What's a dagga boy?

Search: dagga; dagga boy

Why: Bob has been sending me journal posts about his hunting trip to Zimbabwe, and he keeps saying things like:

We were back on the tracks of four dagga boys early on the sixth day of our safari.

I don't know what that is, but it sounds racist.

Answer: They are old Cape buffalo who have been kicked out of the herd!

They call these Buffalo "Dagga Boys" - they are large old bulls that have been kicked out of the herd and spend all day wallowing in Mud. Dagga means "mud" in Zulu. They have really short tempers - best to stay away. The mud is to get rid of parasites.

I see this:

The younger males not only bred with the cows, but easily defended the herd against predators, so their presence was vital to the group. The Dagga Boys were basically useless and the old bulls seemed to know it.

That's sad. The name "dagga boy" was coined by South African outfitter and hunter Gerhard Vos. If you want to see some pictures of him with dead animals, click here and here.

Source: This guy's site, Po's Peek

The More You Know: "Dagga" is also slang for pot in South Africa. And also, a South African psychoactive plant, Leonotis leonurus, is commonly known as "wild dagga" (or "lion's tail"). You can smoke it:

It is sometimes used as a Cannabis substitute by recreational users looking to evade current laws on cannabis and other psychoactive plants. Leonotis leonorus is not currently scheduled under federal law in the United States. The smoke is reported to have an unpleasant taste and to be an irritant to the lungs and throat.

I want to see a picture of Kalle Blomkvist

Search: calle blomkvist

Why: I am halfway through The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, and for the 23rd time, Lisbeth has referred to Mikael Blomkvist as "Kalle fucking Blomkvist." I understand this character to be some sort of friend of Pippi Longstocking, who I now know is Swedish. He seems to be a well-known kind of guy in Sweden - and Stieg Larsson seems to have been making some sort of huge joke about these names - but I've never heard of him.

Answer: Well, here are some versions:

I don't know which one he is. ^

Those movies ^ are from 1996 and 1997. Lisbeth was born in 1978, so she totes would have known about these films.

Source: Google Images

The More You Know: In these great United States, Kalle Blomkvist's name is Bill Bergson. He is the Swedish Veronica Mars, except younger and dumber and probably less hilarious. Adults ignore him!, so he solves murders and kidnappings and whatnot with the help of his ragtag gang of charming names: Anders, Eva-Lotta, Sixten, Jonte (Jonte!!), and Benka - but not Pippi. Author Astrid Lindgren wrote 3 books about him:

• Bill Bergson, Master Detective (1946) (original title: Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist)
• Bill Bergson Lives Dangerously (1951)
  
• Bill Bergson and the White Rose Rescue (1953)
  

What does "sushi" mean?

Search: sushi meaning

Why: On this CBS News list of "25 Genius Tumblrs You Should Be Following":

People Who

Blogger "Wireless G" admits to have started the People Who Tumblr out of anger. "I felt there were too many different sorts of people out there who had not been clearly identified, nor held to account for being themselves - people who post sideways photos, people who insist sushi means 'raw fish' in Japanese, people who make sure you're aware that they don't own a television," explains Wireless G.

It just so happened that I ate at a sushi place last night, except I did not have sushi. I had soup and crab and Asahi Supaa-doraiiii.

Answer: It means two things: When you're talking about the food, it means "seasoned rice," but literally, it's an archaic word that means "sour-tasting."

The vinegared rice is called shari. The other ingredients - usually fish or other seafood - are called neta.

(Dama means "ball.)

There are many different kinds of sushi that all have shari and neta:

• Makizushi, ""rolled sushi"
  
• Nigirizushi, "hand-formed sushi"
• Temaki, "hand rolls"
  

The kind like California rolls, with the rice outside and all that, are "Western style" and uncommon in Japan. They are still makizushi.

And sashimi is just sliced fish all by itself, no rice. I have never even seen someone get it at a restaurant.

And... starving.

Source: Essortment, AllWords, Kikkoman.com, Wikipedia

The More You Know:

What Shakespeare movie was Anne Hathaway in?

Search: anne hathaway shakespeare

Why: In Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby:

"If someone had had a chance to break into Shakespeare's house, he should have taken it, shouldn't he? Because then we'd know more. It would have been perfectly legitimate to... to rummage around in Shakespeare's sock drawer. In the interests of history and literature."

"So according to your logic Julie Beatty is Shakespeare."

"Anne Hathaway."

"Jesus Christ." Tucker shook his head bitterly.

Wha.

Answer: Haha omg, you guys won't believe this, but she wasn't! (Though she has played Jane Austen.) This isn't even the same Anne Hathaway! It's the one who was Shakespeare's wife. Everyone knows this but me:

Very little is known about her beyond a few references in legal documents, but her personality and relationship to Shakespeare have been the subject of much speculation by historians and creative writers.

Hathaway married Shakespeare in November 1582 while pregnant with the couple's first child, to whom she gave birth six months later. Hathaway was 26 years of age; Shakespeare was only 18.

Made for each other.

There's a whole debate about whether this was a shotgun wedding. Apparently, there was a wedding license issued to "Wm Shaxpere and Annam Whateley," and then a different one issued to "William Shagspere and Anne Hathwey" the very next day. Some people think Anne Whateley was his true lady-love - and that Hathaway's family forced him to marry their pregnant daughter, leaving him a shell of a man henceforth - but others think the name was a clerical error and that Anne Whateley never existed. Who knows? Wills and Hathaway had 3 kids, either way.

Source: Wikipedia,

The More You Know: They named one of their kids Hamnet. Hamnet. They named him after their friend Hamnet the Baker. Hamnet also had a twin sister named Judith. (And they had another sister, Susanna.)

This is Hamnet we're talking about. HAMNET!

What is catarrh?

Search: catarrh

Why: On this chart from I Love Charts:

Answer: It's a disorder of your breathing tubes! The infection makes everything kind of phlegmy.

Pathology . inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially of the respiratory tract, accompanied by excessive secretions.

A catarrh blockage may result in discomfort with (and what is known as ear fear of):

• elevators
• airplanes
• traveling at elevation
• swimming pools and jumping baths

and other activities associated with a change in pressure.

Source: Dictionary.com, Wikipedia

The More You Know: From Greek katarrhein, "to flow down" (kata,"down" + rhein, "to flow"). Pronounced "kuh-TAHR" - unlike Qatar.

What is the surname of the family in 'Swiss Family Robinson'?

Search: swiss family robinson

Why: I'm looking at this chart on I Love Charts:

(It's based on this list.) And underneath it says:

just as the family in the swiss family robinson was not named robinson in the book, the 7 dwarfs from snow white and the 7 dwarfs also had no names until disney got involved. these now iconic dwarf aptronyms have since been translated into every language in which disney has found a market

I never read that book. But that link says:

back when i was just a small fry named i was obsessed with the desert island genre*. my nurse would read to me every night from the adventures of robinson crusoe. when i turned six and was able to pour my own milk, i began reading the swiss family robinson, and was like: “what’s with all these robinsons getting shipwrecked on fabulous islands?”

it turns out that robinson wasn’t just an oddly appropriate name for a stranded character. dafoe’s work was so popular, that it defined the genre which became known as the robinsonade.

about 100 years later, a swiss pastor wrote der schweizerische robinson which really just translates into the swiss [version of the] robinson [genre]. the family in the book is not named robinson, nor is robinson a swiss name.

Answer: They don't have a last name! These are the characters:

• The Father: He is the narrator of the story and leads the family. He knows a great deal of information on everything from roots to hunting, demonstrating bravery and self-reliance.
• Elizabeth: The mother in the story. She stays at home and cooks, grows, and prepares food. Her focus is the well-being of her four sons.
• Fritz: The oldest of the four boys. Though he is not the most intelligent, he is the strongest and accompanies his father on many quests.
• Ernest: The second oldest of the boys, Ernest is intelligent, but a less physically active boy. He adores reading and is usually found in the library lost in a book.
• Jack: The third oldest of the boys. He is thoughtless, bold, vivacious, and the quickest of the group.
• Franz: The youngest of the boys. He usually stays home with his mother, although he is quite capable on a buffalo.
• Jenny: An English girl found on Smoking Rock near the end of the novel. She is shy but soon becomes adopted into the family.
• Knips: An orphan monkey adopted by the family after their dogs killed its mother.

They sound very Swiss indeed. I superdug that genre, too.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Anyway, back to the name thing. That chart reminded me of an earlier discussion about the names in Harry Potter.

Here are some of the Dutch names that sound/look nothing like the English names:

Hermione Granger - Hermelien Griffel
Albus Dumbledore - Albus Perkamentus
Neville Longbottom - Marcel Lubbermans
Luna Lovegood - Loena Leeflang
Cedric Diggory - Carlo Kannewasser
Vernon Dursley - Herman Duffeling
Minerva McGonagall - Minerva Anderling
Dolores Umbridge - Dorothea Omber

Some names are only changed slightly:

Draco Malfoy - Draco Malfidus
Sirius Black - Sirius Zwarts
Severus Snape - Severus Sneep
Ron Weasley - Ron Wemel

Why? Because Hermione, Albus, and Hagrid just aren't Dutch names. But they're not really English, either, so I dunno. I just dunno. Marcel Lubbermans.

