Word of the Week - 5-6-2008

Word of the Week
ACUITY
Pronunciation: \uh-kyu-uh-tee, a-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural acu·ities
Etymology: Middle English acuite acridity, from Middle French acuité, from Medieval Latin acuitat-, acuitas, from Latin acuere
Date: 1543
: keenness of perception : sharpness


Interesting Fact
Clarence Hailey Long, a ranch foreman in the Texas Panhandle, was the inspiration for the original Marlboro Man advertising campaign by Philip Morris

Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What sleepy Spanish fishing village did Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe turn into a jet-set mecca?

Entertainment:
What was the first album in history to reach number one in 34 nations?

News:
What 32-year-old did AOL’s board briefly remove as CEO in 1992 because they thought investors might consider him too young?

Written Word:
What East European nation’s hot sci-fi magazine of the 1980s was called Fantastyka?

Life & Science: What percent of men taking anti-depressants experienced sexual dysfunction, in Dr. Anita Clayton’s 2001 study – 17, 37, or 57 percent?

Games & Sports:
What nation’s baseball hall of fame includes Zoilo Versalles, Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva?

Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What Asian nation passed the U.S. in the 1990s as the world’s biggest consumer of gold jewelry? China

Entertainment:
Who got to ad-lib ad nauseam as the voice of the genie in Aladdin? Robin Williams

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? Billy Graham

Written Word:
Whose story Gertrude McFuzz did Robert Kapilow turn into a children’s musical work? Dr. Suess

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? Audi

Games & Sports:
Who became the oldest man in major league history to blast an All-Star Game homer, in 2001? Cal Ripkin Jr.