Word of the Week
BEDAZZLE
Pronunciation: \bi-ˈda-zəl, bē-\
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1596
1 : to confuse by a strong light : dazzle
2 : to impress forcefully : enchant
Interesting Fact
DID THE ROMANS TURN THUMBS DOWN ON GLADIATORS?
Everybody knows how a crowd in ancient Rome told one gladiator to kill another -- by the thumbs-down gesture.
But then everybody may be wrong, Anthony Philip Corbeill figures. The University of Kansas associate professor of classics, having slogged through hundreds of references to ancient Roman thumbs in literature and art, has concluded that the thumbs-up gesture was the kill signal.
Moreover, Corbeill thinks that the raised thumb was probably in motion, reminiscent of gangsters ordering someone out of a room or of modern umpires declaring a runner out rather than safe.
When the crowd wanted to spare a gladiator's life, Corbeill said, its members closed their fists and pressed the thumb down on the index finger.
Corbeill also has examined ancient artworks to grasp the thumb as the Romans understood its meanings. In summer 1997, with help from a KU Hall Center for the Humanities grant, Corbeill did more library research in Rome. He also traveled to southern France to study a medallion from the second or third century A.D. The medallion is crucial evidence for Corbeill's contention that the thumb pressed against the index finger of a closed fist signified a crowd's desire to spare a gladiator's life. The medallion shows two warriors who've quit fighting. A referee stands nearby pressing a thumb against his closed fist. An inscription above the scene reads, "Those standing should be released."
Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What Asian nation passed the U.S. in the 1990s as the world’s biggest consumer of gold jewelry?
Entertainment:
Who got to ad-lib ad nauseam as the voice of the genie in Aladdin?
News:
What religeous leader was the only U.S. resident to appear on every Gallup Poll of Most Admired Men in the 1980s and 1990s?
Written Word:
Whose story Gertrude McFuzz did Robert Kapilow turn into a children’s musical work?
Life & Science: What European automaker rolled out 60,000 of its A2 model in 1999, billing it as the world’s first volume production aluminum car?
Games & Sports:
Who became the oldest man in major league history to blast an All-Star Game homer, in 2001?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What eastern U.S. state’s Rural Route 22 was the site of the world’s first drive-thru strip joint? Pennsylvania
Entertainment:
What CBS sitcom’s finale had 121,624,000 viewers on February 28, 1983? M*A*S*H
News:
Whose 1998 election as Oakland mayor had San Francisco’s Willie Brown joking: “You may see the two of us docking with Mir”? Jerry Brown
Written Word:
What disease does bioweapons expert Jonathan Tucker chillingly describe in Scourge? Smallpox
Life & Science: What industry giant built the tiniest computer logic circuit in 2001, a two-transistor component made from a single carbon molecule? IBM
Games & Sports:
How many rebounds did Detroit grab in a 2001 game, to set an NBA all-time low – 3, 9, or 18? 18
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Word of the Week - 4-21-2008
Word of the Week
VAPID
Pronunciation: \va-pəd, vā-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin vapidus flat-tasting; akin to Latin vappa flat wine and perhaps to Latin vapor steam
Date: circa 1656
: lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force : flat, dull “a gossipy, vapid woman, obsessed by her own elegance” — R. F. Delderfield “London was not all vapid dissipation” — V. S. Pritchett
Interesting Fact
Indians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) constitute a large part of population of the country. Over a million Indian migrants are estimated to be living in the UAE (2000), who form over 40% of the total population of the UAE.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What eastern U.S. state’s Rural Route 22 was the site of the world’s first drive-thru strip joint?
Entertainment:
What CBS sitcom’s finale had 121,624,000 viewers on February 28, 1983?
News:
Whose 1998 election as Oakland mayor had San Francisco’s Willie Brown joking: “You may see the two of us docking with Mir”?
Written Word:
What disease does bioweapons expert Jonathan Tucker chillingly describe in Scourge?
Life & Science: What industry giant built the tiniest computer logic circuit in 2001, a two-transistor component made from a single carbon molecule?
