Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, December 1, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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excavate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Absolute PhrasesAn absolute phrase (also known as an absolute construction) is a grammatically independent group of words that serves to modify an entire sentence. Because an absolute phrase is not an integral part of the sentence, how is it always set apart? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Klondike Gold RushIn August 1896, a party led by Skookum Jim Mason discovered rich gold deposits near the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers in northwest Canada. The news quickly spread to other mining camps in the river valley and reached the US within a year, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush that drew more than 30,000 prospectors to the area. By the time mining ended in 1966, the area had yielded $250 million in gold. What famous American author took part in the gold rush? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Antarctic Treaty Is Signed (1959)Following 18 months of successful international cooperation and research on the icy, southern continent, 12 countries signed a treaty officially designating Antarctica a non-militarized international region to be used solely for scientific purposes. Today, scientists perform research there year-round, with citizens of multiple nations working side by side. In 2006, an unusual legal situation arose when New Zealand police were unable to fully investigate what suspicious incident in Antarctica? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Dame Alicia Markova (1910)Markova was a well-known English ballerina. She made her debut with Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1924 and later became the first prima ballerina of what is now the Royal Ballet. Noted for her ethereal grace and lightness, she excelled in classic roles and was celebrated as the lead in Giselle. She formed several ballet companies with Anton Dolin and served as director of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet for six years. How old was she when she retired from dancing? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is cruel to discover one's mediocrity only when it is too late.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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the end of (one's) rope— A point of utter exhaustion or exasperation; a point or state at which one has no more patience, endurance, or energy left. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Natchitoches Christmas Festival (2025)Natchitoches is home to one of the oldest community-based holiday celebrations in the country. Since 1927, both townspeople and visitors have made this festival a fixture in their holiday routine. The Festival of Lights, held the weekend before Thanksgiving, opens the season; however, the Christmas Festival is the premier event of the festival season. It is observed with a parade, an assortment of river bank booths, arts and crafts, and a traditional fireworks show over Cane River Lake. The festivities continue up until the New Year's Eve celebration. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lessenalleviate - Can mean "diminish the weight of"; to alleviate is not to cure, but rather to lighten, lessen, or relieve to some degree. More... minute, second - Latin minutus, "small," came from minuere, "lessen," and the term pars minuta prima, "first small part," was applied to a 60th of a whole—a minute, originally of a circle and later of an hour; likewise, a second was originally a secunda minuta, a 60th of a 60th. More... mince - Can mean "lessen or diminish (something)" or "minimize." More... bated breath - The expression is based on bate, meaning "to moderate, restrain" or "to lessen, diminish"; though bated was once rather common, it is now rare except in this set expression. More... | |