A honeymoon is the best part of any wedding. Heck, it’s the best part of any marriage. But where did the term “honeymoon” first come from? The word comes from the Old English “hony moone.” Honey refers to the “indefinite period of tenderness & pleasure experienced by a newly-wed couple,” and how sweet the new…
We love our fur-babies. Even when they race through the house soaking wet after a bath…when they steal your spot on the couch…and, yes, even when they drool, we love them. About that drool, though. It can be a lot. All dogs do it, but some breeds can fill up an entire swimming pool with…
They can be two of the most confusing definitions to understand, much less explain: what exactly is the difference between jealousy & envy? Basically, we usually use “jealousy” to describe the feeling of worry we get when it seems someone’s coming for what’s ours. “Envy”, on the other hand, is the opposite. It’s when YOU…
There’s usually a good reason whenever food labels are vague. That’s exactly the case when it comes to Sunny D. Because, while it may be orange & seem like juice, it’s not actually orange juice. So, what is Sunny D really? Sunny D calls itself “orange-flavored citrus punch”. But in reality, it barely resembles anything…
If you’ve shopped in an actual store any time in the last 10 years or so, you’ve probably experienced that uncomfortable moment at the checkout counter when the cashier asks for your ZIP code. It feels odd & a bit intrusive, since it doesn’t really seem relevant to whatever you’re buying. Soliciting your email address…
What exactly makes a majestically tall clock a “grandfather clock”? No, it has nothing to do with the only people who seem to have them these days (though it’s understandable why someone might think that). Grandfather clocks are technically called “longcase clocks”, with their tall wooden cases, long swinging pendulums, ornate roman numerals, musically echoing…
Whenever you overhear co-workers gossiping about someone, or read some salacious story on social media, it’s always best to take that information “with a grain of salt”. But why do we say that? What does sodium have to do with retaining a prudent amount of skepticism? The saying first showed up in ancient Rome around…
There are so many different phrases we use to signify marriage, from “walking down the aisle” to “getting hitched” and beyond. The meanings behind most of the phrases are clear, but some expressions seem more obscure…like “tying the knot”. Why do we say someone who got married “tied the knot”? “Tying the knot” goes back…
If you’ve ever taken on the challenge of steaming a lobster, you know they end up a bright red color that’s very different from the original color they start out with. Why is that? That bright, fire-engine red color is merely the result of a simple chemical reaction. Lobsters’ usual greenish-blue hue works well for…
One of the great tragedies in my life is that, since having moved to Frederick, I have yet to play a single round of golf. It’s such a fun, relaxing sport…but not without its share of “Mundane Mysteries”. Such as: why do the round white golf balls have hundreds of dimples on their surface? Are…