Today's Highlights
| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
tune-up
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Absolute PhrasesAn absolute phrase (also known as an absolute construction) is a grammatically independent group of words that serves to modify an entire sentence. Because an absolute phrase is not an integral part of the sentence, how is it always set apart? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 4-H: Head, Heart, Hands, and HealthA youth organization administered by the Cooperative Extension System of the US Department of Agriculture, 4-H has over 9 million members between the ages of 5 and 21. With "learn by doing" as its creed, the goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, and life skills through experiential learning programs. The organization is often associated with summer camps, county fairs, and state fairs, and it retains a strong connection to its agricultural roots. What is the 4-H motto? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Antarctic Treaty Is Signed (1959)Following 18 months of successful international cooperation and research on the icy, southern continent, 12 countries signed a treaty officially designating Antarctica a non-militarized international region to be used solely for scientific purposes. Today, scientists perform research there year-round, with citizens of multiple nations working side by side. In 2006, an unusual legal situation arose when New Zealand police were unable to fully investigate what suspicious incident in Antarctica? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Dame Alicia Markova (1910)Markova was a well-known English ballerina. She made her debut with Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1924 and later became the first prima ballerina of what is now the Royal Ballet. Noted for her ethereal grace and lightness, she excelled in classic roles and was celebrated as the lead in Giselle. She formed several ballet companies with Anton Dolin and served as director of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet for six years. How old was she when she retired from dancing? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents...and only one for birthday presents, you know.Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
the end of (one's) rope— A point of utter exhaustion or exasperation; a point or state at which one has no more patience, endurance, or energy left. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Natchitoches Christmas Festival (2025)Natchitoches is home to one of the oldest community-based holiday celebrations in the country. Since 1927, both townspeople and visitors have made this festival a fixture in their holiday routine. The Festival of Lights, held the weekend before Thanksgiving, opens the season; however, the Christmas Festival is the premier event of the festival season. It is observed with a parade, an assortment of river bank booths, arts and crafts, and a traditional fireworks show over Cane River Lake. The festivities continue up until the New Year's Eve celebration. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: lessenalleviate - Can mean "diminish the weight of"; to alleviate is not to cure, but rather to lighten, lessen, or relieve to some degree. More... minute, second - Latin minutus, "small," came from minuere, "lessen," and the term pars minuta prima, "first small part," was applied to a 60th of a whole—a minute, originally of a circle and later of an hour; likewise, a second was originally a secunda minuta, a 60th of a 60th. More... mince - Can mean "lessen or diminish (something)" or "minimize." More... bated breath - The expression is based on bate, meaning "to moderate, restrain" or "to lessen, diminish"; though bated was once rather common, it is now rare except in this set expression. More... | |
| Match Up | |
|---|---|
| Mismatch | |
|---|---|
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |