Q. What are some of the more unusual meanings that the Victorians assigned to flowers? . A. For 1800s floral bliss and horror, look to Kate Greenaway, an illustrator and author born 1846 in Hoxton, England. Alongside the nursery rhymes and bedtime tunes in the Treasury of Kate Greenaway, you’ll

Q. So many cultures are rich in food-related slang. What are some English examples from the last century? . A. Here’s a sampling of food and drink slang words from A Dictionary of Slang and its Analogues. Past and Present. First compiled by Editors John S. Farmer and W.E. Henley

Q. If there is one type of book we read over and over, it’s picture books. As young children, as parents, as sentimental sorts of all ages. Which English language picture books have been consistently most popular over the last decades? . A. Tracking all sales in all modes in

Q. You have one word to describe yourself. What do you choose? What would others say? . A. It can feel impossible to describe ourselves in one word. Much harder than describing others, particularly those we know at a distance. But, if pressed, what would we choose for ourselves? Last

Q. What are some sweets that have names that are misleading and/or radically undersell their deliciousness? . A. Boston Cream Pie Sounds good enough, but two problems: it’s not pie, it’s cake. And the rounded layers of cake nestle custard, not ‘cream’. How did the official state dessert of Massachusetts

Q. What were the original, screenplay, or code names of some well-known movies? . A. Code Name X Those who live in movie towns are used to seeing ‘movie filming here’ arrows with runic symbols or odd code names. How long can they keep superfans at bay? Warner Brothers tried

Q. How did post-wedding bliss travel come to be called a ‘honeymoon’? . A. Some say the just-wedded bliss of the ‘honeymoon’ – or the ‘hony moone’ as it was called in Olde English – gets its name from the sweetness of honey and the short-lived prominence of the moon.

Q. What are some idioms that caution us to avoid being too rash or impulsive? . A. Not surprisingly – given our well-documented human impetus for action – there are lots. This, particularly, when we’re courting danger! So, the don’ts follow… • Buy a pig in a poke • Carry

Q. Are you a ceraunophile? That is: are you deeply fond of thunder and lightning? Do ‘swinter’ (enough with the swinter) storms have you plugging your ears under a mound of blankets? Or, are you ears wide open – relaxed, inspired, loving the crack and rumble of the thunder? Most

Q. We are well into wedding season now. What are some wedding cake-related superstitions? . A. This sweet embodiment of forever love is rife with superstitions. Pity the Medieval couples forced to seal the fate of their marriage with wedding cake jenga. Great piles of spice buns were piled one