What is a Chinese auction?

Search: chinese auction

Why: Jeff said:

Is it racist to have a "Chinese Auction"
at a Boy Scout flea market.

I thought it was and told them so last night,
but they said "You're no expert on how they hold auctions in China".

Answer: It's a kind of silent auction / raffle hybrid!

In a chinese auction, customers buy a number of tickets for a set price, then use the tickets to bid on the items on display by dropping them in a bowl next to the item.

Buyers are free to put as many tickets as they want in the bowl. At the close of the auction period, the winning ticket for each auction item is then drawn from the corresponding bowl.

Obviously, the more tickets a person deposits in the bowl, the higher the chance that he'll win the item. That means that highly desirable items will draw a lot of tickets, just as they would draw a lot of bids in regular auction.

That's part of the big draw for a chinese auction. Ticket costs are low compared to the ultimate value of the auction items, so lucky winners will get a great deal.

I've never heard of such a thing, but it seems so obvious and smart. What pains me, though, is that even if you put in 20 tickets each worth $5, another person could put in only one $5 ticket and still win. Can you imagine? I would be livid.

There are a few variations of such a thing; you can read about them here in case you're planning a fundraiser.

Source: Fundraiser Help

The More You Know: If I had to guess, I would say the idea of a "Chinese auction" did not really originate in China (although it seems like something they would like, whatwith their affinity for communism and all). Other misnomers associated with places:

• Chinese checkers did not originate in China (nor in any part of Asia).
• Guinea pigs do not come from Guinea (nor are they pigs). The "Guinea" may be a re-analysis of "Guyana,"- though they originate from the Andes, and Guyana.
• Arabic numerals originated in India, though they came to be associated with the Arab world.
• The Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) did not originate in Norway, but from North China.
• French horns originated in Germany, not France.
• The English Horn is, in fact, neither English nor a horn.

What videos did Sum 41 make before I was in college?

Search: sum 41 discography

Why: Daniel asked what everyone thinks of them. The only time I've ever had even one thought about Sum 41 was once when I looked up at the television and saw that a guy in one of their videos was wearing the exact same shirt that I'm wearing in this gem from 1998.

Answer: There are only a few, so this should be easy!

• "Makes No Difference" (2000)
• "Fat Lip" (2001)
• "Pain for Pleasure" (2001)
• "In Too Deep" (2001)
  

And the winner is "Pain for Pleasure," which is only 1 minute long. The video for that song is sometimes - but not always - tacked onto the end of the video for "Fat Lip," like it is below. You can see the shirt in action right at the 3:30 mark. It's got the Kanji and everything!

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: In case you were wondering, the band was originally called Kaspir, but then they changed the name. Sum 41 = the 41st day of summer, when the band got together.

I like that name, except when it's spelled Casper. Maybe I will name a kid that.

What's the origin of the name of a Dopp kit?

Search: dop kit

Why: We are flying tomorrow! Flying!

Answer: The guy who invented them was named Charles Doppelt! Facts:

• A Dopp kit is a small toiletry bag made of leather, vinyl, or cloth. It is used to store men's grooming tools for travel, like deodorant and toothpaste and a seam ripper.

• The name comes from early 20th century leather craftsman Charles Doppelt, a German immigrant to the United States who invented his toiletry case in 1919.
• The kits became widely known during the Second World War when they were issued to GIs. Doppelt's company was purchased by Samsonite in the early 1970s.

Source: Examiner

The More You Know: The name was originally a trademark, but now it's mostly generic, and modern corruptions include "dop kit" and "doc kit." The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office now lists the trademark as abandoned.

What's the origin of the name Ben-Gay?

Search: ben gay

Why: Chandler hurt his shoulder and has smelled like Icy Hot patches ever since. I don't know if Ben and Gay are ingredients or people or what.

Answer: It's a name! Kind of! The original developer was Dr. Jules Bengué, who invented that stuff in France in 1898. The official name was Ben-Gay until 1995, but now it's just Bengay.

Source: Arthritis.about.com

The More You Know: Here are some other famous Bengues: Senegalese football player Cheikh M'Bengue and French model Jessi M'Bengue. There's also a really tiny town in Côte d'Ivoire called M'bengué.

