Word of the Day for Monday, October 13, 2008

sobriquet \SO-brih-kay; -ket; so-brih-KAY; -KET\, noun:

• A nickname; an assumed name; an epithet.

Sobriquet is from the French, from Old French soubriquet, "a chuck under the chin, hence, an affront, a nickname."

imaginary bluetooth

• An imaginary telephone device popular with riders of public transport, those having manic episodes, paranoid schizophrenics, and just common talk to yourself out loud types.

Whoa, dude on the escalator is yakking away to no one and there's no bluetooth in his ear.
Imaginary bluetooth in action. Probably on his way to the bus.
Trivia
Which state was the first to officially observe Columbus Day?

• Colorado, in 1905.

Today's Holiday

• Columbus Day: October 12, observed in the United States in commemoration of the landing by Christopher Columbus in 1492 in America, which became known as “the New World” because Europeans did not know that it had existed. Columbus Day is now officially observed on the second Monday in October.

Today in History

• The White House: the cornerstone was laid for the building then known as the Executive Mansion (1792)
• the miracle of the sun: according to reports, tens of thousands of people saw the sun cast colored lights and spin toward the earth near Fátima, Portugal (1917)
• Italy: switched sides in WWII and declared war on Nazi Germany (1943)

Today's Birthdays

• Lenny Bruce (1925-1966): dark, edgy comedian
• Paul Simon (67): half of Simon & Garfunkel, Grammy winner for Graceland; other musicians born on this date include Art Tatum (1909-1956) and Ashanti (28)
• Jerry Rice (46): SF 49ers wide receiver, 1985-2000; athletes Nancy Kerrigan (39) and Ian Thorpe (26) share this birth date
• Kate Walsh (41): Addison Montgomery on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice; also, actors Yves Montand (1921-1991), Pamela Tiffin (66), Demond Wilson (62), Reggie Theus (51), Kelly Preston and T'Keyah Crystal Keymah (both 46), Tisha Campbell-Martin (40) and Sacha Baron Cohen (37)