Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 20, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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recant
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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EllipsesAn ellipsis is a series of three consecutive periods known as ellipsis points ( . . . ) used to indicate where words have been omitted from quoted text. When are brackets placed around ellipses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Highland Potato Famine (1846-1857)In the mid 19th century, at a time when most of the crofters, or tenants, of the Scottish Highlands were dependent on potatoes as a source of food, their potato crops were blighted with a terrible fungal disease that caused the crop to fail for the next ten years. The blight was similar to the contemporaneous Irish Potato Famine, but the latter was perhaps more severe and closer to a true famine. What was the landlords' solution to the problem of starving crofters? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Republic of Senegal Declares Its Independence (1960)First colonized by the Portuguese, Senegal became part of French West Africa in 1895. In 1946, it became an overseas territory of France, and its inhabitants were made French citizens. In 1958, Senegal became an autonomous republic within the French Community. The next year, Senegal joined the Mali Federation, which became independent in June 1960. Two months later, Senegal withdrew from the federation, becoming an independent state. What small nation does Senegal almost entirely surround? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 H.P. Lovecraft (1890)A master of Gothic horror, fantasy, and science fiction, Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American writer particularly noted for his many nightmarish short stories, most of which originally appeared in Weird Tales and other pulp magazines. Some of his best-known tales are part of the Cthulhu Mythos series, in which he invents an entire mythology of earthly origins, gods, and hideous otherworldly creatures. Many of Lovecraft's stories mention the Necronomicon, which is what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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the happy day— A wedding, or marriage in general. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Stephen's Day (Hungary) (2023)The founding of Hungary is commemorated on August 20, which is also the feast day of the founder of the country, St. Stephen of Hungary (c. 975-1038). He assumed the kingship in 1000 and worked to unite the various clans into a single Christian state. In 1950, the day was changed to Constitution Day by the communist regime, but it began celebrating St. Stephen again in 1990. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: stuffingforcemeat, farce - A highly seasoned mixture containing chopped meat, forcemeat is an alteration of farcemeat, "stuffing," and has a synonym—farce. More... duxelles - A stuffing made from mushrooms, onions, shallots, and parsley, named after the Marquis d'Uxelles, a 17th-century French nobleman. More... excelsior - The curled shavings of soft wood used for packing and stuffing. More... | |