Games & Sports:
How many rebounds did Detroit grab in a 2001 game, to set an NBA all-time low – 3, 9, or 18?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What country’s dictator said of its national dish: “You have to slow down to eat buckwheat noodles”? North Korea
Entertainment:
What Paul Simon album featured Los Lobos, Youssou N’Dour and Rockin’ Dopsie? Graceland
News:
What world leader slammed back half-liters of Pilsner Urquell with Bill Clinton in Prague’s famed U Zlateho Tygra beer hall? Vaclav Havel
Written Word:
What lady detective did author Sara Paretsky unleash in the 1982 novel Indemnity Only? V. I. Warshawski
Life & Science: What was the first trading card outfit to sell virtual “portfolios” of sports stars, while stroing the actual physical cards in the company vault? Topps
Games & Sports:
What 14-year-old was the youngset person to win a Wimbledon singles match in the 20th century? Jennifer Capriati
VAPID
Pronunciation: \va-pəd, vā-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin vapidus flat-tasting; akin to Latin vappa flat wine and perhaps to Latin vapor steam
Date: circa 1656
: lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force : flat, dull “a gossipy, vapid woman, obsessed by her own elegance” — R. F. Delderfield “London was not all vapid dissipation” — V. S. Pritchett
Interesting Fact
Indians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) constitute a large part of population of the country. Over a million Indian migrants are estimated to be living in the UAE (2000), who form over 40% of the total population of the UAE.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What eastern U.S. state’s Rural Route 22 was the site of the world’s first drive-thru strip joint?
Entertainment:
What CBS sitcom’s finale had 121,624,000 viewers on February 28, 1983?
News:
Whose 1998 election as Oakland mayor had San Francisco’s Willie Brown joking: “You may see the two of us docking with Mir”?
Written Word:
What disease does bioweapons expert Jonathan Tucker chillingly describe in Scourge?
Life & Science: What industry giant built the tiniest computer logic circuit in 2001, a two-transistor component made from a single carbon molecule?
Games & Sports:
How many rebounds did Detroit grab in a 2001 game, to set an NBA all-time low – 3, 9, or 18?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What country’s dictator said of its national dish: “You have to slow down to eat buckwheat noodles”? North Korea
Entertainment:
What Paul Simon album featured Los Lobos, Youssou N’Dour and Rockin’ Dopsie? Graceland
News:
What world leader slammed back half-liters of Pilsner Urquell with Bill Clinton in Prague’s famed U Zlateho Tygra beer hall? Vaclav Havel
Written Word:
What lady detective did author Sara Paretsky unleash in the 1982 novel Indemnity Only? V. I. Warshawski
Life & Science: What was the first trading card outfit to sell virtual “portfolios” of sports stars, while stroing the actual physical cards in the company vault? Topps
Games & Sports:
What 14-year-old was the youngset person to win a Wimbledon singles match in the 20th century? Jennifer Capriati
Monday, April 14, 2008
Word of the Week - 4-14-2008
Word of the Week
CREATURE
Pronunciation: \krē-chər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin creatura, from Latin creatus, past participle of creare
Date: 14th century
1: something created either animate or inanimate: as a: a lower animal; especially : a farm animal b: a human being c: a being of anomalous or uncertain aspect or nature
2: one that is the servile dependent or tool of another : instrument
Interesting Fact
Part of the reason for America's enormous tiger population relates to legislation. Only nineteen states have banned private ownership of tigers, fifteen require only a licence, and sixteen states have no regulations at all.
The success of breeding programmes at American zoos and circuses led to an overabundance of cubs in the 1980s and 90s, which drove down prices for the animals. The SPCA estimate there are now 500 lions, tigers and other big cats in private ownership just in the Houston area.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What country’s dictator said of its national dish: “You have to slow down to eat buckwheat noodles”?
Entertainment:
What Paul Simon album featured Los Lobos, Youssou N’Dour and Rockin’ Dopsie?
News:
What world leader slammed back half-liters of Pilsner Urquell with Bill Clinton in Prague’s famed U Zlateho Tygra beer hall?
Written Word:
What lady detective did author Sara Paretsky unleash in the 1982 novel Indemnity Only?
Life & Science: What was the first trading card outfit to sell virtual “portfolios” of sports stars, while stroing the actual physical cards in the company vault?
