Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 13, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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paling
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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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.JPG) CortisolOften referred to as the "stress hormone" because of its involvement in the body's stress response, cortisol is the principal steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. It increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels and can act as an immunosuppressant. Hydrocortisone, or synthetic cortisol, is used to treat a number of conditions, including inflammation, allergies, collagen diseases, and adrenocortical insufficiency. In humans, cortisol levels peak at what time of day? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Survivor of British Retreat from Kabul Reaches Jalalabad (1842)During the First Anglo-Afghan War, a group of 4,500 British soldiers and 12,000 British civilians left Kabul for Jalalabad. Beset by murderous bands, their numbers quickly dwindled. A few were captured alive and later released, but army surgeon William Brydon was the sole person to escape the final ambush by Afghan tribesman and reach the British camp at Jalalabad that day. Part of Brydon's skull had been sheared off by a sword, but he survived thanks to what object stuffed inside his hat? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832)Alger was an American author who wrote more than 100 children's books. Highly formulaic, each taught that through honesty, perseverance, and hard work, poor but virtuous lads could prevail in life. Published in 1868, the first of those books, Ragged Dick, was an immediate success. Despite the weaknesses of Alger's writing, his books ultimately sold more than 20 million copies, making him one of the most popular writers of the 19th century. What ended Alger's previous career as a minister? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I have never felt lonesome, or in the least oppressed by a sense of solitude, but once, and that was a few weeks after I came to the woods, when, for an hour, I doubted if the near neighborhood of man was not essential to a serene and healthy life.Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a juggling act— A difficult and/or precarious situation in which several things are being attempted or must be maintained at the same time. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Knut's Day (2021)The feast day of King Canute (or Knut), who ruled Denmark, England, and Norway in the 11th century, marks the end of the Yuletide season in Sweden. Rather than letting the holidays fade quietly, Swedish families throughout the country hold parties to celebrate the final lighting (and subsequent dismantling) of the Christmas tree. After letting the children eat the cookies and candies used to decorate the tree, and after packing the ornaments away in their boxes, it is customary to hurl the tree through an open window. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: stimulateaperitif, appetizer - An aperitif is a drink to stimulate the appetite and an appetizer is a food that does this before a meal. More... condiment - From Latin condimentum, from condire, "to pickle, preserve"; condiments are food substances used to heighten the natural flavor of foods, to stimulate the appetite, to aid digestion, or preserve certain foods. More... innervate, enervate - Innervate means "to stimulate or give nervous energy," the opposite of enervate. More... stimulate - From Latin stimulus, "pointed stick for goading animals." More... | |