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
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Word of the Week - 12-01-2008
Word of the Week
UNCTION
Pronunciation: \ˈuhŋ(k)-shuhn\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English unccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin unction-, unctio, from unguere to anoint
Date: 14th century
1: the act of anointing as a rite of consecration or healing
2: something used for anointing : ointment , unguent
3 a: religious or spiritual fervor or the expression of such fervor b: exaggerated, assumed, or superficial earnestness of language or manner : unctuousness
Interesting Fact
The Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus, is a tropical member of the Pheasant family, and is the direct ancestor of the domestic chicken. It was first raised in captivity at least several thousand years ago in the Indian subcontinent, and the domesticated form has been taken all around the world as a very productive food source for both meat and eggs, which some breeds have been specifically developed to produce.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are this week’s questions:
Global View (Geography):
What fraction of the U.S. population is likely to be 65 or older by 2030, thanks to the baby boom?
Entertainment:
What ship was portrayed by the USS Missouri in the movie Pearl Harbor?
News:
What cable channel’s motto did critic James Wolcott suggest be changed from “We Report. You Decide” to “We Exhort. You Comply”?
Written Word:
Whose “autobiography” did Normal Mailer pen in 1997’s The Gospel According to the Son?
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”?
Games and Sports:
What brand of gum did Wal-Mart choose for bubble-blowing contests across the U.S., in 2001?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What Florida locale attracts visitors with a life-sized model of the 363-foot-tall Saturn V? The Kennedy Space Center
Entertainment:
What disease killed off Mark Harmon’s character on St. Elsewhere? AIDS
News:
What Texan promised, if elected president: “I will cut the grass, I will take out the trash, I will sleep under a bridge”? H. Ross Perot
Written Word:
What nation was home to six of the world’s top ten best-selling newspapers, by 1998? Japan
Life and Science:
What crippling disease, once targeted for eradication by 2000, did vaccine-maker Aventis donate 50 million doses to fight, in 2001? Polio
Games and Sports:
What pro sports league crowned the Dusseldorf Rhein Fire as its “world” champion, in 2000? NFL Europe
UNCTION
Pronunciation: \ˈuhŋ(k)-shuhn\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English unccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin unction-, unctio, from unguere to anoint
Date: 14th century
1: the act of anointing as a rite of consecration or healing
2: something used for anointing : ointment , unguent
3 a: religious or spiritual fervor or the expression of such fervor b: exaggerated, assumed, or superficial earnestness of language or manner : unctuousness
Interesting Fact
The Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus, is a tropical member of the Pheasant family, and is the direct ancestor of the domestic chicken. It was first raised in captivity at least several thousand years ago in the Indian subcontinent, and the domesticated form has been taken all around the world as a very productive food source for both meat and eggs, which some breeds have been specifically developed to produce.
Trivial Pursuit
Here are this week’s questions:
Global View (Geography):
What fraction of the U.S. population is likely to be 65 or older by 2030, thanks to the baby boom?
Entertainment:
What ship was portrayed by the USS Missouri in the movie Pearl Harbor?
News:
What cable channel’s motto did critic James Wolcott suggest be changed from “We Report. You Decide” to “We Exhort. You Comply”?
Written Word:
Whose “autobiography” did Normal Mailer pen in 1997’s The Gospel According to the Son?
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”?
Games and Sports:
What brand of gum did Wal-Mart choose for bubble-blowing contests across the U.S., in 2001?
Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What Florida locale attracts visitors with a life-sized model of the 363-foot-tall Saturn V? The Kennedy Space Center
Entertainment:
What disease killed off Mark Harmon’s character on St. Elsewhere? AIDS
News:
What Texan promised, if elected president: “I will cut the grass, I will take out the trash, I will sleep under a bridge”? H. Ross Perot
Written Word:
What nation was home to six of the world’s top ten best-selling newspapers, by 1998? Japan
Life and Science:
What crippling disease, once targeted for eradication by 2000, did vaccine-maker Aventis donate 50 million doses to fight, in 2001? Polio
Games and Sports:
What pro sports league crowned the Dusseldorf Rhein Fire as its “world” champion, in 2000? NFL Europe
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