Tuesday, March 3, 2009

acute \uh-KYOOT\, adjective:

1. acting keenly on the senses; sharp
2. quick in discernment; drawing fine distinctions
3. of an angle, less than 90 degrees
4. happening quickly, briefly, and severely

by 1570, from Latin acutus "sharp, pointed." Medical sense of "fever or disease that comes and goes quickly" (rather than a chronic one) first recorded 1667.

rebooty

1. A booty call made with an ex.
2. A renewed relationship with an ex.

After they broke up, Joe still called Kate for some rebooty on weekends.
Trivia
What country has the tallest people?

• The Netherlands, where the average man is about 6 feet 1 and the average woman is about 5 feet 7. In the U.S., the averages are men, 5 feet 9 1/2, and women, just over 5 feet 4.

Today in History:

• "The Star-Spangled Banner": Francis Scott Key's poem became the official US national anthem (1931)
• Switzerland: citizens voted to join the United Nations, abandoning nearly 200 years of formal neutrality (2002)
• Sky Tower: observation and telecommunications tower opened in Auckland; at 328 meters (1.076 feet) it is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere

Today's Birthdays:

• George M. Pullman (1831-1897): industrialist and innovator, pullman cars and Pullman, Il
• Brian Leetch (41): ice hockey player; athletes Jackie Joyner-Kersee (47) and Santonio Holmes (25) also celebrate birthdays today
• Jessica Biel (27): super-hot actress, 7th Heaven, The Illusionist; other actors born on this date include Jean Harlow (1911-1937), Miranda Richardson (51), Julie Bowen (39) and David Faustino (35)

Quote:

• "A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with — a man is what he makes of himself." — Alexander Graham Bell