Word of the Week - 11-3-2008

Word of the Week
SPECIOUS
Pronunciation: \ˈspee-shuhs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, visually pleasing, from Latin speciosus beautiful, plausible, from species
Date: 1513
1obsolete : showy
2: having deceptive attraction or allure
3: having a false look of truth or genuineness : sophistic


Interesting Fact
Whoever wins on 4 November will be the 44th President of the United States of America. But in fact, America has had only 42 presidents. Why the discrepancy? The troublemaker is Grover Cleveland, who was elected president in 1884, lost the re-election in 1888, but re-won the presidency in 1892. In the annals of US power, he is counted twice, as 22nd and 24th holder of supreme office.

Only one man has the distinction of becoming president and vice-president without being voted into either office. Gerald Ford became veep on the resignation of Spiro Agnew, and president after the resignation of Richard Nixon.

The oldest president to win a presidential election was Reagan, who was 73 when he began his second term. The youngest, at 43, was John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Vice Presidents were originally the presidential candidates receiving the second-largest number of electoral votes. The Twelfth Amendment, passed in 1804, changed the system so that the electoral college voted separately for president and vice president. The presidential candidate, however, gradually gained power over the nominating convention to choose his own running mate.

Trivial Pursuit
Here are this week’s questions:
Global View (Geography):
What nation’s schoolkids recite the daily pledge: “Pioneers for Communism, we will be like Che”?

Entertainment:
What former MTV veejay launched the CyberSleaze News on his website?

News:
What awards have been granted annually since 1994 to honor “those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it”?

Written Word:
What magazine offered readers exclusive closeups of Rosie O’Donnell’s infected finger?

Life and Science:
What fragrant grain did the Texas firm RiceTec win a patent for crossbreeding with U.S. longgrain rice, much to the chagrin of India?

Games and Sports:
What team inspired a fan’s sign “Now I Can Die in Peace” after the 1994 Stanley Cup Final?


Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What birds littered Tokyo streets with rotten food in 2001, leading officials to set 100 traps? Crows

Entertainment:
What Baha Men ditty boasts the chorus: “woof, woof, woof, woof, woof”? Who Let the Dogs Out

News:
What publishing czar offered a $1 million reward to any woman who could prove an affair with a member of Congress, in 1998? Larry Flynt

Written Word:
What Fox News star parlayed his on-air “Talking Points” into a number one bestseller? Bill O’Reilly

Life and Science:
What gum disease fighting brand claims “it can help you keep your teeth,” as long as you can also endure scaling and root planing procedures? Periostat

Games and Sports:
What 1987 pioneering simulation game actually made an urban planner’s job seem interesting? SimCity