The AnswerBank Articles

Where does April Fool's Day come from

asks Will Smith:A. There are about as many theories as there are jokes to play on that day. There have been tricksters throughout history, but it was the French who first got us addicted to pranks. 01:00 Mon 02nd Apr 2001

What are weasel words

Johnjo asks:A. Weasel words are deliberately misleading or conveniently ambiguous words, mostly used by politicians and officials, but found pretty much everywhere. Q. Why a weasel A. Weasels are01:00 Mon 26th Mar 2001

Where did the term 'devil's advocate' come from

asks jayne b-t A. Originally, a Devil's Advocate (from the Latin Advocatus Diaboli) was a Roman Catholic church official who had been appointed to argue the case against a proposed canonisation or01:00 Mon 26th Mar 2001

What is the meaning of the word 'sic'

asks MJDaleA. Sic is literally 'thus' or 'so' in Latin. It's used, usually in brackets, after quoting a word that may be, for example, misspelled and indicates that it has been printed exactly as it01:00 Mon 26th Mar 2001

Do puns and jokes make you more intelligent

Ginbottle asks:A. That's debatable, and it may depend on whether you're making them up or telling them. Or, indeed, whether you get the joke or not. However, there's a theory that being intelligent01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

Why do we use the expression 'over the moon'

Asks Tony Rushton: A. It refers to the 18th century nursery rhyme about the cow jumping over the moon and signifies jumping for joy so high as to break the bounds of gravity. It would be an01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

What is the meaning of 'salt of the earth'

asks Curt Herzog: A. It means thoroughly good types. The origin is the Bible, from Jesus' sermon of the Mount, quoted in St Matthew's gospel: 'Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

Why is the word 'gate' used when referring to scandals

... asks Archie MacA. It stems from Watergate, the US political scandal that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. Watergate is the name of the apartment block in Washington DC where a01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

What do the initials ITMA stand for

Tony B asks: A. It's That Man Again a hugely successful British radio comedy series. Q. Why haven't we heard of it A. You would have if you'd spent long evenings sitting behind your blackout01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

What does it mean if you 'stymie' someone

A. This is another of those seemingly bizarre golfing terms, except this one hasn't been in general golfing use since about 1952. Q. What does it mean A. This is a bit like explaining the offside01:00 Mon 05th Mar 2001

Why do we say it's a dog's life

A. As Johnjo explained, it means a totally miserable existence, where life treats you unfairly. Dogs often come off badly in well-known sayings. Q. Such as A. Dogsbody - a drudge who has to do all01:00 Mon 05th Mar 2001

What does bowdlerizing mean

...asks M Scott. Bowdlerize means to remove the parts from a work of literature that might be considered offensive or indecent, and is used to describe any ridiculously priggish form of censorship. It01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

Where does the expression 'OK' come from

...asks J Arnold. OK, here we go... The origin of this expression is one of the most hotly debated in the sort of circles that debate such things. What's the hot favourite One of the most widely01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

Why would you go the whole hog

By Hermione Gray Why would you go the whole hog ...asks J Arnold. The phrase, 'To go the whole hog' means to do something thoroughly and completely, so it would certainly get the job done. What's01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

What is love

By Hermione Gray WHAT is love asks Orla Hughes this week. Good question, Orla. Albionboy answers by describing the physical effects: 'makes you lose your appetite', 'butterflies in your stomach',01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

Don't quote me...

By Hermione Gray SOME of the most commonly used quotes today are misquotes, or attributed to the wrong person. Here are a few of the most famous... Nobody in Star Trek said, 'Beam me up, Scotty.'01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

TonyB asked about reverse words, here's some detail

By Hermione Gray HERE are some words whose meanings have been reversed, from Reader's Digest Facts & Fallacies. Backlog - This used to indicate a desirable stockpile - the back log was the one01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

Pop the question - and other pops

By Hermione Gray VALENTINE'S DAY, with its associations with romance, has become a traditional day to propose marriage - or 'pop' the question. 'Pop' in this case, means unexpected, because the01:00 Mon 12th Feb 2001

Of the first water

By Hermione Gray THE PHRASE 'of the first water' comes from a technical term that is used to describe a diamond. The degree of brilliance in a diamond is called its 'water', so a 'diamond of the01:00 Mon 12th Feb 2001

Star questions

By Hermione Gray A FEW Northern sayings have turned up this week. Steve wants to know the origin of, 'Do you think I came up the Irwell on my Mam's Piano ', which is used when someone tries to01:00 Mon 05th Feb 2001