Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 11, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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tryst
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Quantifiers with Uncountable NounsCertain quantifiers can only be used with uncountable nouns, while others can only modify countable nouns. "Too much" and "too many" cause particular confusion. Which of those two quantifiers is used to modify uncountable nouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The OrchidThe unusually large orchid family consists of some 450 genera and at least 10,000 species. Orchids grow most abundantly in tropical and subtropical forests and are among the most highly prized ornamental plants. Since being imported from the Bahamas to Britain in the 18th century, these flowers have been cultivated for their commercial value and have been successfully hybridized and variegated. Their name comes from the Greek word orkhis—or "testicle"—after the appearance of what feature? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Pullman Strike Begins (1894)The Pullman Strike was a strike of about 50,000 US rail workers. It was initiated after the Pullman railcar company cut wages by 25%, yet kept rents high in the company-owned town where workers lived. The company refused arbitration, and the railway union called for a strike and nationwide boycott. Sympathy strikes followed in 27 states. In July, the president dispatched troops, who clashed with workers and broke the strike. The troops were sent in after workers halted trains carrying what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Salvador Dalí (1904)Dalí was a Spanish painter whose striking images and eccentric personality made him the world's most recognized surrealist artist. Influenced by the theories and dream studies of Sigmund Freud, he painted nightmarishly absurd scenes in precise, realistic detail, creating worlds in which everyday objects are deformed or metamorphosed in strange ways. In his most famous work, The Persistence of Memory, limp watches melt in an eerie landscape. Which candy brand's logo was designed by Dalí? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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nut (something) out— To discover, through careful consideration, deliberation, or investigation, the solution to something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Frost Saints' Days (2025)These three consecutive days in May mark the feasts of St. Mammertus, St. Pancras, and St. Servatus. In the wine-growing districts of France, a severe cold spell occasionally strikes at this time of year, inflicting serious damage on the grapevines; some in rural France have believed that it is the result of their having offended one of the three saints, who for this reason are called the "frost saints." French farmers have been known to show their displeasure over a cold snap at this time of year by flogging the statues and defacing the pictures of Mammertus, Pancras, and Servatus. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scentbreath - From an Old English word meaning "scent, smell." More... flair - Comes from Latin fragrare, "smell sweet," and was first the ability to detect the "essence" or "scent" of something and know how to act accordingly. More... red herring - Something intended to be misleading or distracting, so named from the practice of using the scent of red herring in training hounds. More... relish - First meant "odor, scent," then "taste, flavor." More... | |