Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, November 10, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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soapbox
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Interrogative Pronouns and Reported QuestionsInterrogative pronouns can appear in the middle of reported questions. Reported questions are actually a form of declarative sentences using reported speech, which is what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Airbag Safety SystemsAutomotive airbag inflation occurs only milliseconds after crash sensors detect a collision. The airbag's cushioning effectively prevents direct human impact with dangerous vehicular surfaces and reduces the deceleration passengers experience as they come to a stop. While airbags were initially viewed as an alternative to seatbelts, they are now understood to offer greater protection when used in conjunction with other automotive safety methods. What injuries may result from airbag deployment? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sesame Street Premieres (1969)Today, Sesame Street is an American institution. However, at the time of its debut, the show was revolutionary. Developed by the Children's Television Workshop, Sesame Street was the first educational children's show to base its content on laboratory research. Much of that research went into determining what would capture the attention spans of young viewers, and Muppets—such as Elmo and Oscar the Grouch—were found to be particularly effective. Which US state once banned the show? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Vachel Lindsay (1879)Lindsay was an American poet who, in an attempt to revive poetry as an oral art form of the common people, traveled the country reciting his poems in return for food and shelter. He first received wider recognition for 1913's "General William Booth Enters into Heaven," about the founder of the Salvation Army. His works are known for their strong, musical rhythms and vivid imagery. Despite his popularity, he was crushed by personal and financial worries and committed suicide by drinking what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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keep (up) (one's) end of the bargain— To do as was promised in an agreement or bargain; to carry through with what one agreed to do. Also worded as "keep one's end of the bargain up." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Martinsfest (2020)Martin's Festival in Germany honors both St. Martin of Tours and Martin Luther (1483-1546), the German theologian and leader of the Protestant Reformation. In Düsseldorf, a man dressed as St. Martin rides through the streets followed by hundreds of children. Many carry lanterns made from hollowed-out pumpkins. In Erfurt, where Martin Luther attended the university, there is a procession of children carrying lanterns. With their lanterns the children form the "Luther rose," or the escutcheon of Martin Luther. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: securityhostage - First referred to the state of someone handed over as a pledge or security (for the fulfillment of an undertaking). More... policy - Meaning "insurance document," it is from a French word meaning "certificate, contract," from an earlier Latin word meaning "a receipt or security for money paid." More... impignorate, pignorate - To impignorate or pignorate means to put up as security or to pawn. More... wage, wager - Wage once meant "pledge, security" and wager was defined as "solemn pledge" or "undertaking," from French wagier, "to pledge." More... | |