Where is there a character named Sigourney in "The Great Gatsby"?

Search: sigourney gatsby

Why: There's an NES Great Gatsby game. I remember reading on Sigourney Weaver's wiki wiki:

She began using the name "Sigourney Weaver" in 1963 after a minor character (Sigourney Howard) in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby.

And I'm also pretty sure I've read the entire book since then, and also probably flipped through it even further looking for this character. I don't think I ever found one.

Answer: There's not one! But there is one in This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald's debut novel (1920). Weaver did say that, but she was probably being careless - according to an article from the National Catholic Register called "Gatsby's Epitaph":

Fitzgerald's first novel—that scandalous, marvelous, twenty-three-year-old's astonishing bound into fame and fortune—opens with scenes among wealthy Catholic families. This Side of Paradise is dedicated, in fact, to Sigourney Fay, the worldly priest who stood for a time as spiritual (and surrogate) father to the author, and Fay appears, very lightly disguised as Monsignor Thayer Darcy, throughout the book's semi-autobiographical tale of a handsome, pampered, and yet still idealistic young Princeton student named Amory Blaine.

It's a man, man!

Source: ReadLiterature.com, Catholic Education

The More You Know: Sigourney's real name is Susan Alexandra Weaver. Maybe you will recognize her as Alvy's theater date tonight when you're home stuffing your face with ice cream and watching Annie Hall. I know I will.

(JK, we're stuffing our faces and watching "The Bachelor" [and arguing about Michelle. Controversial!].)

I want to see Jamie Oliver's kids

Search: Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver

Why: I am still reading about celebrity baby names. His kids (with Juliette "Jools" are:

• Poppy Honey Oliver (b. 3/18/02)
• Daisy Boo Oliver (4/10/03)
• Petal Blossom Rainbow Oliver (4/3/09)
• Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver (9/15/10)

Answer: Omg aww.

Source: Google Images

The More You Know: He tweet-tweeted about the birth of his first son:

it's a baby boy guys !!! im shock, were all very happy, mum was amazing and both are well and happy x4 kids!! what http://twitpic.com/2oquak
1:27 PM Sep 15th via Twitpic

Mr Buddy Oliver .....full name to come from mum....big love joxx http://twitpic.com/2or4r8
2:07 PM Sep 15th via Twitpic

buddy oliver & co leaving together...... the families really happy to be home, settling in, thanks for all the lo http://twitpic.com/2ozbh2
8:12 AM Sep 16th via Twitpic

What did Barney Stinson say about my name?

Search: How I Met Your Mother: "Girls with "ly" at the end of their names

Why: Under the Glamour article "What Your Name Has to Say About Your Sex Life," a comment by reberroo says:

Anyway, I'd go with Barney's theory from How I Met Your Mother: "Girls with "ly" at the end of their names are dirty.

Answer: Oh, that's a direct quote:

Ted Mosby: Check it out. I just got that girl's number. See? Holly.
Barney Stinson: Nice! Girls with "ly" at the end of their names are dirty. Holly, Kelly, Carly... Lily.
Marshall Eriksen: Hey!... all right, it's true.
Barney Stinson: Don't even get me started on girls whose name should end in "y," but instead end in "i." Those girls are like roller-coasters. You've got to wait in a long line, but once you get up there, you just hold on for dear life and hope you don't lose your keys.

Well, that's rude.

Here is a very bad clip of it. Also, the quotes page on IMDb is all wrong.

Source: IMDb, YouTube

The More You Know: According to the How Sexy Is Your Name? Calculator on Facebook, Carly is Pretty Sexy - a solid 100.

But that's not the highest you can get...

I won't post the scandalous scores with the last names, but one said "Mindblowingly." No joke, Joel's said "Breathtakingly."

What were the Marx Brothers' real names?

Search: marx brothers

Why: Well, I am reading about celebrity baby names. Woody Allen and Mia Farrow named some kids Moses Amadeus and Satchel Seamus. Mia Farrow was briefly married to Frank Sinatra (in 1968, when she was 21 and he was 50). Did you know that? I didn't (though I should have, because I blogged about it over a year ago).

After that, Sinatra married Barbara Marx, who had previously been married to Zeppo Marx, the straight one. Zeppo is not a name.

