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Trivia Bits by Stan Newman

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Stan Newman

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  • Trivia Bits, May 12
    Word of the week: "paraph." It is a handwritten flourish made under a person's signature, once popularly used as a forgery deterrent. Some famous Americans whose autograph often included a paraph: John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Sam …

  • Trivia Bits, May 10
    STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 84 What famous name from 19th-century world history was once the president of three countries simultaneously? HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-mail to TriviaBits@…

  • Trivia Bits, May 9
    The word "fiasco," as in "spectacular failure," means "flask" in Italian. Specifically, the flask commonly used for Chianti that is enclosed in a straw basket. The word took on its unpleasant connotation as an Italian …

  • Trivia Bits, May 8
    Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Byron, in northern Illinois (current population about 4,000). Baseball Hall of Famer and sporting-goods entrepreneur Albert Goodwill Spalding was born there in 1850. Impressionist painter Wilson Irvine …

Trivia Bits, April 4

What's the world's most played song? There's probably no way to get a definitive answer, but Lu Hughes of Walnut Creek, Calif., nominates "It's a Small World," which is heard at the attraction of the same name in Disney theme parks worldwide. She figures there's no time when the song isn't being played somewhere. Have another nomination? Please let us know.

Veteran crossword fans may remember the word "evoe," an ancient Greek exclamation of exhilaration that was once a crossword staple. It's now extinct, thanks to modern puzzle editors' distaste for obscurities. We were reminded of "evoe" when we recently encountered EVOO, the acronym for "extra virgin olive oil," popularized by TV cooking show host Rachael Ray.

The Hammer, Jupiter, Sleeping Beauty and Vesuvius are all names of:
A) Horses that have won the Kentucky Derby
B) Grammy-winning rap artists
C) Stradivarius violins
D) Casino slot machines

Previous answer: The word "broccoli," literally "little sprouts" in Italian, has no singular "broccolo" version in American English dictionaries.
(Thanks to Joe Lasusky of Castro Valley, Calif., for the idea.)

TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Stan Newman at StanTrivia@aol.com or on a postcard to P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762.


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Originally Published on Friday April 04, 2008

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Click on the title to read Stanley Newman's article from Newsday, "Exercise Your Puzzle Muscles", which explores the ways that puzzles can keep you mentally fit as you age.

Also, see the Editors's Note from this edition of Newsday recounting the history of the Newsday crossword puzzle and Stanley Newman's pivotal role in revolutionizing it.
 
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