Q. We English speakers say some strange things. Which of our expressions are most likely to get lost in translation? . A. As we prattle on, it’s easy to forget how many baffling idioms we use in our complicated language. What must those new to English think when we drop off-topic,

Q. Neighbours can make the deepest of friends. But, what kind of things make those who live side by side jealous of each other? . A. We see it in The Simpsons and the Flintstones, Three’s Company and Mary Tyler Moore, from Friends to Seinfeld, Modern Family to Succession. In

Q. Lady Whistledown, aka the Gossip Girl of Netflix’s wildly popular 1800s drama Bridgerton, is quick to report on the scandals of the British upper classes. Who were some of her real-life equivalents?   A. ‘London is awash these days with Ambitious Mamas.’ So writes the pseudonymous ‘Lady Whistledown’ in

Q. Which phrases do people find most annoying? . A. As it turns out, there are a lot. ‘This is true.’ (😖 ) Big Picture Annoyances This December, Marist polled 1,753 adults about the words and phrases that annoy them most. Survey says.. 2020 Most Annoying Words or Phrases i. Whatever

Q. Do you have a favourite dessert spoon? Does spaghetti taste that much better when you’re using your fork? Stressful situations can make us more territorial, but why do some people insist that specific foods taste better with cutlery of a specific size, shape, weight, even colour? . A. We

Q. Which numbers do people most commonly consider lucky? . A. Do you have a lucky number? If so, what is it? Fans of the Big Bang Theory will know that Sheldon Cooper has a most particular answer to this question. . . In travelling, many of us have noticed global

Q. Born 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario, George Alexander Trebek – ‘Alex’ – went on to host more than 8200 episodes of Jeopardy. He was known for his wide-spanning curiosity, but what was Alex Trebek’s favourite Jeopardy category? . A. We look for answers in the Order of Canada winning Trebek’s

Q. Some adults would give anything to hear their parents tell that same old story one more time. But which types of stories do grown kids most enjoying hear from their mums and dads? . A. Many parents come bearing the gift of story from the get-go. Through childhood, the

Q. Leaf through enough children’s books and you’ll start to see a pattern: parents telling a lot of little lies and kids starting to doubt them. What are the most common ways in which parents try to bamboozle their progeny? . A. Blue Cross UK surveyed 2,000 parents about the

Q. Which scents make people feel happiest in their homes?   A. It’s something people are thinking about more, now that they are spending so much time in said homes. This month, House Beautiful Magazine reports that essential oil diffuser sales are up by 22%. Even before the pandemic, 70%