Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 26, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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caterwaul
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Direct ObjectsDirect objects are directly affected by the verbs they complete—that is, the verb's action is happening directly to them. What is the direct object in the following sentence? "The dog chased its tail." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Very Large TelescopeSet on a remote and inhospitable mountain in Chile's Atacama Desert, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is actually an array of four large telescopes. The telescopes can be operated together to achieve an angular resolution so precise that the array could theoretically be used to distinguish between the two headlights of a car on the Moon. The VLT captured the first image of a planet outside the solar system. What do the four telescopes' names mean in the local Mapudungun language? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The February 26 Incident (1936)The February 26 Incident was an attempted military coup in Japan launched by a radical faction of the Imperial Japanese Army that sought to stamp out corruption and poverty in rural Japan by assassinating certain elder statesmen. Before the coup was suppressed, the rebels managed to briefly occupy the center of Tokyo and kill several leading politicians, including the finance minister. The prime minister, however, survived thanks to a case of mistaken identity. Who was killed in his place? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Victor-Marie Hugo (1802)Hugo was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist. The son of a general, he was an accomplished poet before age 20. With his verse drama Cromwell in 1827, he emerged as an important figure in Romanticism. His best-known novels are The Hunchback of Notre Dame, an evocation of medieval life, and Les Misérables, the story of the convict Jean Valjean. Their immense popularity made him the most successful writer in the world at that time. Why was Hugo forced into exile in 1851? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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Faustian bargain— An agreement, bargain, or deal in which a person sacrifices or abandons their moral, ethical, or spiritual values in favor of wealth, power, or other benefits. A reference to the legend of Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for unlimited knowledge and power. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kuwait Liberation Day (2024)After Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's troops invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, several countries in the United Nations formed a military coalition—including troops and equipment from the US, France, and Britain—to force them out. Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, and, for five weeks, US and British air forces relentlessly bombed Baghdad. This was followed by four days of a ground war, which resulted in Hussein's troops leaving Kuwait. February 26 is a national holiday in Kuwait celebrating the end of Iraq's military presence in Kuwait. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: ranchbiscuit shooter - A waitress at a lunch counter or a cook on a ranch. More... dude, dude ranch - A dude is a city-dweller, especially one vacationing on a ranch—hence, dude ranch. More... ranch dressing - A creamy buttermilk-based dressing with garlic and other spices and herbs, developed at Hidden Valley Ranch in Santa Barbara in the 1950s. More... ranch - From Spanish rancho, "group of persons eating together." More... | |