Joseph Harker
Who first decided that a tick is “good” and a cross “bad”?
n I work in a junior high school in Japan, where both ticks and crosses are “bad”
and a circle is “good”. Elizabeth Marks, Yamagata, Japan
n As far as I know the tick is derived not from the word veritas but from vidi I have seen (it). The “V” struck through (forming a sort of cross) indicates the absence of the object looked for. Walter Satzinger, Amerang, Germany
n When manuscripts were being copied in monasteries a monk would check that they contained no mistakes. If the page was cleared, the monk would write the Latin word valde (from which we get the English word “valid”) in the margin. This was usually abbreviated to “V”. Simon Davies, Preux au Bois, France
Why do men in porn movies have shaven balls?
n In fact, they are not shaven. They are like that for one of two reasons: that’s where their brains are and they have gone bald, and porn is the only thing they are capable of and all the hair has worn off. Peter Ellis, KwaZulu-Natal
If you sit next to a stranger on a crowded bus and half the passengers get off, is it ruder to stay put or to move to an empty seat?
n I have spent years using buses and seem to have a knack of sitting next to some very odd people. The questioner should move to an empty seat as far away as possible. Appearing rude is likely to be the least of his worries. Elaine Dignan, Manchester
n A greater problem for me is whether it is rude not to sit next to someone you met at the bus stop whom you know slightly and with whom you have been chatting while waiting for the bus. Helena Newton, Essex
Who were Tom, Dick and Harry?
n All these are very common names, reason enough to represent “everybody”. One theory tried to link the expression with nicknames of the Devil. The trouble is that while “old Harry” and “Dick” (the dickens) or “Nick” have long been nicknames for “olde horney”, he has never been known intimately as “Tom”. Also, “every Tom, Dick and Harry” is an American expresssion of the late 19th century, before the British used Dick, Tom and Jack for the same purpose. Brown, Jones and Robinson was used by the British in Victorian times to mean “the vulgar rich”. Ferdie Kilian, Uitenhage
Any answers?
n Can one drink oneself sober? Fanie de Villiers, Yeoville
n Do seagulls at seaside resorts suffer more heart disease from eating tourists’ leftover fish and chips? Anthony Ferner, Warwickshire
n What is the nutritional value of semen? How is it affected by a man’s diet, frequency of ejaculation or a vasectomy? Could it (theoretically) be a suitable protein supplement for lacto-vegetarians/vegans? Ruth, Johannesburg
n A black cat crossed my path, but it seemed to have a broken leg. Will the luck I am due be adversely affected? Lorcan McGrane, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Send your Notes & Queries to POBox 91667, Auckland Park, 2006, fax to (011) 727 7111, or e-mail to [email protected]. Please keep questions and answers short