Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, May 21, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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smarmy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Verbs Used to Make an OfferBecause modal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, it is sometimes unclear when it's more appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, "can," "may," and "shall" can all be used to offer to do something for someone. Which of these verbs is used as a polite suggestion? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 NicotineNicotine, a naturally occurring constituent of tobacco, is the addictive, active ingredient in tobacco smoke. Although nicotine is highly toxic—it is used as an insecticide, fumigant, and vermifuge and in large doses can cause respiratory paralysis and even death in humans—the amount inhaled when smoking a cigarette is relatively small, about 3 mg. Depending on how it is inhaled, nicotine can act as a stimulant or as a tranquilizer. What is a lethal dose of nicotine for humans? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Leopold and Loeb Murder Teen in Thrill Killing (1924)Now famously known as Leopold and Loeb, Nathan Leopold, Jr., and Richard Loeb were two University of Chicago students who murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924 as part of an elaborate plan to commit the "perfect crime." Although the duo attempted to conceal or destroy all evidence linking them to the crime, a pair of Leopold's eyeglasses was found near the scene, and the two later confessed. Spared the death penalty, they were instead sentenced to life in prison plus how many years? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Albrecht Dürer (1471)Dürer, a painter and printmaker, was one of the most influential artists of the German school as well as the first German artist to achieve substantial international renown. He was a superb draftsman and painter but is perhaps best known for the vast number of woodcuts and engravings he made throughout his career, which combine meticulous craftsmanship with rich detail. His work has influenced generations of printmakers and draftsmen. What are some of his most famous pieces? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A book is a friend whose face is constantly changing. If you read it when you are recovering from an illness, and return to it years after, it is changed surely, with the change in yourself.Andrew Lang (1844-1912) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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admit defeat— To yield to the opposition or accept that one is wrong in some pursuit. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Anastenaria (2023)Anastenaria is a firewalking ceremony in Greece, in the communes of Agia Eleni near Serres and of Langada near Thessalonike. Men and women, some holding red kerchiefs and some carrying icons of St. Constantine and St. Helen—in whose honor the ceremonies are held—dance barefooted on red-hot coals while folk musicians play. The custom is supposed to have originated in an ancient form of worship that was brought by travelers from Kosti in Eastern Thrace and adapted to Christian beliefs. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tidebillow - The swell on the ocean produced by the wind, or on a river or estuary by the tide or wind. More... slack water, slack tide - Before any turn of the tide, there is a time of slack water or slack tide. More... happy as a clam - Originally happy-as-a-clam-at-full-tide; it may refer to the fact that when the tide is full, nobody is digging clams. More... tidy - Comes from tide, which in Old English meant "time period"; its original meaning was "timely, opportune." More... | |