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Stump
Me Questions Answered in November 2001
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Q.: In Back to the Future, what was Jennifer's grandmother's phone number?
- No Name Given
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A.:
You know, I was flipping through the channels and there it was on TBS. The
number is 555-0123.
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Q.: I am trying to find the origin of the phrase "hot shit". For example, he
thinks he is "hot shit". Also, is this term applied in a negative or a
positive manner?
- Nichole Grieve
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A.: According to
Cassell's Dictionary of Slang, "hot shit" originated in the United States sometime in the 1950s. It comes from the slang use of "hot" (a general term of approval) and "the shit" (an important person in their own opinion).
It's meant to be a negative comment about someone.
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Q.: What book follows the adventures of a "company of
13?" (Hint: They steal gold from a dragon.)
- Mike
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A.: There's
actually a couple of books that may be your answer, but the
second of third story in Beowulf sounds the closest.
The other book, The Hobbit, had 11 dwarves, Bilbo Baggins
(the hobbit) and Gandalf stealing gold from Smaug. Smaug
was a wyrm, but his description sounds an awful lot like a
dragon.
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Q.: 1)
How did Poland become a country?
2) Why did suicide doors on cars get nickname suicide doors?
- Chris D.
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A.: 1)
Little is known regarding the early activities of the Slavic tribes that laid the
foundations of the Polish nation. According to some experts, a number of these tribes
united, about AD 840, under a legendary king known as Piast, but Poland does not
begin to figure in European history until the reign of Mieszko, reputedly a descendant of
Piast, which lasted from 962 to 992.
Most Scholars agree that the original Slav homeland lay within the boundaries of modern
Poland in the Odra (Oder) and Wisla (Vistula) basins. The Slavs subsequently expanded into
territories to the east, south and west and became increasingly differentiated until, by
AD 800, three main geographical and linguistic divisions had arisen; the East
Slavs inhabiting a large part of European Russia, the South Slavs who settled in the Balkan
Peninsula, and the West Slavs who settled in what is now Poland, Czechoslovakia and East
Germany.
The West Slavs suffered different fates; the Lusatians and Veleti were absorbed by German
expansion, the Czechs and Moravians merged to form the nucleus of the Czech Kingdom, whilst
the Slovaks became part of the kingdom of Hungary. The remaining tribes, including the
Polanie, Wislanie, Pomorzanie and the Mazovians, joined together (in time) to form the Polish
State. The name of Poland comes from the name of the Polanie tribe or people tilling land.
Thanks to Zach A. for the links to this answer.
2) I came across a lot of answers,
but this one came up a few times. Seeing it on cars.com
pretty much convinced me that it was the most accurate. In the old days, these doors were prone to open in a crash.
Since this was before the time of seatbelts, a driver or passenger could easily be thrown forward, right out of the car and onto the street in an accident.
So driving a car this dangerous was said to be "suicidal." And that's where they got the name "suicide doors."
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Q.: What is the origin of Cooter Brown as in "Drunk as Cooter Brown"?
Was he a real person?
- Pete
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A.: I'd
never heard this expression until you sent it in.
Apparently, a lot of people have been trying to track it
down. This is according to Whistlin' Dixie: A Dictionary of Southern Expressions:
"It means very drunk indeed.
Who the proverbial Cooter Brown is no one seems to know, but this may have originally been a black expression
from the Carolinas. 'In Texas we'd call him drunker than Cooter Brown.'"
Furthermore, according to Cassell's Dictionary of
Slang, it originated in the South sometime between 1900 and
the 1940s.
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Q.: "How old is our World?" My boyfriend and I are debating between 3 and 6 billion years.
- Arlene M.
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A.: According to
Reader's Digest, the earth is believed to be about 4.6 billion years old.
This is based on carbon dating certain rock formations, as well
as calculating the rate of decay of radioactive elements within
the rocks.
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Q.: When did people start using last names and
why?
- Andrew
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A.: The
custom of family names didn't start until Venetian families
began to hand down their second name from father to son in the
11th century. It was believed to have started as a result
of the growing population, increased travel by people from
various countries and tribes, and improved communications.
Prior to the 11th century, a surname - if it was used at all -
usually represented the name of a clan or tribe.
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Q.: What is THE longest word in the world spelled without
using vowels?
- Neil
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A.: It
depends on which dictionary you use. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition
says it's "crwth" (pronounced krooth), which is a type
of stringed instrument. Meanwhile, the Oxford English Dictionary
says it's "llwchwr," which is a city district in
Wales.
Zach also sent one in that slipped under
my radar: "rhythms."
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Q.: Why does smoking a cigarette greatly increase the urge to have a bowel movement?
- Michelle
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A.: Tracey sent this in, and I confirmed it with a doctor at Memorial Hospital in Hollywood,
FL. Thanks for the help, Tracey.
When someone smokes a cigarette the nicotine is broken down and
gets passed around the blood stream. Nicotine attaches to receptors in
neurons in the brain, which is why some people feel more awake!
The neurons then release enzymes or more neurotransmitters, which tell different parts of the body what to do.
However, all neurons do different things - most products just attach to certain receptors, but nicotine can attach to quite a
wide range. One of the receptors that it attaches to tells your body that you need to empty your bowels.
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Q.: What was the name of the first child born on Pitcairn Island?
- Lynn H.
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A.: The first child born on Pitcairn Island was Thursday October Christian, the son of Fletcher Christian. Fletcher Christian was the first officer and one fo the mutineers on the HMS Bounty.
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Q.: Which way does a toilet flush exactly at the equator?
- Jason W.
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A.: The direction of the water flow is determined by the direction of the water jets in the toilet. The Coriolis effect, which says that water moes as a result of Earth's rotation, has a minimal effect on something as small as a toilet (In fact, it's so small an effect that it might as well have no effect at all). Essentially, the direction which toilet water rotates is determined by the direction the water pipe is pointing.
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Q.: What is written on the back of a five dollar bill, above the Lincoln Memorial?
- Stephanie S.
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A.: Above
the Lincoln Memorial it says "In God We Trust."
Zach and Chris D. pointed out that the names of 26 states also
appear (uh, guys...those name appear ON the Lincoln Memorial,
not above it). Those states are:
On the top: Arkansas, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota
On the next ledge: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Carolina, Hampshire, Virginia, New York
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Q.: What is the shortest word in the
English language with the letters a, b, c, d, e & f?
- Bette G.
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A.: "Bedface"
has only seven letters. It's a word used in the furniture
business.
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