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A.Word.A.Day--goliath goliath (guh-LIE-eth) noun A giant; a person or organization of enormous size or power. [After Goliath, a giant Philistine warrior, who was slain by David using a sling and a stone.] "You may smile at the Goliath-sized ambition of this idea." Mort v. Goliath, The Economist (London), Jul 25, 1998. "The perception of the battle as pitting Goliath against pitiable Davids helps explain why independents are faring so well. For one thing, sheer terror goads many independent owners to improve their shops when Starbucks enters the neighborhood. Kansas City's Broadway Cafe banned smoking and began roasting its own beans when Starbucks opened next door." Kevin Helliker and Shirley Leung, Counting Beans, The Wall Street Journal (New York), Sep 24, 2002. This week's theme: eponyms, or words derived from people's names. X-Bonus Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the idea is quite staggering. -Arthur C Clarke, science fiction writer (1917- )

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