Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 17, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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stevedore
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Common Prepositional ErrorsSome common errors that arise when trying to determine the appropriate preposition to use with a particular kind of verb. How are prepositions used with transitive verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Japanese Cherry BlossomsOrnamental cherry trees and their blossoms are a major symbol of Japan, where they are called sakura and are considered a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. As such, they are frequently depicted in art and are associated with both the samurai and kamikaze. In 1912, Japan gave 3,000 sakura as a gift to the US to celebrate the two nations' growing friendship. These trees have since lined the shore of the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. What is the practice of hanami? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Romanos Is Crowned Co-Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (920 CE)Romanos advanced through the ranks of the Byzantine military to become an influential figure in the royal court. In May 919, he arranged for the marriage of his daughter to the teenage Emperor Constantine VII and was declared "Father of the Emperor." The next year, he was crowned co-emperor, and he then made his own sons co-emperors. However, in 944, Romanos's sons arrested him and made him become a monk to prevent him from naming Constantine VII his successor. What happened to them? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Safire (1929)Safire was an American journalist and a speechwriter for US President Richard Nixon, who once ordered Safire's phone be tapped. In 1973, Safire became a syndicated political columnist for The New York Times, a post he held until 2005. A master of wordplay, he also wrote regularly on language-related topics. After Safire wrote a column in which he insulted a first lady, a White House aide remarked that if the president were not the president, he would have responded in what way? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Democracy ... arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be tied (up) in knots— To be confused, anxious, worried, and/or upset (about something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Wright Brothers Day (2025)It was on the morning of December 17, 1903, that Wilbur and Orville Wright became the first men to fly and control a powered heavier-than-air machine. Events on December 17 traditionally include a "flyover" by military aircraft and a special ceremony held at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, a 425-acre area that features a 60-foot granite pylon on top of Kill Devil Hill, where the Wright Brothers' camp was located. The flyover takes place at precisely 10:35 AM, the time of the original flight in 1903. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: occupationaptronym - A name that fits a person's nature or occupation, like Jane House for a real estate agent. More... mechanical - Predates "machine" in English and has long had certain separate senses, such as "an art, trade, or occupation: concerned with manual work" and "practical as opposed to theoretical." More... specialization, specialty - Specialization refers to the process of becoming specialized; specialty refers to a special pursuit, occupation, or product. More... study - Based on Latin studium, "painstaking application, zeal" (from studere, "to be zealous"), study's earliest uses are surprising: "affection, friendliness," an "occupation or pursuit," and "a state of reverie or abstraction; state of perplexity." More... | |