Friday, February 13, 2009

expurgate \EK-sper-geyt\, verb:

• to remove objectionable words or passages from a document

by 1621, from Latin expurgat-, from expurgare, from ex- + purgare "to make clean"
hello list

• The list of people you have to or want to say "hello" to on a daily basis. Especially relevant for students in university buildings, or coworkers in a workplace. Some people might decide to put you on their hello lists, even if they aren't on yours! Typically, reciprocity is expected.

Dropping someone from your hello list to just a nod when you pass him or her might be considered a snub by the other person.

Trivia
What is the only celestial body in the universe—besides the sun and moon—that is bright enough to cast shadows on the earth?

• Venus.

Today in History:

• ASCAP: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers was founded to protect members' copyrighted music (1914)
• Switzerland: the League of Nations recognized its perpetual neutrality (1920)
• BPM 37093: white dwarf star was found to have a massive diamond core; it was nicknamed Lucy, after the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (2004)

Today's Birthdays:

• Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820): botanist
• Georgios Papandreou (1888-1968): Greek PM
• Grant Wood (1891-1942): painter of American Gothic
• William Shockley (1910-1989): Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• Chuck Yeager (86): the pilot who broke the sound barrier
• Robbie Williams (35): UK hall-of-fame singer/songwriter; pop singers Peter Tork (67), Peter Gabriel (59) and Henry Rollins (48) share his birthday
• Mena Suvari (30): actor, American Beauty; also, actors Kim Novak (76), George Segal (75), Bo Svenson (68), Carol Lynley (67), Stockard Channing and Jerry Springer (both 65), Neal McDonough (43) and Kelly Hu (41)