Answer: They were real brothers, in case you were wondering. Their names were:

• Chico (b. 3/22/1887) - Leonard Marx
• Harpo (11/23/1888) - Arthur Adolph Marx
• Groucho (10/2/1890) - Julius Henry Marx
• Gummo (10/23/1893) - Milton Marx
  
• Zeppo (2/25/1901) - Herbert Manfred Marx

Source: Lenin Imports

The More You Know: Speaking of Adolph and Movember, did you ever read this Vanity Fair essay by Rich Cohen, "Becoming Adolf" about the Hitler mustache? I first read it in Best American Essays 2008. It's interesting. Read it! An excerpt:

The Toothbrush mustache is the most powerful configuration of facial hair the world has ever known. It overpowers whoever touches it. By merely doodling a Toothbrush mustache on a poster, you make a political statement. Actually wearing a Hitler mustache, as I planned to do—well, that is like yelling racial epithets in a crowded subway. Wasn't Hitler amazing? Whatever he touched turned to ice. His life ended the long and fabled career of the name Adolf, which had included the stories of Adolph Zukor, Adolphe Menjou, Adolph Ochs, and Adolph Coors. Never again will a pregnant mother innocently consider the name for her son, or imagine shouting it across a teeming playground. As for the Toothbrush mustache, it did not only die with the Führer—it was embalmed with him. It was his essence, and so it has been relegated to the black book of history.

What does the name Ursula mean?

Search: ursula name

Why: In Les Miserables (the book!), Cosette leaves behind a handkerchief marked "U.F." for Marius.

Ursula, thought he, what a sweet name!

What!

Answer: Little she-bear! Well, that is sweet. Maybe he would know that because "bear" in French is ours.

There's also a Saint Ursula who was a virgin martyr.

She travelled Europe in company of either 11 or 11,000 fellow maidens; the 11,000 number probably resulted from a misreading of the term “11M” which indicated 11 Martyrs, but which a copyist took for a Roman numeral. Ursula and her company were tortured to death to get them to renounce their faith, and old paintings of them show many of the women being killed in various painful ways. Namesake for the Ursuline Order, founded for the education of young Catholic girls and women.

Source: ThinkBabyNames

The More You Know: Other Ursulas:

Remember when Ursula was a porn "star" using Phoebe's name? I do.

Are there any cities or towns with my name?

Search: carly town; carly city; city town names

Why: Blythe posted this picture and I got jealous.

Answer: No :( The closest things are:

• Carlyle (city) Clinton County, IL
• Carlyle (township), Clinton County, IL
• Carlyle (township), Allen County, KS
• Carlyle (township), Beadle County, SD
• Carlyss, Calcasieu Parish, LA

Like who cares.

Source: ePodunk.com

The More You Know: But there are Carly Drives in both Lakeland, TN, and Stockton, CA! Somebody take a picture! It'll last longer!

What are the W and D in WD-40?

Search: wd 40

Why: Editing an article about removing melted plastic from a stove top. The mind drifts.

Answer: Water Displacement!

In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry.

It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out.

40, y'all. They recently released these old-skool-style cans to celebrate being old.

There is a Snopes about this, but I already told you what it says, so don't worry about it.

Source: WD40.com

The More You Know: Some facts:

• Police officers used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent.
• A bus driver in Asia used WD-40 to remove a python that had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus.
• Crayola recommends using WD-40 to remove crayon marks from a variety of surfaces.
• "You only need two tools in life: duct tape and WD-40. If it’s not stuck and it’s supposed to be, duct tape it. If it’s stuck and it’s not supposed to be, WD-40 it."

What are the most popular names for dogs?

Search: most popular dog names

Why: At the dog park, it sounded like every other dog was named either Bella (like Chandler's dog) or Maddie (like my cat).

Answer: There are several different lists, but according to 1 study, Bella is #2 for female dogs, and Maddie is #49! The Top 20 for dudes and ladies are:

1. Max / Molly
2. Buddy / Bella
3. Jake / Lucy
4. Bailey / Maggie
5. Rocky / Daisy
6. Charlie / Sadie
7. Jack / Chloe
8. Toby / Sophie
9. Cody / Bailey
10. Buster / Zoe
11. Duke / Lola
12. Cooper / Abby
13. Harley / Ginger
14. Riley / Roxy
15. Bear / Gracie
16. Murphy / Coco
17. Lucky / Sasha
18. Tucker / Angel
19. Sam / Lily
20. Oliver / Princess
    

Source: BabyNames.com, Dogtime, Favorite Puppy Names

The More You Know: Bella was #12 on the list in 2005. It was the 208th most popular name for human girls in 2005, but now it is #18. Coincidence???