Word of the Week - 12-08-2008

Word of the Week
NUZZLE
Pronunciation: \ˈnuh-zuhl\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): nuz·zled; nuz·zling \ˈnəz-liŋ, ˈnə-zə-\
Etymology: Middle English noselen to bring the nose toward the ground, from nose
Date: 1530
intransitive verb
1: to work with or as if with the nose ; especially : to root, rub, or snuff something
2: to lie close or snug

transitive verb
1: to root, rub, or touch with or as if with the nose
2: to rub or push gently (as one's face) against something


Interesting Fact
The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation: lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States: #) is a unit of mass used in the imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement. A number of different definitions have been used, the most common today being the international avoirdupois pound of exactly 0.45359237 kilogram.

The word pound comes from the Latin word pendere, meaning "to weigh". The abbreviation lb comes from the Latin word libra, meaning "scales, balances", which also described a Roman unit similar to the pound.

Trivial Pursuit
Here are this week’s questions:
Global View (Geography):
What fabled train serves passengers 550 pounds of caviar and 3,000 pounds of smoked salmon a year?

Entertainment:
What celebrated circus animal trainer was known as the “Golden Gladiator”?

News:
What Louisiana official explained in 1990: “There are different Klans – just like there’s different fraternities at a college?

Written Word:
What master of the thriller died in 2001, after completing work on The Sigma Protocol?

Life and Science:
What language, according to the firm Computer Economics, will pass English as most popular on the web by 2010 – Chinese, Hindi or Spanish?

Games and Sports:
What race did thousands of fans petition to have renamed in honor of Dale Earnhardt, in 2001?


Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What fraction of the U.S. population is likely to be 65 or older by 2030, thanks to the baby boom? One-fifth

Entertainment:
What ship was portrayed by the USS Missouri in the movie Pearl Harbor? USS West Virginia

News:
What cable channel’s motto did critic James Wolcott suggest be changed from “We Report. You Decide” to “We Exhort. You Comply”? Fox News

Written Word:
Whose “autobiography” did Normal Mailer pen in 1997’s The Gospel According to the Son? Jesus Christ

Life and Science:
What tech CEO, avoiding dings to his Mercedes by parking in a handicapped spot, inspired a worker to post a sign reading “Park Different”? Steve Jobs

Games and Sports:
What brand of gum did Wal-Mart choose for bubble-blowing contests across the U.S., in 2001? Dubble Bubble