Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, October 15, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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long-winded
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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MitigatorsMitigators are adverbs or adverbials that modify adjectives and adverbs to reduce their intensity, making them seem less extreme or powerful. What is the difference between mitigators and intensifiers? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Dorus RijkersRijkers was a Dutch lifeboat captain and folk hero who became famous for his sea rescues of nearly 500 shipwrecked victims. His life-saving career began in 1872 while he was captain of his own boat. While at sea, he saved all 25 crew members of the ship Australia from drowning. He later joined a Dutch lifeboat society as a volunteer and saved hundreds of people during dozens of rescue operations over three decades. How did Rijkers get the nickname Opa, which means "Grandpa"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 I Love Lucy Premieres (1951)In 1951, Lucille Ball became one of the first movie stars—and the first woman—to headline a television series. The prototypical situation comedy, I Love Lucy became a spectacular success, showcasing Ball's comic energy, flair for slapstick, and chemistry with her co-star and real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, as they portrayed the zany middle-class couple Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The program is still syndicated today. What word was once prohibited from being used on I Love Lucy? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Marie Carmichael Stopes (1880)A Scottish paleobotanist whose first marriage was annulled—and allegedly never consummated—Stopes went on to publish a controversial yet highly influential sex manual, Married Love, in 1918. Thereafter, she became a pioneer in the field of family planning, opening the first birth-control clinic in the British Empire in 1921. Stopes helped break down taboos and improve women's reproductive health, but her support of what field of reproductive science has somewhat marred her reputation? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is no recollection which time does not put an end to, and no pain which death does not remove.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have the guts (to do something)— To have enough courage, conviction, or resolve (to do something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 October Horse Sacrifice (2023)In ancient Rome, a chariot race was held in the Field of Mars on October 15. After the race was over, the right-hand horse of the winning chariot was killed as a sacrifice to Mars. There was a fight between the inhabitants of two different quarters of the city to see who could seize the head and place it in a designated spot. As soon as the tail was cut off, it was rushed to the king's hearth so that the blood would fall on the hearth. The rest of the blood was preserved until April 21, when it was mixed in a special ceremony and given to shepherds to burn to purify their flocks. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scrapeerase - From Latin e-, "out," and radere, "scrape." More... raze, razor - Raze, from French raser, "shave close," is from Latin radere, "scrape, scratch"—also giving us razor. More... gride - To scratch, scrape, or cut with a grating sound. More... scrumble - To scrape or scratch (something) out of or from. More... | |