Word of the week: "quidnunc," a person who is interested in all the latest gossip, aka "busybody" and "yenta." The Latin question "Quid nunc?" means "What now?" By the way, the word "gossip" is derived from "god-sib," the godparent of one's child or the parent of one's godchildren. It has nothing to do with the "sipping" at the office water cooler, often a center for gossip.

We recently got to wondering what presidential campaign button might have needed the fewest letters to name the ticket's two candidates. This year's 10-letter Obama/Biden is beaten by the eight-letter Dole/Kemp in 1996. If you count initials-only buttons, the champ is LBJ/HHH in 1968. Were there JFK/LBJ buttons in 1960? We couldn't find pictures of any online. If you can help, please let us know.

According to the International Olympic Committee, what is the longest continuous corporate sponsor of the Olympic Games?
A) Eastman Kodak
B) Kellogg's
C) Coca-Cola
D) IBM

Previous answer: The Texas-based rock band Max Q is composed entirely of NASA astronauts. "Max Q" is a term for the maximum atmospheric pressure on a spacecraft during ascent.

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.

Stanley Newman is the editor of the Newsday Crossword and author/editor of more than 125 books on crosswords, word games and trivia, including "15,003 Answers: The Ultimate Trivia Encyclopedia" (Random House). To find out more about Stanley Newman visit StanXwords.com, or e-mail him at StanTrivia@aol.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 STANLEY NEWMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE