Q. The annals of patent history hold creations that have made our day to day lives so much easier – kettles, vacuums, washing machines. Hidden in the depths are wild ideas that would have made home life – and sleepovers –  a lot more creepy than cozy. Examples…? . A.

Q. “What I want from you is your voice.” Ursula the savage Sea Witch is bargaining with Disney’s Ariel. As collateral for temporarily turning Ariel’s tail into human legs, Ursula will seize The Little Mermaid’s ethereal voice. Ariel clutches her neck while Ursula elaborates. “No more talking, singing, zip.” To

Q. Just how many words can fussy/displeased diners use to describe what’s on their plates? . A. A great many, as it turns out. A sampling … Acrid An overwhelmingly unpleasant, strong taste. Amaroidal Bitter. Blinky Going sour. Used to describe milk that’s on its way off. Brackish A bit

Q. We’re one day away (🦹🏼‍♀️). What do Canadians have to say about Halloween 2022? . A. Abacus Data had questions, so they interviewed 1500 Canadians, weighing the responses to mirror Canadian demographics. Their findings? Trick or Treat? Will this be a slow or busy year for your neighbourhood? Time

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. Have you been surprised by the hobby confessions of some of your nearest and dearest? Which hobbies inspired historical figures? . A. One person’s hobby is another person’s crime scene. You collect what from where? Then there are those people whose surprising hobbies – is that a welder? –

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,