Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 8, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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diffident
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining InfinitivesAn infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. It is "unmarked" (which means that it is not conjugated for tense or person), and it is preceded by what particle? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 BraconidaeHumans fear wasps for their sting, but some insects, like caterpillars, have a different reason to be wary: they are little more than prey to the more than 50,000 species of parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae. Most braconids kill their hosts with viruses that suppress the immune system and allow the wasp's eggs to grow inside a host undetected. These polydnaviruses are actually produced by the wasps using viral genes that were integrated into their DNA how many million years ago? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pope Pius IX Defines Immaculate Conception as Dogma (1854)The Immaculate Conception is the Roman Catholic dogma that asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved from the stain of original sin—the condition of sin that marks all humans as a result of Adam's first act of disobedience—at the moment of her conception. In 1709, Pope Clement XI made the feast of the Immaculate Conception a holy day of obligation—145 years before it became official church dogma. The Immaculate Conception is often confused with what other church doctrine? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Camille Claudel (1864)A skilled French sculptor in her own right, Claudel is best remembered for being a student, collaborator, model, and mistress of famed sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two had a tumultuous affair that began to crumble in the 1890s, and Claudel, who suffered from mental illness, became increasingly unstable and reclusive. She was committed in 1913 and remained institutionalized until her death 30 years later. Her work is highly valued by collectors, but little of it survives today. Why is this? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 An aching head soon makes one forget an aching heart.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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scare the (living) daylights out of (someone)— To shock or frighten someone very suddenly and/or severely. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of the Immaculate Conception (2024)The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is an important day throughout Latin America, but it is especially significant in the Mexican town of San Juan de los Lagos, where the celebration begins several days in advance. The town temporarily renames the streets where the festival will occur—on Calle de Alegria (Joy Street), for example, there are puppet shows, side shows, and musical performances. On the morning of December 8, the 11-inch image of the Virgin Mary leaves the local church, carried by priests on a silver litter. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: unexpectedvisit, visitation - A visit is an instance of visiting; a visitation is an act of visiting, and carries the connotation of an unexpected or undesired occurrence. More... October surprise - An unexpected, but popular, political act made just prior to a November election, in an attempt to win votes. More... off the wall - Alludes to squash or handball, when a shot comes off the wall at an unexpected or erratic angle. More... wrong-foot - To disconcert by doing something unexpected. More... | |