Thursday, March 17, 2011

quaff \KWOFF; KWAFF\, intransitive verb:

1. To drink a beverage, esp. an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

transitive verb:

1. To drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily

noun:

• 1. An act or instance of quaffing.
• 2. A beverage quaffed.

Quaff is of unknown origin.

Irish twins

• Children, born in succession within one year

They were like rabbits. Now their Irish twins are six and seven.

Trivia

What was the original significance of the “O” and “Mac” in Irish surnames?

• “O” meant grandson of; “Mac” meant son of.

Today's Holiday

• St. Patrick's Day (for the Irish and Irish-wannabes)

History

• Italy: the modern Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed; it lasted until the Republic was formed in 1946 (1861)
• National Gallery of Art: museum designed by John Russell Pope was dedicated in Washington, DC (1941)
• californium: creation of radioactive element was announced by scientists at UC Berkeley; it was made by bombarding curium with helium isotopes (1950)
• Mount Agung: stratovolcano on Bali erupted, killing 1,500 (1963)

Birthdays

• Patricia Ford (42): exotic looking model / actress
• Kate Greenaway (1846-1901): illustrator of children's books; and, artist/illustrator Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755)
• Nat King Cole (1919-1965): "Unforgettable" singer; also, musicians Paul Kantner (70), Jim Weatherly (68), John Sebastian (67), Susie Allanson (59), Paul Overstreet (56), Billy Corgan (44) and Caroline Corr (38)
• Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993): superstar ballet dancer and choreographer
• Rob Lowe (47): actor, The West Wing, Brothers and Sisters, Parks and Recreation; also, actors Shemp Howard (1895-1955), Patrick Duffy (62), Kurt Russell (60), Leslie-Anne Down (57), Gary Sinise (56), Arye Gross (51), Matthew St. Patrick (43), Yanic Truesdale (41) and Natalie Zea (36)
• Mia Hamm (39): Olympic gold medalist in soccer; and, athlete Bobby Jones (1902-1971)