Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 8, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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necrology
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Understanding the Order of AdjectivesAdjectives are words that modify a noun or a pronoun. Using more than one adjective in a sentence makes our writing and speech richer and more concise. In English, we generally have a specific order of adjectives. Why is this important? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Iron LungAn iron lung—or negative pressure ventilator—is an airtight metal tank that encloses all of the body except the head and forces the lungs to inhale and exhale through regulated changes in air pressure. It was invented in 1928 by American industrial hygienist Philip Drinker. Though Drinker devised the iron lung to help victims of coal gas poisoning, it became a preferred treatment for polio, which tends to paralyze the respiratory muscles. What methods have largely replaced the iron lung? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Star Trek Premieres (1966)Though the original Star Trek series was cancelled in its third season, the groundbreaking show—in which William Shatner's memorable Captain Kirk leads the crew of the starship Enterprise—developed a cult following of "Trekkies." Over the next four decades, the influential science-fiction franchise spawned five more Star Trek series, more than 10 feature films, and myriad conventions. Its motto, "to boldly go where no man has gone before," may have been partially copied from what source? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alfred Jarry (1873)Jarry was a French writer. After exhausting the inheritance that had allowed him to move to Paris at 18, he led a life of calculated buffoonery. His 1896 farce, Ubu Roi, is considered a forerunner of theatre of the absurd and of Surrealism. It featured the grotesque Père Ubu, a repulsive and cowardly hero based on one of his former teachers. The brilliant imagery and wit of his works usually lapse into unintelligible symbolism. A heavy drinker, he died at 34. What was his last request? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 She was a woman who, between courses, could be graceful with her elbows on the table.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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salt in the/(one's) wound(s)— An aggravation that makes something unpleasant, difficult, or painful even worse. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Andorra National Day (2023)The Principality of Andorra, located in the Pyrénées Mountains between France and Spain, was founded by the Emperor Charlemagne. The people of Andorra celebrate their National Day by honoring Jungfrau von Meritxell, their patron saint. Pilgrims climb to her hilltop sanctuary near the villages of Encamp and Canillo, where her statue was found by a shepherd under an almond tree blooming out of season. The pilgrims stop to refresh themselves with drinks that have been cooled in the nearby springs, and after the sermon they celebrate by dancing and eating lamb grilled on slabs of slate. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sailscrab-skuit - A small, open fishing boat with sails. More... haul - Originally had the nautical meaning of "to trim the sails to sail closer to the wind." More... sail - Once meant specifically "to travel on a ship with sails," and, later, "to travel on any ship"; figuratively, it means "to go through effortlessly," as in, "to sail through the exam." More... three sheets to the wind - Pertains to chains that regulate the angle of sails; if the sheets were loose, the boat would become unstable and tipsy. More... | |