Games & Sports:
What 14-year-old was the youngset person to win a Wimbledon singles match in the 20th century?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What Asian island nation lets citizens criticize the state only from a tiny corner of Hong Lim Park? Singapore
Entertainment:
What TV host removed a pair of loafers on camera every weekday for 34 years? Mr. Fred Rogers
News:
What credit card company was sued in 2001 by two baseball fans for plagiarizing their documentary of a cross-country pilgrimage? Mastercard
Written Word:
How many people other than Oprah Winfrey appeared on the cover of O in its first year? 0
Life & Science: What did veterinarian Robert Lopez purposely drop in his own ear, to earn an Ig Nobel Prize – chili extract, his cat’s ear mites or Krazy Glue? His cat’s ear mites
Games & Sports:
What eastern U.S. city catches sports fans in the net of its Lacrosse Museum and Hall of Fame? Baltimore
CREATURE
Pronunciation: \krē-chər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin creatura, from Latin creatus, past participle of creare
Date: 14th century
1: something created either animate or inanimate: as a: a lower animal; especially : a farm animal b: a human being c: a being of anomalous or uncertain aspect or nature
2: one that is the servile dependent or tool of another : instrument
Interesting Fact
Part of the reason for America's enormous tiger population relates to legislation. Only nineteen states have banned private ownership of tigers, fifteen require only a licence, and sixteen states have no regulations at all.
The success of breeding programmes at American zoos and circuses led to an overabundance of cubs in the 1980s and 90s, which drove down prices for the animals. The SPCA estimate there are now 500 lions, tigers and other big cats in private ownership just in the Houston area.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What country’s dictator said of its national dish: “You have to slow down to eat buckwheat noodles”?
Entertainment:
What Paul Simon album featured Los Lobos, Youssou N’Dour and Rockin’ Dopsie?
News:
What world leader slammed back half-liters of Pilsner Urquell with Bill Clinton in Prague’s famed U Zlateho Tygra beer hall?
Written Word:
What lady detective did author Sara Paretsky unleash in the 1982 novel Indemnity Only?
Life & Science: What was the first trading card outfit to sell virtual “portfolios” of sports stars, while stroing the actual physical cards in the company vault?
Games & Sports:
What 14-year-old was the youngset person to win a Wimbledon singles match in the 20th century?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What Asian island nation lets citizens criticize the state only from a tiny corner of Hong Lim Park? Singapore
Entertainment:
What TV host removed a pair of loafers on camera every weekday for 34 years? Mr. Fred Rogers
News:
What credit card company was sued in 2001 by two baseball fans for plagiarizing their documentary of a cross-country pilgrimage? Mastercard
Written Word:
How many people other than Oprah Winfrey appeared on the cover of O in its first year? 0
Life & Science: What did veterinarian Robert Lopez purposely drop in his own ear, to earn an Ig Nobel Prize – chili extract, his cat’s ear mites or Krazy Glue? His cat’s ear mites
Games & Sports:
What eastern U.S. city catches sports fans in the net of its Lacrosse Museum and Hall of Fame? Baltimore
Monday, April 7, 2008
Word of the Week - 4-7-2008
Word of the Week
INOSCULATE
Pronunciation: \i-ˈnäs-kyə-ˌlāt\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): in·os·cu·lat·ed; in·os·cu·lat·ing
Date: 1671
: join, unite
Interesting Fact
Diamonds are formed and brought to the surface by volcanoes.
The formation of natural diamond requires very specific conditions. Diamond formation requires exposure of carbon-bearing materials to high pressure, ranging approximately between 45 and 60 kilobars, but at a comparatively low temperature range between approximately 1652–2372 °F (900–1300 °C). These conditions are known to be met in two places on Earth; in the lithospheric mantle below relatively stable continental plates, and at the site of a meteorite strike.
The conditions for diamond formation to happen in the lithospheric mantle occur at considerable depth corresponding to the aforementioned requirements of temperature and pressure. These depths are estimated to be in between 140–190 kilometers (90–120 miles) though occasionally diamonds have crystallized at depths of 300-400 km (180-250 miles) as well. The rate at which temperature changes with increasing depth into the Earth varies greatly in different parts of the Earth. In particular, under oceanic plates the temperature rises more quickly with depth, beyond the range required for diamond formation at the depth required. The correct combination of temperature and pressure is only found in the thick, ancient, and stable parts of continental plates where regions of lithosphere known as cratons exist. Long residence in the cratonic lithosphere allows diamond crystals to grow larger.
