18 Apr 2024

Serve This At Your Own Peril

Q. Those kindly neighbours from two doors down have brought you over a jar of their favourite anchovies. “I mean…they’re the best!” Are you jumping for joy? Or silently vowing to never open your front door again? There’s no doubt that certain foods are intensely polarizing. Oysters, anyone? 😷 Which

16 Apr 2024

Deadly Drinks

Q. You don’t have to look far to find classic cocktails with fearsome names. Examples? . A. Blood and Sand Said to be named after a 1922 Rudolf Valentino movie, the original Blood and Sand combines scotch, Cherry Heering liqueur or brandy, sweet vermouth, and orange juice. . Corpse Reviver

13 Apr 2024

In Hot Water

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

12 Apr 2024

Dropping In On David

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

09 Apr 2024

Fairy Floss

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

07 Apr 2024

Broken Rhythms And Short Tricks, Huh?

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

05 Apr 2024

My Kingdom For A Toothbrush

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

02 Apr 2024

Over The Moon

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

02 Apr 2024

Webby Wow!

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* .

30 Mar 2024

Jamaican Spice Bun + Cheese

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