Thought by some to derive from an Arabic word meaning "hashish user," as members of an Islamic sect in various countries during the time of the Crusades (13th century) ate hashish to intoxicate themselves before setting out to assasinate enemy leaders. More... patriot - Greek pater, "father," led to Latin patriota, "fellow countryman," which was the original meaning of patriot when it came into English in the late 1500s. More... country, nation - Both came into English c. 1330 and tend to be used interchangeably. Country comes from Latin contrata (terra), "the landscape in front of one, the landscape lying opposite to the view." Nation is from Latin nation-/natio, "race, class of person." More... | |