Diamonds that have come to the Earth's surface are generally very old, ranging from under 1 billion to 3.3 billion years old.
Diamonds can also form in other natural high-pressure events. Very small diamonds, known as microdiamonds or nanodiamonds, have been found in meteorite impact craters. Such impact events create shock zones of high pressure and temperature suitable for diamond formation.
Not all diamonds found on earth originated here. A type of diamond called carbonado diamond that is found in South America and Africa was deposited there via an asteroid impact (not formed from the impact) about 3 billion years ago. These diamonds formed in the intrastellar environment. Presolar grains in many meteorites found on earth contain nanodiamonds of extraterrestrial origin, probably formed in supernovas.
Diamond-bearing rock is brought close to the surface through deep-origin volcanic eruptions. The magma for such a volcano must originate at a depth where diamonds can be formed, 150 km (90 miles) deep or more (three times or more the depth of source magma for most volcanoes); this is a relatively rare occurrence. These typically small surface volcanic craters extend downward in formations known as volcanic pipes. Diamond-bearing volcanic pipes are closely related to the oldest, coolest regions of continental crust (cratons). Not all pipes contain diamonds, and even fewer contain enough diamonds to make mining economically viable. The magma in volcanic pipes is usually one of two characteristic types, which cool into igneous rock known as either kimberlite or lamproite. The magma itself does not contain diamond; instead, it acts as an elevator that carries deep-formed rocks (xenoliths), minerals (xenocrysts), and fluids upward. Once diamonds have been transported to the surface by magma in a volcanic pipe, they may erode out and be distributed over a large area. A volcanic pipe containing diamonds is known as a primary source of diamonds. Secondary sources of diamonds include all areas where a significant number of diamonds, eroded out of their kimberlite or lamproite matrix, accumulate because of water or wind action. These include alluvial deposits and deposits along existing and ancient shorelines, where loose diamonds tend to accumulate because of their approximate size and density. Diamonds have also rarely been found in deposits left behind by glaciers (notably in Wisconsin and Indiana); however, in contrast to alluvial deposits, glacial deposits are not known to be of significant concentration and are therefore not viable commercial sources of diamond.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What Asian island nation lets citizens criticize the state only from a tiny corner of Hong Lim Park?
Entertainment:
What TV host removed a pair of loafers on camera every weekday for 34 years?
News:
What credit card company was sued in 2001 by two baseball fans for plagiarizing their documentary of a cross-country pilgrimage?
Written Word:
How many people other than Oprah Winfrey appeared on the cover of O in its first year?
Life & Science: What did veterinarian Robert Lopez purposely drop in his own ear, to earn an Ig Nobel Prize – chili extract, his cat’s ear mites or Krazy Glue?
Games & Sports:
What eastern U.S. city catches sports fans in the net of its Lacrosse Museum and Hall of Fame?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What nation soberly reported treating 5,945 people in its hospitals for “trouser accidents” in 1999? Britain
Entertainment:
What human informed the world: “I’m the Doggfather – nobody bites my style”? Snoop Dogg
News:
Who are the only two men in history to get more popular votes in a U.S. presedential election than George W. Bush, through 2001? Ronald Reagan and Al Gore
Written Word:
What did Time magazine call its “Man of the Year” award when it picked Corazon Aquino? Person of the Year
Life & Science: What nation’s Ministry of Public Security released “Internet Police 110”, software designed to block access to cults, sex or violence, in 2001? China
Games & Sports:
What do hunters hope to attract by rattling and grunting like Hunter “The Gruntmaster” Powers? deer
INOSCULATE
Pronunciation: \i-ˈnäs-kyə-ˌlāt\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): in·os·cu·lat·ed; in·os·cu·lat·ing
Date: 1671
: join, unite
Interesting Fact
Diamonds are formed and brought to the surface by volcanoes.
The formation of natural diamond requires very specific conditions. Diamond formation requires exposure of carbon-bearing materials to high pressure, ranging approximately between 45 and 60 kilobars, but at a comparatively low temperature range between approximately 1652–2372 °F (900–1300 °C). These conditions are known to be met in two places on Earth; in the lithospheric mantle below relatively stable continental plates, and at the site of a meteorite strike.
