Q. Halloween is soon upon us. What fantastical beings can we expect to find at our doors and in the streets? . A. The data-drowning people at Google have an idea. In piecing through Halloween searches this year, Google Trends came up with the year’s most popular costumes. How many

Q. Which flower has the most entrancing scent?   A. ‘The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem For that sweet odour which doth in it live….’ So writes William Shakespeare in Sonnet 54. Does the rose have an uncommonly sweet odour? Do we deem it fairer because of

Q. Most of us know the feeling of charging into a word full bore, only to dodder halfway in, panicking that we are saying it wrong. What are some of the most commonly mispronounced names or words? . A. In a clever experiment, Word Tips mined the Forvo pronunciation dictionary

Q. In 2018, author Tony Crowley created a ‘Liverpool English Dictionary’. The Beatles want to know: what delights lie within? . A. In this 2018 ‘Liverpool English Dictionary’, author Tony Crowley describes the language of Liverpool as a ‘city vernacular’ rather than a dialect. It is the language of the

Q. Happy Hobbit Day! September 22nd is for hobbitses as it marks both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthdays. So: take off your shoes, grab a cloak and a girdle, and let’s get celebrating. In honour of Tolkien’s hobbits, it is only fair that we eat second breakfasts all week. But,

Q. The September crisp is most definitely in the air. What are your favourite foods for a chilly fall day? . A. To get us ready for fall – which, Farmers’ Almanac tells us starts on Thursday, September 22, 2022, at 9:04 p.m. EDT-  Food Network asked readers to identify

Q. Scandals are piling up so quickly these days, it’s hard to keep them straight. Wait, who did that again? We’re going to need some more descriptors; one story sounds just like the last. Are there any ancient or abandoned words ready to spring back into action? . A. The

Q. What are some of the most striking photographs of Queen Elizabeth II? . A. It’s a near impossible question given the sheer volume of photos of the Queen over her life span. But, included in the ‘striking’ list would surely be the photos taken by renowned photographer Annie Liebowitz

Q. Over the last few years, museums have been active in bringing their artworks online, armed with key facts and historic insights. It’s a great viewing opportunity for those of us who can’t be there in person. As we visit online collections, museums also have a chance to see which

Q. Do you ever find yourself just slightly off in your conversational rhythm on video chat? Even just one-on-one with people you know well? In person, you’re back and forth with ease – mellow in casual chat, more rat-tat-tat when the topic is exciting. Yet, shift to video and you