Word of the Day for Wednesday, October 29, 2008

bivouac \BIV-wak, BIV-uh-wak\, noun:

1. An encampment for the night, usually under little or no shelter.
2. To encamp for the night, usually under little or no shelter.

Bivouac comes from French bivouac, from German Beiwache, "a watching or guarding," from bei, "by, near" + wachen, "to watch."

deja moo

• The feeling that you have heard this bull before.

Katie: " How come you guys didn't go out and celebrate your anniversary?"

Nicole: " We were going to, but he had to take care of his little sister again."

Katie: "That sounds like deja moo to me."

Trivia

In what country did coleslaw originate?

• Holland. The Dutch call it koolsla—a combination of kool, which means “cabbage,” and sla, an abbreviated form of the French salade.

Today in History

• Republic of Turkey: was established when forces led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, "the father of modern Turkey," wrested control from the Ottoman Empire (1923)
• Black Tuesday: the US stock market crashed and the Great Depression began (1929)
• Star of India: giant star sapphire was stolen, along with other fabulous gems, from the American Museum of Natural History (1964)
• John Glenn: the first American in orbit returned to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery (1998)

Today's Birthdays

• James Boswell (1740-1795): biographer of Samuel Johnson
• Melba Moore (63): R&B singer; musician Peter Green (62) also celebrates his birthday today
• Dan Castellaneta (51): the voice of Homer Simpson; other performers who share this birth date include Fanny Brice (1892-1951), Richard Dreyfuss (61), Kate Jackson (60), Rufus Sewell and Joely Fisher (both 41), Winona Ryder (37), Tracee Ellis Ross and Gabrielle Union (both 36), Milena Govich (32) and Brendan Fehr (31)