Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, July 30, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hullabaloo
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Omitting Text in the Middle of the SentenceOccasionally, an omission of text may span across two or more sentences. If the quotation divides into two complete sentences with omitted material in between, we use a period to terminate the first sentence (even if the original sentence has been shortened) followed by an ellipsis and the second quoted sentence. What is this sometimes known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The He Shi BiThe He Shi Bi is a piece of jade that features prominently in Chinese history. According to legend, a man named Bian He found a large stone that he believed contained jade in the hills of Chu. He presented it to the king and later to his successor, but they disbelieved the man’s claims and had his legs cut off as punishment. Finally, he presented it to a third king, who recognized the stone’s potential and had it sculpted into an incomparable disk of jade. What was the disk made into in 221 BCE? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Medicare and Medicaid Are Established (1965)The Social Security Act of 1935 established national social insurance, welfare, and other assistance programs in the US, but it did not address healthcare. Years later, President Harry Truman drew attention to this issue when he unsuccessfully lobbied for the establishment of a national healthcare program. By the 1960s, the political climate was more open to reform, and the Social Security Act amendments creating Medicare and Medicaid were passed. What is the difference between the two programs? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Smedley Darlington Butler (1881)Born to a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, Butler joined the US Marines as a teenager. He was decorated for bravery and leadership and advanced through the ranks, but, after retiring, he became a proponent of isolationism and an outspoken critic of the government. He believed that he and the military had been used to further the business interests of wealthy Americans under the pretense of defending the country. According to legend, whose long-lost amputated arm did Butler once locate? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Backbite, v.t.: To speak of a man as you find him when he can't find you.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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pitch a fit— To become very or unreasonably angry or upset; to have an outburst of rage, frustration, or ill temper. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jhulan Yatra (2020)A Hindu festival honoring Lord Jagannatha, Jhulan Yatra is observed in Orissa and Bengal, and the grandest celebration takes place at the Temple of Jagannath in the Orissa town of Puri. Jhulan Yatra means "swing festival" in Hindi, a reference to the ornately decorated contraption that is specially built to hold the idols of Jagannath and his lover, Radha. Over the course of several nights during the festival, people gather at nighttime to perform songs and dances before the idols. This ritual, known as the raslila, dramatizes scenes from Krishna's life. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: variegatedchintz - Comes from the plural of Hindi chint, a printed Indian calico, from earlier Sanskrit chitra, "variegated." More... moire - Having a variegated or clouded appearance, like that of watered silk. More... variegated - Can mean "having variety in character, form, etc." More... vary - From Latin varius, "speckled, variegated; changeable." More... | |