Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, May 15, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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malodor
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Evaluative Adverbs that Indicate AttitudeThere are several types of evaluative adverbs, which can be classified according to their function. We can use evaluative adverbs to make our attitude about something clear. "Frankly" is an evaluative adverb that we can use in this way. What are others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Alain Robert, the French Spider-ManRobert is one of the world's most famous builderers. The so-called French Spider-Man got his start scaling buildings as a youngster and, despite several early falls that left him permanently disabled, has gone on to climb some of the world’s most famous and tallest man-made structures, including the Eiffel Tower, Sears Tower, Taipei 101, and many more. Because most of his climbs are unsanctioned, he is often arrested when he reaches the top. What gear does he typically use during his climbs? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Great Gold Robbery (1855)On the night of May 15, 1855, a shipment of gold bars and coins was sent from London to Paris, first via the South Eastern Railway and then on a ship across the English Channel. When the shipment arrived in Boulogne, France, the containers—all of which were locked and sealed—were found to be missing a large amount of the gold, worth about 12,000 British pounds at the time. The missing weight had been replaced with lead shot. A group of men was later arrested for the theft. How had they done it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming (1857)Shortly after Fleming emigrated from Scotland to the US with her husband, their marriage failed. Forced to support herself, she worked as a housekeeper for the director of the Harvard College Observatory, who soon hired her to do clerical work at the observatory. She quickly rose through the ranks and went on to make significant contributions to the field of astronomy—classifying thousands of stars and discovering numerous variable stars and novae. At what age did her formal education end? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When one pays a visit it is for the purpose of wasting other people's time, not one's own.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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get in the last word— To express the final point or opinion in an argument or discussion, especially in a way that decisively or conclusively ends it. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Dymphna's Day (2024)According to legend, St. Dymphna fled with her priest to Geel, Belgium to escape her pagan father's demand for an incestuous marriage. St. Dymphna came to be known as the patron saint of the insane, and for centuries mental patients were brought to the site of her relics in Geel. Today there is a large, well-equipped sanatorium for the mentally ill in Geel. On May 15 special church services are held and a religious procession moves through the streets carrying a stone from St. Dymphna's alleged tomb—a relic that at one time was applied to patients as part of their therapy. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sitstrimmer - One who sits on the fence or remains neutral about political issues. More... insessor - One who sits in or on/upon something. More... nest - From Indo-European nizdos, literally "(place where the bird) sits down." More... soot - Etymologically, something that "sits" on something else—like film settling on a surface. More... | |