A thread for asking useless questions

quote:

Where's Matthew (the man with all the answers) when you need him?

Probably on an intergalactic cruise in his office - it's a hard life being a software whizz.

Some folk might think that he was gossiping about us all again on the Pink Salmon Show !!!

quote:

Originally posted by cunningplan:
And another one of those questions that never seems to have a correct answer.... What is the $64,000 dollar question?

There are lots of $64,000 dollar questions. Particularly on the US who wants to be a millionaire

quote:

Originally posted by J.N.:
A vacuum flask keeps hot things hot, and cold things cold. How does it know?

John.

It doesn't, but since heat can't cross a vacuum it does both.

Okay, here are a couple:

Who was the only US president never to have been elected?

How many times, in Dumas' novels, do the three musketeers actually say "One for all, and all for one.'

And last, but certainly not least, is it possible to see Uranus with the naked eye!

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:
Who was the only US president never to have been elected?

Easy - Gerald Ford ('74 - '76)

As for the rest, sorry - haven't a clue!

Cheers,

Jon

quote:

Originally posted by JonR:
Easy - Gerald Ford ('74 - '76)

Well done

No sweat for a contortionist I would imagine, innit

quote:

.... What is the $64,000 dollar question?

"how long is a piece of string....."

(Sorry)

How long is which piece of string CP?

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:

How many times, in Dumas' novels, do the three musketeers actually say "One for all, and all for one.'

This is just a guess, but probably never. However, if you specified the English translation in question, the answer might be easier.

quote:

And last, but certainly not least, is it possible to see Uranus with the naked eye!

No. (Well, not unless your "tongue" is in your "cheek".)

Hi
Explain the words port and starboard

Dan

quote:

- And how do you pronounce Allae?

- And why are the british the only ones to drive their cars on the left hand side in europe although all the knights in europe were dominantly right handed and would have been "riding on the left"?

Allae is pronounced as in "a friendly nation"

Remember, the Swedish also drove on the left until 1967. Whilst I also understand that Napoleon made the switch to marching his armies on the right, I recall reading that it was to confuse his enemies, who, observing the army from a great distance, might think it was marching away, rather than towards them.

But i'm sure there are lots of better explanations....

Cheers

Don

quote:

Explain the words port and starboard

There are several variations but the most credible, I feel, is that early sailing ships used a 'Steer Board' that was on the RHS of the ship, which became starboard and to protect their vulnerable steering device, they would come alongside, ie 'Port', on the other or LHS.

Andy

PS thanks for the TC input

quote:

Originally posted by Deane F:

quote:

.... What is the $64,000 dollar question?

"how long is a piece of string....."

(Sorry)

Bloody Hell!!! you've really put the cat amongst the pigeons now.... two difficult questions
It's like, What came first the chicken or the egg?? Does anyone know by the way?

Regards
Clive

Chicken and Egg??

What I want to know is did Adam have a Belly Button???

Andy

Uranus is visible!

Question - How did it all begin?

quote:

Originally posted by Deane F:

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:

How many times, in Dumas' novels, do the three musketeers actually say "One for all, and all for one.'

This is just a guess, but probably never. However, if you specified the English translation in question, the answer might be easier.

So specified.

quote:

Originally posted by cunningplan:

quote:

Originally posted by Deane F:

quote:

.... What is the $64,000 dollar question?

"how long is a piece of string....."

(Sorry)

Bloody Hell!!! you've really put the cat amongst the pigeons now.... two difficult questions
It's like, What came first the chicken or the egg?? Does anyone know by the way?

Regards
Clive

And while we're going that way:

Which wins out the immovable object or the irresistible force?

And if a tree falls in the woods, but nobody is there, does it still make a sound?

While we're on word origins, how about okay?

'The whole nine yards'.

One theory is that it relates to the full length of a belt of machine gun ammunition.

Any other ideas?

John.

Word History: OK is a quintessentially American term that has spread from English to many other languages. Its origin was the subject of scholarly debate for many years until Allen Walker Read showed that OK is based on a joke of sorts. OK is first recorded in 1839 but was probably in circulation before that date. During the 1830s there was a humoristic fashion in Boston newspapers to reduce a phrase to initials and supply an explanation in parentheses. Sometimes the abbreviations were misspelled to add to the humor. OK was used in March 1839 as an abbreviation for all correct, the joke being that neither the O nor the K was correct. Originally spelled with periods, this term outlived most similar abbreviations owing to its use in President Martin Van Buren's 1840 campaign for reelection. Because he was born in Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and the abbreviation proved eminently suitable for political slogans. That same year, an editorial referring to the receipt of a pin with the slogan O.K. had this comment: “frightful letters... significant of the birth-place of Martin Van Buren, old Kinderhook, as also the rallying word of the Democracy of the late election, ‘all correct’.... Those who wear them should bear in mind that it will require their most strenuous exertions... to make all things O.K.”

Okay; I cheated.

John.

quote:

Posted Sun 05 June 2005 03:09
'The whole nine yards'.

I thought this was Nautical again, a ship had 3 masts and 3 yard arms to a mast, therefore they were under full sail when using the 'Whole Nine Yards'

Andy

1) Why do we Americans call football "soccer" when the rest of the planet calls soccer "football"? And why is our football played mainly with hands? Is this double-speak?

2) What is Liam Gallagher talking about?

quote:

Originally posted by bhazen:
1) Why do we Americans call football "soccer" when the rest of the planet calls soccer "football"? And why is our football played mainly with hands? Is this double-speak?

Because......actually, in the spirit of transatlantic unity I won't finish that sentence.


However, along the same vein, why does a nation that prides itself on its virility, feel the need to don 50 pounds of protective gear just to play rugby?