Q. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor RJ Lupin first offers Harry a therapeutic slab of chocolate to revive our young wizard after a traumatic encounter with train-storming dementors. ‘A loud snap made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.

Q. Are there any words that set your ears ablaze – at work, in your home life? Which words have people found particularly off-putting over the last year? . A. The Atlantic ran a poll with its readers and – after a series of X versus Y buzzword showdowns –

Q. With the 2021 we’ve had – especially on the heels of  2020 – we’ll be breaking out the New Year’s Eve good luck charms to usher in a better 2022. Any  global rituals that seem particularly relevant? . A. Given the lockdowns and limited travel of the last two

Q. “Go on! Have one.” You are the surprise recipient of neighbourhood candy. Now, the gift-giver is waiting for you to tuck in and eat a couple. What type of holiday candy would you be most horrified to discover inside this meticulously wrapped box? How do your candy peeves compare

Q. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! What are your go-to Christmas carols or songs?  Which holiday songs are most broadly favoured? . A. Classic FM has just wrapped up their 2021 Nation’s Favourite Carol poll and the winner, once again, is: O Holy Night. Classic FM’s 2021 Favourite Carol

Q. What are some English idioms that reflect the hope that things just have to get better… at some point.   A. Due for a purple patch A purple patch is a sustained period of good luck and serious success. The expression stems back to Imperial Rome, where only emperors

Q. EGOT. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony Award. It’s a rare quadruple threat honour bestowed on few. One example? The amazing Rita Moreno who, with her current turn in Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’, might be up for her second Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar – different

Q. It’s been a strange, strange year with more questions than answers. What were the most common online inquiries from Canadians over 2021? . A. Google has released their top trending global searches for the year. In parsing the English results for Canada, we find… Top Trending Google Searches  Canada

Q. While some of you brilliant bakers are yeasting your bread up from scratch, many of us are marvelling at the ease of our hulking bread machines. What to sprinkle in next? And who invented this magical maker of bread? . A. Thank African American Joseph Lee for this almost-homemade,

Q. What’s your happy song? What’s that song you put on when you want to hype yourself up, to take yourself from a mildly good mood to flat out glee? And what is it about that song that inspires happiness? . A. First: is your happy song on any of