BIG QUESTIONS

Grasshopper on the left, swarm of locusts on the right

Grasshoppers vs. Locusts: What’s the Difference?

All locusts are grasshoppers, but not all grasshoppers are locusts.

Where Does the Word ‘Hoser’ Come From?

As brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie on ‘SCTV,’ actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas made ‘hoser’ popular—and there are plenty of theories about the word’s origin.

Chris Evert at the 1978 Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Why Is It Called a “Tennis Bracelet”?

Chris Evert’s tennis bracelets made tennis bracelets a thing. But the origin story gets mistold quite often.

Why Does Honey Come in Bear-Shaped Bottles?

The adorable bear honey bottle design helped launch Dutch Gold Honey to national success. Here’s how it came to be.

If you’re eating a healthy and balanced diet, you may not need extra vitamins.

Is It Possible to Overdose on Vitamins?

Too much of anything, even a helpful or healthy thing, can hurt you. Medication? Definitely. Water? Absolutely. Exercise? You bet. Vitamins? Quite possibly.

Conventional cuffs are designed with two hands in mind.

How Do You Handcuff a One-Armed Person?

Adaptability comes in handy. So does a belt.

Why Do We Say “PU” When Something Stinks?

Sadly, ‘PU’ isn’t an initialism for “Pretty unsavory!”, “Putrid, ugh!”, or even “Please use (deodorant)!”

How Do Photo-Averse Amish Deal With ID Cards?

Many Amish believe photos are forbidden. So how can they do anything requiring a photo ID?

The dog days of summer don’t actually have anything to do with this dog.

What Are The Dog Days of Summer?

The dog days of summer don’t actually have much to do with dogs. Instead, they relate to Sirius, otherwise known as the Dog Star.

Shoes hanging from power lines have invited a lot of urban myths.

Why Do People Toss Shoes Over Power Lines?

A dangling pair of kicks is sending a message. What is it?

Pills come in orange containers for a clever reason.

Why Do Prescription Pills Come in Orange Bottles?

Those orange bottles are no accident—they were specifically designed to keep both medications and people safe.

Why Is Depression Sometimes Called “The Black Dog”?

Everyone from lexicographer Samuel Johnson to Prime Minister Winston Churchill has used the phrase—but where does it come from? Why a black dog?

Why Are Dairy Products Usually at the Back of a Grocery Store?

Grocery stores are intentionally designed in a way that makes you want to spend more money. The long trek to the dairy section is part of it.

“Shoot, did that plant have leaves of three?”

Can Dogs Get Poison Ivy?

Dogs can potentially have an allergic reaction to poison ivy, and they can also transmit the irritating oils to people. Here's what to do if you pet encounters the plant.

Centipedes and millipedes are actually quite different.

Millipedes vs. Centipedes: What’s the Difference?

They have many more legs than any arthropod should need, but millipedes and centipedes are different in almost every other way.

Every color in the Pride Flag stands for something—and here's what it all means.

What Do All the Colors in the Pride Flag Stand For?

The Pride Flag first appeared in 1978, but it's evolved a lot since its initial conception. Here's what all the colors really stand for.

Why Does ‘Joshing’ Mean “Kidding Around”?

The word dates back to the mid-19th century, and has taken many forms.

Having second thoughts about not wearing socks.

Why Do We Say People Get ‘Cold Feet’ Before a Wedding?

Brides or grooms with second thoughts are said to have chilly extremities. The origin of the phrase has a little something to do with poker.

Land Sickness can be just as unsettling as seasickness.

What Is Land Sickness—and Why Does it Happen?

Seasickness happens when a person’s body struggles to grow accustomed to a boat’s motion patterns, causing them to feel unsteady and often nauseated. But land sickness happens in reverse.

Why Are Birds Attacking My Windows?

Nothing says “springtime” like the maddening, irregular percussion of a bird’s beak rapping repeatedly against your window.

Just looking at this makes your skin crawl.

Why Do Mosquito Bites Itch So Much?

The telltale itch of a mosquito bite doesn’t actually come from the bite itself. It comes from something that’s a fair bit worse: literal blood-sucking.

Break out the dictionary and start counting.

How Many Words Are There in the English Language?

It’s complicated—and there are more questions than answers.

Why Is It Called a “Hamburger” If It Doesn’t Contain Ham?

Here's how the hamburger came by its misleading name.

A major thunderstorm is about to blow over this vineyard.

Scattered vs. Isolated Thunderstorms: What’s the Difference?

Meteorologists convey the chance of cloud cover or rain in percentages, but what those numbers mean in the real world isn’t always clear—so you’ll often hear terms like ‘scattered’ and ‘isolated’ to describe thunderstorms.

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