Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 23, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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panjandrum
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Irrealis MoodsThe term irrealis means "unreal," and it refers to grammatical moods that reflect what is not actually the case. What are the two irrealis moods in English? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 PanchatantraThe Panchatantra is a collection of fables that are among the most widely-known animal stories in the world. The original Sanskrit work, now lost, may have been written down in India as early as 100 BCE. It then spread throughout the ancient world. A textbook created for instructing the three sons of a king, it contains morals that glorify shrewdness over altruism. One story concerns a war between crows and owls. When a crow defects to join the owls and is accepted by them, what happens? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Hungarian Republic Is Officially Proclaimed (1989)The defeat of the Central Powers in WWI brought the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary to an end and led to the creation of an independent Hungarian republic, which, in 1949, came under Communist control. Though a 1956 uprising was suppressed, Hungary became the most tolerant of the Soviet bloc nations of Europe and finally replaced Communism with a multi-party democracy with free elections in 1989. Hungary's relative freedom compared to other Eastern bloc countries led to what satirical nickname? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Michael Crichton (1942)While pursuing a medical degree at Harvard University, the intensely private Crichton began writing novels under a pseudonym. He published The Andromeda Strain during his final year and went on to write several best-selling works, many of which were made into films, including Jurassic Park and Congo. He unexpectedly died of throat cancer in 2008. While in college, he once submitted an essay by George Orwell under his own name as an experiment. What grade did he receive? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 No affectation of peculiarity can conceal a commonplace mind.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a sticky situation— A particularly awkward, embarrassing, precarious, or difficult situation or circumstance. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Chulalongkorn Day (2025)Chulalongkorn Day is a national holiday in Thailand commemorating King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), the king who abolished slavery and introduced numerous reforms when the country was still called Siam. He succeeded to the throne in 1868 when he was 15 years old, was crowned in 1873, and ruled until his death in 1910. He had been a pupil of Anna Leonowens, who taught the young prince about Abraham Lincoln. The story of her stay in the royal court, and her teaching of the royal children and concubines, was told in Margaret Landon's book, Anna and the King of Siam. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: skirtbustle - A stuffed pad or cushion worn under the skirt of a woman's dress, it had a synonym of "dress-improver." More... kick pleat - The slit in the back of a skirt or coat that allows more freedom of movement. More... A-line - A dress or skirt shaped like an A, created by Christian Dior. More... skirt - The ice cream at the base of a scoop of ice cream in a cone. More... | |