Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, September 10, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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duster
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Comparative Adverbs vs. Comparative AdjectivesComparative adverbs, like comparative adjectives, are used to describe differences and similarities between two things. While comparative adjectives describe similarities and differences between two nouns, what do comparative adverbs make comparisons between? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Tracer AmmunitionUsed in machine guns since World War I, tracer ammunition contains modified bullets packed with a pyrotechnic charge that ignites upon firing, illuminating the bullets. This technology enables a shooter to check a bullet's trajectory and adjust their aim accordingly. Since the tracer path can also betray a shooter's position, many modern tracers are designed to become visible only once they have traveled a set distance. Why were tracers especially useful against Zeppelins in World War I? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (1547)The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh was part of the War of Rough Wooing, the ruthless war launched by Henry VIII against Scotland to force a marriage between Mary Queen of Scots and his son, the future Edward VI. The first "modern" battle to be fought in the British Isles and the last pitched battle between the English and Scottish royal armies, it resulted in a catastrophic defeat for the Scots, who came to call it Black Saturday. After the battle, what happened to the infant Queen Mary? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Thomas Sydenham (1624)Known as "the English Hippocrates," Sydenham was a physician who advocated direct observation instead of theorizing to determine the nature of disease. His conceptions of the causes and treatments of epidemics and his classic descriptions of gout, smallpox, malaria, and other maladies established him as a founder of modern clinical medicine and epidemiology. He introduced laudanum as a medication, helped popularize the use of quinine in treating malaria, and described what "dancing" disease? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Comfort, n.: A state of mind produced by contemplation of a neighbor's uneasiness.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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let the good times roll— To have as much fun or live life as richly as possible. (Often said as an imperative.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Belize National Day (2024)A public holiday in Belize commemorating the Battle of St. George's Caye, fought in 1798 between the Spanish and the English over possession of the area. English loggers had settled in what is now Belize in the early 17th century, and British pirates used to hide in the cays there waiting for opportunities to plunder passing Spanish ships. It is also known as St. George's Caye Day. Numerous festivities take place on the days leading up to the holiday, including a grand carnival parade. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shootingbiathlon - Consists of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. More... off-hand - Meaning "at once, straightway," it probably originally referred to shooting without a rest or support; as "unpremeditated," it is attested to 1719. More... potshot - Comes from shooting an animal purely for food (pot), rather than for simple conquest. More... scope - First meant "target for shooting," from Greek skopos, "target." More... | |