Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 18, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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upshot
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ModifiersModifiers are, quite simply, any word or group of words that modifies (describes or elaborates upon) another element in a sentence. Modifiers can either be adjectives or what other part of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Clouded LeopardThe clouded leopard prowls the Himalayan foothills. It is only distantly related to its namesake but does share the leopard's dark spots. As the smallest of the big cats, the clouded leopard is considered an evolutionary link between big cats and small cats. It is known for its excellent climbing ability—the clouded leopard can climb down trees headfirst—and frightening canine teeth—the largest of any cat in proportion to body size. What nickname has it been given due to this latter feature? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Legionnaire's Disease Mystery Declared Solved (1977)In July 1976, members of the American Legion veterans association who were gathered at a Philadelphia hotel began falling ill with a mysterious respiratory ailment that sickened 221 and killed 34. Months later, the US Centers for Disease Control announced that a new bacterium—Legionella pneumophila—had been identified as the culprit. It had spread through the hotel's air conditioning system. In 2010, it was reported that 20% of Legionella infections may come from what surprising source? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Joseph Bonanno, AKA Joe Bananas (1905)Born in Sicily, Bonanno came to the US illegally in 1924. He settled in Brooklyn and became a bootlegger and mob enforcer. In 1931, he founded the Bonanno crime family, one of five families that dominated organized crime in New York City. He ruled the family for decades, and although his empire stretched across the country and involved gambling, loan sharking, and drug trafficking, he was never convicted of a serious crime. He died in Arizona at the age of 97. What was the "Banana Split"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The desire to know whether or not a woman is cursed with curiosity is one of the most active and insatiable passions of the masculine soul.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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winning ways— One's charming, endearing, or likeable personality or demeanor. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) St. Sebastian's Day Festival (Zinacantán) (2025)In Zinacantán, Chiapas State, Mexico, there is a celebration for several days in honor of St. Sebastian that marks the transfer of authority from the Big Alcalde (or chief magistrate) to his successor. There is an elaborate ritual during which he hands over an image of San Sebastian and other symbols of his authority. The festival also features a jousting pantomime, dancing to the rhythm of a special drum, two feasts, and a mock healing ceremony. The connection between the Día de San Sebastián festivities and the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, however, remains obscure. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: oddsacross the board - An allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race. More... rubble - Comes from Anglo-Norman robel, "bits of broken stone," from earlier French robe, "loot, odds and ends stolen." More... ironic - Something is ironic if the result is the opposite of what was intended; an ironic event is an incongruous event, one at odds with what might have been expected. More... odds and ends - The first official odds and ends were found in lumberyards—odds were pieces of board split irregularly by the sawmill, ends were pieces trimmed from boards that were cut to specific lengths. More... | |