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Notes And Queries #1
Notes and Queries
Book by Whittaker, Brian
- GenresReference
Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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February 2, 2012
And now, in response to great public demand (thank you Kate), the answers!
Where did the first part of Moby Dick's name come from?
- Melville based Moby on a real live man-eating whale called Mocha Dick. Mocha was the island off Chile where Dick was often encountered. But why Melville changed Mocha to Moby is unknown. My guess is that it was to prevent any lawsuits from Mocha Dick's descendents.
When did the American accent become recognisably American?
- British pronunciation has since the 19th Century been progressively colonised by the Home Counties (let's say the posh South of the country) whereas American pronunciation has not, they retained all the original features. So as this happened in England, and definately by the last half of the 19th century, American accents became to British ears markedly different.
What happens to spiders washed down the plughole?
- Alas, they drown. They don't have special spider powers.
How did the newt, a graceful and agile creature, come to be regarded as an index of inebriation?
- referring to the phrase "pissed as a newt". Answer is obscure but perhaps a) in medieval times various small creatures were added to beer during the beer brewing process for extra flavour (ew!) and eventually it was thought that newts, being amphibious, would be able to last long enough in the brewing beer so that by the time they did drown their demise would be a matter of indifference; not so with mice or weasels; and therefore a newt was a more merciful addition to your brewing process. Or if that seems fanciful, b) refers to Abraham Newton (1631-98), author of the first medical treatise on the medicinal properties of beer.
Why are dusters yellow?
- This is not definitively known, but a) it's perhaps because early manufacturers wished to identify their dusters with the beeswax which was formerly used in the polishing & dusting process; or b) it's a marketing device to associate dusters with sunshine and spring cleaning.
How strange that there must be a number of manufacturers who make dusters who go to the trouble of dying them a strong yellow but don't know why they're doing it.
What are the longest Shakespearean roles?
1. Hamlet. 2. Falstaff. 3. Richard III.
Why are British elections always held on Thursdays?
- it's the day before pay day, and therefore you had better have the election on the day before your voters will be pissed as newts and not be able to find their way to the voting stations.
Why aren't there any lamb sausages?
- they're too expensive to make (but see message below)
White, Black, Green and Brown are common surnames � why aren't there any Reds, Blues and Yellows?
- they're still there but have been changed - red became Reed, Rudd and Russell; blue became Bluett, Blewitt and Blowe. Oh, yellow did disappear, mysteriously.
Who lives an No 9 Downing Street?
- nobody.
Do the living now outnumber the dead?
- this is a 1990 answer : no, the living comprise about a tenth of all the humans who have ever lived.
What was the first record with a fade out and why do records fade out anyway?
- leaving aside Gustav Holst's last movement of his Planets suite where the singers are asked to walk slowly into the distance still singing; it could be Duke Ellington, Showboat Shuffle, 1935. The practise began as jazz players were still blasting away as the time limit of 3 and a half minutes was reached.
Where did the first part of Moby Dick's name come from?
- Melville based Moby on a real live man-eating whale called Mocha Dick. Mocha was the island off Chile where Dick was often encountered. But why Melville changed Mocha to Moby is unknown. My guess is that it was to prevent any lawsuits from Mocha Dick's descendents.
When did the American accent become recognisably American?
- British pronunciation has since the 19th Century been progressively colonised by the Home Counties (let's say the posh South of the country) whereas American pronunciation has not, they retained all the original features. So as this happened in England, and definately by the last half of the 19th century, American accents became to British ears markedly different.
What happens to spiders washed down the plughole?
- Alas, they drown. They don't have special spider powers.
How did the newt, a graceful and agile creature, come to be regarded as an index of inebriation?
- referring to the phrase "pissed as a newt". Answer is obscure but perhaps a) in medieval times various small creatures were added to beer during the beer brewing process for extra flavour (ew!) and eventually it was thought that newts, being amphibious, would be able to last long enough in the brewing beer so that by the time they did drown their demise would be a matter of indifference; not so with mice or weasels; and therefore a newt was a more merciful addition to your brewing process. Or if that seems fanciful, b) refers to Abraham Newton (1631-98), author of the first medical treatise on the medicinal properties of beer.
Why are dusters yellow?
- This is not definitively known, but a) it's perhaps because early manufacturers wished to identify their dusters with the beeswax which was formerly used in the polishing & dusting process; or b) it's a marketing device to associate dusters with sunshine and spring cleaning.
How strange that there must be a number of manufacturers who make dusters who go to the trouble of dying them a strong yellow but don't know why they're doing it.
What are the longest Shakespearean roles?
1. Hamlet. 2. Falstaff. 3. Richard III.
Why are British elections always held on Thursdays?
- it's the day before pay day, and therefore you had better have the election on the day before your voters will be pissed as newts and not be able to find their way to the voting stations.
Why aren't there any lamb sausages?
- they're too expensive to make (but see message below)
White, Black, Green and Brown are common surnames � why aren't there any Reds, Blues and Yellows?
- they're still there but have been changed - red became Reed, Rudd and Russell; blue became Bluett, Blewitt and Blowe. Oh, yellow did disappear, mysteriously.
Who lives an No 9 Downing Street?
- nobody.
Do the living now outnumber the dead?
- this is a 1990 answer : no, the living comprise about a tenth of all the humans who have ever lived.
What was the first record with a fade out and why do records fade out anyway?
- leaving aside Gustav Holst's last movement of his Planets suite where the singers are asked to walk slowly into the distance still singing; it could be Duke Ellington, Showboat Shuffle, 1935. The practise began as jazz players were still blasting away as the time limit of 3 and a half minutes was reached.
September 18, 2021
Queries sent by readers of The Guardian in England and answers to those queries sent by other readers.
Some of the questions are sensible: Why do the British drive on the left and other countries on the right?
Why precisely 78, 45, 33, and 16? (rpm - for records)
Some are off the wall:
Does scratching your head really help?
If you want to know the answers, or at least the answers that readers provided, buy the book.
Some of the questions are sensible: Why do the British drive on the left and other countries on the right?
Why precisely 78, 45, 33, and 16? (rpm - for records)
Some are off the wall:
Does scratching your head really help?
If you want to know the answers, or at least the answers that readers provided, buy the book.
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