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Monday, March 16, 2026 | View Archive ?
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Word of the Day

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gristly

Definition: (adjective) Difficult to chew.
Synonyms:cartilaginous, rubbery
Usage:After several minutes of trying to break down the gristly piece of steak, I gave up and discreetly spat it into my napkin. Play

Daily Grammar Lesson

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Present Continuous Tense (Progressive)

We create the present continuous tense by using the present participle (-ing form) of the verb after the present-tense form of the auxiliary verb "be." What is the most common occurrence of the present continuous tense? More...

Article of the Day

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Cymothoa Exigua

Cymothoa exigua is a parasitic crustacean that attaches itself to the tongue of the spotted rose snapper and feeds on its blood. Eventually, the organ atrophies, and then something remarkable happens: C. exigua replaces the fish's tongue with its own body by attaching to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue, apparently without any further damage. Are there any other cases of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ? More...

This Day in History

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Samoset Walks into Plymouth Colony, Greets Pilgrims in English (1621)

Half of the English pilgrims from the Mayflower perished during their first winter in the New World, and as the survivors struggled to build their settlement at Plymouth, they had several tense encounters with Native Americans. That spring, a Native American named Samoset unexpectedly walked into their settlement and greeted them in English. Within days, he had introduced them to their neighbors. As it happened, Samoset was merely visiting the area. Where had he learned English? More...

Today's Birthday

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Rosa Bonheur (1822)

One of the most famous female painters of the 19th century, Bonheur was trained by her father—an art teacher—and began regularly exhibiting her work at the Paris Salon in 1841. Her unsentimental paintings of animals became very popular, particularly in England and the US, and her most famous painting, The Horse Fair, gained her an international reputation. Who gave her formal permission to dress as a man so that she could study horses at the actual Horse Fair in Paris? More...

Quotation of the Day

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ImageClothes alter our very nature. A man could not help being fierce and daring with a plume in his bonnet, a dagger in his belt, and a lot of puffy white things all down his sleeves.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)

Mismatch
Select word:
devolution
beingness
nonbeing
lifelessness
animateness
conductor
finish
commencement
insulator
development

Match each word in the left column with its antonym (opposite) on the right. When finished, click Answer to see the results. Good luck!

 

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Hangman

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Grammar Quiz

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Identify the syntactic structure that features a dangling preposition used in the following sentence:
“I need to go to the store; I have a few things to take back.”

Spelling Bee
Difficulty level:
n. A man or boy who is a member of the gentry in England ranking directly below a knight
Spell the word:

Match Up

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Select word:
unrelieved
nubby
tweedy
swelled
vainglorious
flagitious
uncouth
common
heinous
undiminished

Match each word in the left column with its synonym on the right. When finished, click Answer to see the results. Good luck!

 
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Today's Holiday

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St. Urho's Day

St. Urho, whose name in Finnish means "hero," is credited with banishing a plague of grasshoppers that was threatening Finland's grape arbors. His legend in the United States was popularized in the 1950s; after being celebrated as a "joke holiday" for several years in the Menahga-Sebeka area, the idea spread to other states with large Finnish populations. The actual celebrations include wearing St. Urho's official colors—Nile Green and Royal Purple—drinking grape juice, and chanting St. Urho's famous words, "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go away," in Finnish. More...

Horoscope
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Idiom of the Day

can't even

— slang Cannot handle (something). A phrase used (usually comically) when one cannot articulate their strong feelings (often of frustration) about something or someone. More...