Tuesday, February 22, 2011

bailiwick \BAY-luh-wik\, noun:

1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work.
2. The office or district of a bailiff.

Bailiwick comes from Middle English baillifwik, from baillif, "bailiff" (ultimately from Latin bajulus, "porter, carrier") + wik, "town," from Old English wic, from Latin vicus, "village."

Work Mouth

• A form of self-censorship practiced at work to avoid offensive or cuss words. Typically includes cuss-replacements you learned from your grandma. Potentially embarrassing if accidentally used outside of work at parties or in the company of your drunk friends.
• May also be used in the company of grandparents, teachers, preachers, and others who disapprove of cussing.
• Does not apply to all professions. Musicians and construction workers have no need for a work mouth.

At work:

-Did you just say fuck?

-Yeah, sorry. I forgot to use my work mouth.

At a party:

-Did you just say fiddlesticks?

-Yeah, sorry. I still have my work mouth on.

Trivia

Who owned the largest commercial whiskey distillery in 18th-century America?

• George Washington. At its peak in 1799, the five-still distillery produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey. Located three miles from Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, it was reconstructed and opened for guided tours in 2007.

History

• Transcontinental Treaty: Spain ceded Florida to the US (1819)
• Woolworth's store: general-store clerk Frank Woolworth opened his first five-and-dime, in Utica, NY (1879)
• Daytona 500: NASCAR's most important race was first held in Daytona Beach, Florida; Lee Petty came in first, driving at 135.52 mph (213.22 kmph) (1959)
• Miracle on Ice: the US beat the Soviet Union at ice hockey in a major upset at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York (1980)
• Securitas depot robbery: a group of men pulled off Britain's biggest crime in terms of cash stolen — £53 million (2006)

Birthdays

• George Washington (1732-1799): the first US president; also, king of France Charles VII (1403-1461)
• Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950): first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; plus, writers James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) and Seán Ó'Fáolain (1900-1991)
• Marni Nixon (81): ghost singer who sings the leading lady roles on the soundtracks of West Side Story, The King and I, My Fair Lady; plus, singer/songwriter James Blunt (34)
• Edward Kennedy (1932-2009): powerful, longtime US senator from Massachusetts
• Julius Erving (61): NBA superstar who popularized the dunk; 3-time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda (62) shares this birth date
• Vijay Singh (48): pro golfer; plus, tennis hall-of-famer Michael Chang (39)
• Drew Barrymore (36): actress, producer, Whip It, Going the Distance; also, screen personalities Don Pardo (93), Paul Dooley (83), Julie Walters (61), Ellen Greene (59), Kyle McLachlan (52), Steve Irwin (1962-2006), Rachel Dratch (45) and Jeri Ryan (43)