The conditions for diamond formation to happen in the lithospheric mantle occur at considerable depth corresponding to the aforementioned requirements of temperature and pressure. These depths are estimated to be in between 140–190 kilometers (90–120 miles) though occasionally diamonds have crystallized at depths of 300-400 km (180-250 miles) as well. The rate at which temperature changes with increasing depth into the Earth varies greatly in different parts of the Earth. In particular, under oceanic plates the temperature rises more quickly with depth, beyond the range required for diamond formation at the depth required. The correct combination of temperature and pressure is only found in the thick, ancient, and stable parts of continental plates where regions of lithosphere known as cratons exist. Long residence in the cratonic lithosphere allows diamond crystals to grow larger.
Diamonds that have come to the Earth's surface are generally very old, ranging from under 1 billion to 3.3 billion years old.
Diamonds can also form in other natural high-pressure events. Very small diamonds, known as microdiamonds or nanodiamonds, have been found in meteorite impact craters. Such impact events create shock zones of high pressure and temperature suitable for diamond formation.
Not all diamonds found on earth originated here. A type of diamond called carbonado diamond that is found in South America and Africa was deposited there via an asteroid impact (not formed from the impact) about 3 billion years ago. These diamonds formed in the intrastellar environment. Presolar grains in many meteorites found on earth contain nanodiamonds of extraterrestrial origin, probably formed in supernovas.
Diamond-bearing rock is brought close to the surface through deep-origin volcanic eruptions. The magma for such a volcano must originate at a depth where diamonds can be formed, 150 km (90 miles) deep or more (three times or more the depth of source magma for most volcanoes); this is a relatively rare occurrence. These typically small surface volcanic craters extend downward in formations known as volcanic pipes. Diamond-bearing volcanic pipes are closely related to the oldest, coolest regions of continental crust (cratons). Not all pipes contain diamonds, and even fewer contain enough diamonds to make mining economically viable. The magma in volcanic pipes is usually one of two characteristic types, which cool into igneous rock known as either kimberlite or lamproite. The magma itself does not contain diamond; instead, it acts as an elevator that carries deep-formed rocks (xenoliths), minerals (xenocrysts), and fluids upward. Once diamonds have been transported to the surface by magma in a volcanic pipe, they may erode out and be distributed over a large area. A volcanic pipe containing diamonds is known as a primary source of diamonds. Secondary sources of diamonds include all areas where a significant number of diamonds, eroded out of their kimberlite or lamproite matrix, accumulate because of water or wind action. These include alluvial deposits and deposits along existing and ancient shorelines, where loose diamonds tend to accumulate because of their approximate size and density. Diamonds have also rarely been found in deposits left behind by glaciers (notably in Wisconsin and Indiana); however, in contrast to alluvial deposits, glacial deposits are not known to be of significant concentration and are therefore not viable commercial sources of diamond.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What Asian island nation lets citizens criticize the state only from a tiny corner of Hong Lim Park?
Entertainment:
What TV host removed a pair of loafers on camera every weekday for 34 years?
News:
What credit card company was sued in 2001 by two baseball fans for plagiarizing their documentary of a cross-country pilgrimage?
Written Word:
How many people other than Oprah Winfrey appeared on the cover of O in its first year?
Life & Science: What did veterinarian Robert Lopez purposely drop in his own ear, to earn an Ig Nobel Prize – chili extract, his cat’s ear mites or Krazy Glue?
Games & Sports:
What eastern U.S. city catches sports fans in the net of its Lacrosse Museum and Hall of Fame?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What nation soberly reported treating 5,945 people in its hospitals for “trouser accidents” in 1999? Britain
Entertainment:
What human informed the world: “I’m the Doggfather – nobody bites my style”? Snoop Dogg
News:
Who are the only two men in history to get more popular votes in a U.S. presedential election than George W. Bush, through 2001? Ronald Reagan and Al Gore
Written Word:
What did Time magazine call its “Man of the Year” award when it picked Corazon Aquino? Person of the Year
Life & Science: What nation’s Ministry of Public Security released “Internet Police 110”, software designed to block access to cults, sex or violence, in 2001? China
Games & Sports:
What do hunters hope to attract by rattling and grunting like Hunter “The Gruntmaster” Powers? deer
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