Q. Why are there so many superstitions around travelling? Which ones have deep historic roots? . A. With all of the mystery and unpredictability of travel, it is no wonder that it has attracted so many superstitions. Anything for an illusion of control. Many clutch their lucky talismans in ever-squishier planes,

Q. Which classical pieces are most widely beloved? . A. It’s Ralph Vaughan Williams for the win. After more than 156,000 votes, Classic FM compiled their 2021 Hall of Fame Top 300 list of the year’s favourite classical pieces. Still reigning at Number One? Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’, for the

Q. What is it with English and all of its words that have opposite or near opposite meanings, like ‘dust’ or ‘seed’, for instance? . A. These contranyms are yet another reason why people find English so difficult to learn. These pesky contradictions are also called Janus words after the

Q. Ready your plates. It’s National Artichoke Hearts Day. This high-class thistle has inspired many an artist, but place said muse on a lunch plate and we diners can start to panic. “How do I eat this thing?” . A. Etiquette experts old and new to the rescue. In her

Q. Which sounds do people hate the most? . A. We all have our personal pet peeves (Ugh to scraping, squishing styrofoam), but researchers have looked in brain-searing depth at the sounds that cause the most universal discomfort. In a Journal of Neuroscience study, researchers Sukhbinder Kumar, Katharina von Kriegstein,

Q. One thing is for sure: this is not how most of us would want to be described. ‘Dull as dishwater’. Dirty, dish-soiled water moves quickly from dull to disgusting. Of all the possible representations of dullness, how did dishwater find its way into the back of this idiom? .

Q. What do Louis Armstrong, Kermit The Frog, Janet Jackson, and Thomas Edison have in common? . A. All four of these creators are behind recordings that have been selected to be painstakingly preserved by the Library of Congress. Every year, the United States’ Library of Congress National Recording Preservation

Q. As we look to the horrors in Ukraine, it is stunning to watch the incredible courage of the Ukrainians who find themselves under the most extreme of threats. 🙏🏼 What are some lesser used words that relate to the concept of bravery? . A. Doughty Having deep courage. Hard

Q. It’s been one of those days. You can’t wait to get home to your fleece-lined sleepers, your favourite chair, the latest episode of whatever you’re streaming, and… what food? What comfort meal is going to help you relax and reset? . A. Does soup burble near the top of

Q. Well, that one horrid thing happened. And now, there’s the threat of more grief to follow. Murder hornets, you say. There’s a well-used expression to describe this feeling of impending doom: ‘Waiting for the other shoe to drop’.  But, why shoes? Where does that phrase originate? . A. Have