Straight Dope Archive

Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
May 26, 1999
What is a "quitclaim deed"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
May 24, 1999
What's up with "fire and brimstone"? What's brimstone?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
May 20, 1999
What does the pharmacist's symbol "Rx" mean?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
May 17, 1999
What are naval personnel saluting when they board a vessel?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Monty
May 14, 1999
What's the origin of "son of a gun"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Scurvy Dog-ster
May 12, 1999
When does veal become beef?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
May 10, 1999
What's the point of truck weigh stations?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill and Ed
May 7, 1999
What's the origin of "English," the kind you put on a ball?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
May 5, 1999
Why do pitchers throw overhand in baseball but underhand in softball?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian:
May 3, 1999
How much is a gazillion?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
April 28, 1999
What's the purpose of sifting flour?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Lynn, Jill, Lil, and Lar
April 26, 1999
Why are Europe and Asia considered separate continents? What's a continent, anyway?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Veg and Ian
April 21, 1999
What's the origin of the expression "peanut gallery"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
April 19, 1999
Why is Humpty Dumpty portrayed as an egg, even though eggs aren't mentioned in the nursery rhyme?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
April 16, 1999
Does baking soda really eliminate refrigerator odors?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
April 14, 1999
Was there an animated TV series featuring a purple ape?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Scott
February 15, 1999
What happened to the Emergency Broadcast System?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
Whose face is on the $1,000 bill?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Div
What's the origin of the 21-gun salute?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
Does 2 + 2 = 5 for very large values of 2?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
Why is the "700 Club" called that?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
Followup: Are there only seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
What are the "seven seas"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
Did one 60's superhero get his power from ... smoking?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Scott
Why are boats measured in knots?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Larasaurus & Rngrjeff
Is the sound of a whiplash caused by breaking the sound barrier?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dogster
What about the NHL makes it "national"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
What's the origin of "bar," the kind people belly up to?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Lileth
If chlorine in swimming pools kill AIDS, why can't it be used as an AIDS cure?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by JillGat
In proper tea etiquette, what goes in the teacup first, the tea or the milk?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Larasaurus
What do "thou," "thee," and "thine" mean, and why don't we use them anymore?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by McCaffertA, with assistance from CKDextHavn and Dogster
Where did Australian aborigines come from?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Tech
Have people been intentionally infected with AIDS?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
Followup: did that dentist really infect his patients with AIDS?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
Do the Amish pay taxes?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by CKDextHavn
What do you call a word that spells a different word backwards?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
What does antidisestablishmentarianism mean?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
What happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by CKDextHavn
Followup: wasn't manna placed in the Ark of the Covenant?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by CKDextHavn
Followup: not all manna became inedible after one day!
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
Followup: the New Testament says there was so manna in the Ark of the Covenant!
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
Followup: the last you'll ever read about the Ark of the Covenant!
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
Why is Arkansas pronounced Ar-kan- SAW?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Mac and Tech
Followup: I give up, what's an aspersorium?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
How do automated teller machines work?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Tech
Is "baby corn" really baby corn?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Melis
If you refrigerate bananas do they become poisonous?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Wolf
Can a baseball be hit farther with a heavy bat or a light one?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
What is the origin of "bated breath"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Terey
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