Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 4, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Cardinal Numbers vs. Ordinal NumbersNumbers can be determiners when they are used to introduce and modify a noun. Cardinal numbers are used to count the specific quantity of a noun. How do they differ from ordinal numbers? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Frost FlowersFrost flowers form when thin layers of ice are extruded from long-stemmed plants in autumn or early winter and freeze. They appear along cracks in plant stems created when sap is frozen and expands. Water is continually drawn through the cracks due to capillary action and freezes upon contact with air, curling into lovely petal-like shapes. A rare sight, frost flowers are most often observed in shaded areas in the early morning and usually melt when exposed to sunlight. What is a "frost beard"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Edition of the Los Angeles Times Is Published (1881)Established in 1881, the Los Angeles Times was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis. The newspaper prospered and became an influential force in conservative politics in California. Long dominated by the Chandler family, beginning with Otis's son-in-law Harry Chandler, it developed into a model of balanced and comprehensive journalism in the 1960s, with Otis Chandler at the helm, and came to be seen as one of the world's top papers. Why were its offices bombed in 1910? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel Butler (1835)Butler was a British novelist and critic. Descended from clergymen, he grappled for years with Christianity and evolution in his writings, first embracing, then rejecting, Charles Darwin's theories. He is best known for his autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh. During his lifetime, his reputation rested on the utopian satire Erewhon (1872), which foreshadowed the end of the Victorian illusion of eternal progress. What prediction did Butler make about human evolution? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Life should begin with age and its privileges and accumulations, and end with youth and its capacity to splendidly enjoy such advantages.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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bless your pointy little head— A condescending phrase used to patronize someone for being foolish or not very bright. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Barbara's Day (2024)Scholars doubt that St. Barbara existed as more than a legend that emerged during the 2nd century. In parts of France, Germany, and Syria, St. Barbara's Day is considered the beginning of the Christmas season. In southern France, it is customary to set out dishes holding grains of wheat soaked in water on sunny window sills. If the "St. Barbara's grain" grows quickly, it means a good year for crops. There is a similar custom in Germany and the Czech and Slovak republics with cherry branches. In Syria, St. Barbara's Day is for feasting and bringing food to the poor. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: knightson one's high horse - At one time, knights, kings, and other VIPs rode on chargers, while ladies and others rode on smaller saddle horses, begetting the phrase "on one's high horse." More... full tilt - Meaning "full speed," it is from the encounter at full gallop of knights in a tilt (lance combat). More... | |