Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, May 12, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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multifarious
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ApostrophesAn apostrophe is a punctuation mark that primarily serves to indicate either grammatical possession or the contraction of two words. What is a proclitic? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Damnatio MemoriaeDamnatio memoriae is a Latin phrase meaning "damnation of memory." The practice was a form of dishonor that could be passed by the Roman Senate upon traitors or others who brought disgrace to Rome. The sanction, a form of removal from remembrance, essentially erased all traces of a person from public life and record in order to preserve the honor of the Roman State. What interfered with the Senate's attempt to obliterate all records of Emperor Caligula? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Priest Attempts to Assassinate the Pope in Portugal (1982)Almost a year to the day after Pope John Paul II was shot by a Turkish gunman, a priest named Juan María Fernández y Krohn attacked the pontiff with a bayonet. It was long thought that the would-be assassin was restrained before he could wound the pope, but a former aide now claims that the pope was indeed injured. During his trial, Krohn accused the pope of being a secret communist agent in league with the USSR. After his release from prison, Krohn went on to practice law in what country? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gustav I of Sweden (1496?)Considered the father of modern Sweden, Gustav I was king of Sweden and founder of the Vasa dynasty. A senator's son, he became a leader in the rebellion against the Danes, who controlled most of Sweden. In 1523—having won Sweden's independence—he was elected king. He was an autocratic ruler and built a strong monarchy and an efficient administration. Aside from his temper, he was known for his love of music and sly wit. How did being beaten with a baking implement supposedly save his life? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 As for jest, there be certain things which ought to be privileged from it—namely, religion, matters of state, great persons, any man's present business of importance, and any case that deserveth pity.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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golden years— The years following one's retirement (generally after the age of 65). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Lag B'Omer (2020)The name of this Jewish holiday means "thirty-three omer," an omer being a sheaf of barley or wheat. In the biblical book of Leviticus, the people were commanded by Jehovah to make an offering of a sheaf of barley on each of the 50 days between Passover and Shavuot. After the evening service, the number of the day was solemnly announced, and in time this ceremony came to be known as "the counting of the omer." Lag ba-Omer represents a break in the otherwise solemn season between Passover and Shavuot. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: simpletondodo - Comes from Portuguese doudo, "fool, simpleton," from the bird's awkward appearance. More... doodle - Originally a noun meaning "fool, simpleton," from German dudeltopf, it came to mean absent-minded scribbling. More... gullible - A derivative of archaic gull, "dupe" or "simpleton." More... half-wit - Originally was "a would-be wit whose abilities are mediocre"; the sense of "simpleton" (one lacking all his wits) is attested to 1755. More... | |