Word of the Week - 10-20-2008

Word of the Week
GEEZER
Pronunciation: \ˈgee-zuhr\
Function: noun
Etymology: probably alteration of Scots guiser one in disguise
Date: 1885
: a queer, odd, or eccentric person —used especially of elderly men
— gee·zer·hood noun


Interesting Fact
The word hello has sometimes been credited to Thomas Edison, specifically as a way to greet someone when answering the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell initially used Ahoy-hoy (as used on ships) as a telephone greeting. However, in 1877, Edison wrote to T.B.A. David, the president of the Central District and Printing Telegraph Company of Pittsburgh:
“Friend David, I do not think we shall need a call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away. What you think? Edison

By 1889, central telephone exchange operators were known as 'hello-girls' due to the association between the greeting and the telephone.

Trivial Pursuit
Here are this week’s questions:
Global View (Geography):
What Mideast nation hopes to lure tourists to its town of Jerash by staging daily chariot races?

Entertainment:
What was the first Star Trek series without “Star Trek” in its title?

News:
How old was “Granny D” Haddock when she walked 3,200 miles across America to promote campaign finance reform – 70, 80, or 90?

Written Word:
What sage soothed listeners with his audio book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success?

Life and Science:
What “100 percent pure” product did Byrd Laboratories sell to concerned job-seekers for $49.95 a bag, in 1986?

Games and Sports:
How many years did Michael Jordan sit home at playoff time in his 13 seasons with the Bulls?


Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What mid town Manhattan eatery did Tom Wolfe call “the Versailles of American corporate culture”? The Four Seasons

Entertainment:
What band was mistakenly billed as “The V2s” and “VR” in its early days? U2

News:
What Michigan island’s carriage horses have too many harness sores and are poorly shod, according to the U.S. Humane Society? Mackinac Island

Written Word:
What Scott Turow sequel stirs up the personal life of the DA from Presumed Innocent? The Burden of Proof

Life and Science:
What can concerned parents try to prevent by remembering the offbeat rhyme: “Now you lay me down to sleep, on my back for safest sleep”? SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Games and Sports:
Who took exception when Vanity Fair asked if he had “the smallest jockstrap in wrestling”? The Rock