Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 19, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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sundog
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining SyntaxSyntax refers to the ways in which we order specific words to create logical, meaningful sentences. How does syntax work together with the parts of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Computer WormsThe Internet is a gamer's haven, a business's lifeline, and a hacker's playground. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of worms have devastated the infrastructure of millions of computers around the world, causing billions of dollars of damage—and the life of the worm is far from over. Jerusalem, Michelangelo, and Melissa may all sound innocuous, but these worms have left a trail of devastation in their wake. What are some examples of worms that were launched with non-malicious intent? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 A Christmas Carol Is Published (1843)English novelist Charles Dickens wrote many books and stories about Christmas. His first, the beloved A Christmas Carol, was written in just weeks, reputedly to meet the expenses of his wife's fifth pregnancy. An instant success, it has since been adapted countless times for theater and film. The last name of the story's protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, has even entered the English lexicon as a word meaning a mean-spirited, miserly person. What allegedly inspired Dickens to write the story? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1906)Brezhnev joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in 1931 and steadily rose through the ranks, eventually becoming general secretary of the CPSU (1964-1982) and president of the USSR (1977-1982). A protégé of Nikita Khrushchev, he took power after helping engineer Khrushchev's ouster. Brezhnev's regime was later criticized for its corruption and failed economic policies, but the global influence of the USSR increased dramatically during his tenure, thanks in part to what doctrine? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit on a hot stove lid again and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lone it— To go somewhere or do something alone; to be by oneself. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Saturnalia (2024)This Ancient Roman Winter Solstice festival began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. It was held in honor of Saturn, the father of the gods, and was characterized by the suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order. Grudges and quarrels were forgotten; businesses, courts, and schools closed down; and masquerading or change of dress between the sexes often occurred. The festivities were characterized by various kinds of excesses—giving rise to the modern use of the term "saturnalian," meaning "a period of unrestrained license and revelry." More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: snapchop - A snap with the jaws or mouth is a chop. More... crepitation, crepitate, crepitant - Crepitation is the sounds of Rice Krispies cereal (snap, crackle, pop); crepitate or crepitant is "making a crackling sound." More... oh snap - Also simply "snap"; an exclamation of dismay or disbelief, surprise, or joy. More... snack - First meant "bite, snap (of a dog)," from a Dutch word meaning "to bite." More... | |