Today's Question:

Language

• Could you tell me the origin of the phrase, "passing the buck?"
• What is the name of the "@" symbol? We know "&" is an ampersand but "@" eludes us. Can you help?
• I have had a unsuccessful search for the origin of the abbreviation "lbs." which is used for pounds. What does it stand for, and where did it come from?
• I've always thought that the only sentence that uses all the letters of the alphabet was "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Is there another one?
• What do the abbreviations am or pm (as in time) stand for?
• I am looking for a list of words for "plurals" of animals, i.e. a "pack" of wolves or a "flock" of seagulls. I have looked at various websites and got basically nowhere, any help would be appreciated!!!
• Is there a word that designates a 50th anniversary in the same way that sesquicentennial means a 150th?
• Where and when did the term "CARE PACKAGE" originate? Do the letters in the word CARE stand for a particular descriptive phrase?
• Please help me find a word spelled similar to adelpated that means absent-minded, scatter-brained, or forgetful. I've heard the word used but never seen it in print.
• What is the definition of a third world country and where did it come from? Are there first, second, and fourth world countries?
• Is there a name for the fear of public speaking?
• I'm trying to find the term used for the phobia of the dark, but I can't find it. Is it possible that you can?
• Why was February named February? How were the other months of the year named?
• Besides English, what are the most popular languages spoken in the U.S.?
• How many spoken languages are there in the world?
• Just how many words do the Inuit have for snow?
• Can the abbreviations i.e. and e.g. be used interchangably? If not, why not? I have always used them to mean "as an example," or "for example".
• Why is "mayday" used as a distress signal? What does "SOS" stand for?
• How do you make a plural out of mother-in-law?
• What does the RSVP stand for when responding back to an invitation?
• Which are the Romance languages?
• Where can I find the phrase "Merry Christmas" in different languages?
• What is the term for the carved decorative feminine figure found on the bow of wooden ships?
• What is the meaning of the abbreviation "sic"?
• What does the "D" in D-Day stand for?
• What is the name of the dots on a pair of dice called?
• What is the etymology of the word "trivia"?
• Where did the saying "It ain't over until the fat lady sings" come from?
• I'm trying to find the Hawaiian term for rainbow. I seem to be looking at all the wrong sites. I hope you can help me.
• What is the longest word in your dictionary?
• I've been told that Darth Vader's name in Star Wars means something in another language. Is that true?
• What are the five most common words in the English language?
• I was doing a project on the state of California and I was wondering what the all the different languages spoken in California are?
• Hello there. I have used your almanac page to try and find the meaning of the word vespulaphobia but cannot find it. Can you?
• What does the phrase "mind your 'p's' and 'q's'" come from?
• Hello we would like to know what the letters r.s.v.p. stand for. We know what it means, but aren't sure what each letter stands for. Please help.
• What does the Latin abbreviation C.V. mean ?
• What does the "p" in p-coat stand for?
• What does the name "Hoosier" mean?
• There are supposed to be three words that end in "gry". Hungry and angry are two of them. What is the third one?
• There are four words that end in "dous" in the English language and I can only come up with three — stupendous, tremendous and horrendous. Can you help me find the fourth?
• I am confused and hope that you can help. When I do an Internet search for "the die is cast" it comes up spelled two different ways: Iacta alea est and Jacta alea est (and for that matter Alea jacta est). How do I know which one is the correct derivation?
• Is it correct to say "the chicken salad made me nauseous," meaning that it made me feel sick to my stomach? My friend says that this would mean that it made me disgusting.
• What does "Sudoku" mean?
• Do you pronounce "primer" with a long or short "i" sound?
• Do people actually speak Esperanto?
• What is a "pyrrhic victory," and why is it called that?
• Why do we say some foods are healthy? They're healthful. If they were healthy, wouldn't they still be alive?
• Why are policemen called "cops"?
• What does "caveat emptor" mean?
• Is there a name for the plastic covering at the end of a shoelace?
• What do you call the metal thing at the end of the pencil that holds the eraser on?
• If the plural of "ox" is "oxen," why isn't "foxen" the plural of "fox"?
• What is the plural of octopus? Is it octopi or octopusses?
• Is it "A historian" or "AN historian"? I've seen both.
• Why is unwanted e-mail referred to as "spam"?
• How often is a bimonthly meeting held?
• Is it true that orange, silver, and month are the only three English-language words without any rhymes?
• What's the difference between ethnic cleansing and genocide?
• What does "auld lang syne" actually mean?
• In what direction is Arabic read?
• In the oil drilling industry there is a term called "spudding." What is it and how does it work?
• Why is New York City called the Big Apple?
• What is a group of rhinoceroses called?
• I would be very grateful if you could tell me why a Pound Sterling is also called a "quid."
• I searched and found the ACT website, which is what we took in high school. However, the ACT site didn't say what ACT stands for.
• Where does the name California come from?
• What is the difference between an herb and a spice?
• Where did the dollar sign originate?
• My friend and I are having a debate. He says that the United States does not have an official language. I thought English was our official language. Who's right?
• Where was golf invented and where did the name of golf come from?
• What does the "7" in "7-Up" stand for or mean?
• How high must a mountain be to be technically considered a "mountain"?
• Why do they call it "hamburger" when it's made of beef?
• We have a running debate going on about the use of the word "impeached." By definition, impeachment is merely a formal accusation brought against a political official by a legislative group. Therefore, since Andrew Johnson was involved in an impeachment process (against him), we would say that he was "impeached." The only problem is that saying he was "impeached" implies he was found guilty — which he wasn't. Would it then be incorrect to say he was impeached... or was he? I guess the same rule goes for "court-martial."
• What is the shield of Zeus?
• I'm not sure, but I think Alexander the Great said, "The die is cast." Please set me straight as to who, when, and where.
• What is the difference between an "ocean" and a "sea"?
• What is the origin of the term "red shirt freshman?" Why red shirt?
• I find the site great, but I couldn't find what I was looking for, and maybe you guys could help with that. I'm trying to collect the adjectives for the people from all the states, that is, what am I if I come from Utah? A Utahian?
• How did the petri dish get its name?
• How did the graham cracker get its name?
• What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?
• Your information about the menorah and hannukiah is mistaken. A hannukia has 9 branches and its ninth branch is the shamash. A menorah only has 7 branches.
• What is a "Hail Mary" in football?

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