Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, May 20, 2017)Word of the Day | |||||||
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apportionment
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adjective + "of"Because there are no distinct rules for determining how adjectives combine with prepositions, the best way to learn correct adjective and preposition combinations is by memorizing some of the most common pairings. What can be identified by an adjective paired with the preposition "of"? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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Marking CardsOften used for card tricks or to cheat when gambling, card marking is the process of altering playing cards so that the suit, rank, or both are surreptitiously revealed to the card marker or a conspirator. The practice has evolved over the years from adding bends or bumps to cards to using various inks and scratches, and today's card markers use sophisticated "shade" technology to add marks that can only be read with special sunglasses, contact lenses, or what other high-tech system? More... |
This Day in History | |
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The Battle of Hamburger Hill Ends (1969)Fought over a period of 10 days in 1969, the Battle of Hamburger Hill was the last major US ground assault of the Vietnam War. Attacks on the heavily fortified hill were primarily carried out by infantry using small arms fire, with fighting akin to WWI trench warfare. The site was of little strategic value, and the high number of casualties that resulted from capturing it sparked controversy and led to dramatic changes in US strategy. How did the hill get its name? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Honoré de Balzac (1799)Ranking among the great masters of the novel, Balzac was a French writer regarded as one of the founders of realism in literature. His magnum opus was a vast collection of novels and short stories collectively titled La Comédie humaine—The Human Comedy—which presents a panorama of the French society of his time, picturing in precise detail characters from every class and every profession. Balzac's work habits are legendary. How long was he said to write during a single stretch? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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Judge the goodness of a book by the energy of the punches it has given you. I believe the greatest characteristic of genius, is, above all, force. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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act of congress— That which is extremely difficult to achieve or requires a large amount of effort or patience to enact. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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Emancipation Day (Tallahassee, Florida) (2023)Emancipation Day in Tallahassee, Florida, is celebrated each year on May 20. That date marks the anniversary of the day in 1865 when Union General Edward M. McCook announced that President Abraham Lincoln had ended slavery in Florida under the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation. Since 1997, the site of McCook's headquarters, now known as Knott House, has hosted an annual reenactment of the proclamation. A free public celebration follows, with additional speeches, period entertainment, and a picnic across the street in Lewis Park. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: leisureempty - First meant "at leisure, unoccupied," and it could also mean "unmarried." More... leisure - Based on Latin licere, "be allowed." More... scholastic - Based on Latin scholasticus, "devote one's leisure to learning." More... vacation - Coming from Latin vacation/vacatio, from vacare, "to be free, empty; to be at leisure," around 1395, this term entered Old English, meaning "rest and freedom from any activity." More... |