Q. You’re ‘in hot water.’ It’s a mess; trouble is brewing. Where does this phrase originate? . A. These origin stories are no joke. Some claim that the phrase is rooted in people spilling boiling water on themselves whilst cooking 😬. Others insist that the idea of being ‘in hot

Q. Which famous figures – of the stone, metal, and wooden variety – do you dream about visiting in cities afar? Which statues and sculptures are most likely to find themselves on travel bucket lists? . A. In looking across various search and visit-tracking statistics, you’ll find some common sculpted

Q. It was pure carny magic. The gleaming sugar crystals would rain into the heart of the silver pan. The bestriped man would taunt us with his white paper sabre, whisking it round and round the edges. First nothing, then suddenly the pink, purple or blue cloud would start to

Q. Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) is one of our favourite composers. And, as you’ll see below, his music often features in ‘most loved composer and classical music’ charts. But, was this Semyonovo-born composer always so beloved? . A. A few days ago, Classic FM reported out on their annual ‘Classic FM

Q. Packing for some unknowable reason took hours and hours. The flight was long; the hotel shower is beckoning. It’s dark out, too late to order food. I’ll just unpack some essentials, then get ready for…ack! How – with all the colour-coded packing cubes, technological paraphernalia, and hermetically sealed hair

Q. You’re happy, you’re thrilled, you’re ‘over the moon.’ What’s the origin of this space-hurtling idiom? . A. The idea that happiness = ‘over the moon’ is rooted in the much-chanted ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ Mother Goose nursery rhyme… Hey Diddle, Diddle Hey, diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The

Day made! We are over the moon to hear that the Just Curious site is nominated for a Webby Award. What an honour to be included in such an amazing group of nominees. . . *So appreciate it if you click here if you have the time to vote* .

Q. Come Easter weekend, Dad and I were more than happy to tuck into the Spice Bun and Cheese Mum laid out to celebrate the season. What do we know about this delicious Jamaican tradition? . A. Jamaican Easter bun is said to be an offshoot of British hot cross

Q. Which artists have been engaging people over the last year? . A. We can find some answers in Artnet’s 2023 Intelligence Report. As they combed through searches in their Price Database, Artnet found… Top 10 Most Searched Artists. By Mid-Year 2023 i.    Pablo Picasso ii.   Andy Warhol

Q. With a moniker like ‘The City of Light’, it’s no wonder that Paris has inspired so many notable artists to pull out their palates. What have they created? . A. Here are some painterly examples from the twinkling river banks to the humming back streets of Paris… . .