Hey, Matt: Why are cinnamon candies "red hot"? I have never thought the taste of a cinnamon roll or other baked good was particularly eye watering. -- RR, SD Tastes that bludgeon our senses have …
July 26, 2007
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Hot Buns
Spit, Sneeze, and Other Origins
Dear Matthew Alice: Where the heck did the expression "spitting image" come from? -- Wendell, San Diego Heymatt: Where did the expression "nothing to sneeze at" come from? It obviously means something important but makes …
July 26, 2007
The Case of the P.B. Mermaid
The Case of the P.B. Mermaid All manner of stuff sails in through the open windows here at Alice Inquiries and Pedicures, LLC. Some of it from places not very near us at all. A …
July 19, 2007
Exploding Heads
Dear Matt: I just received this e-mail. "Doctors are blaming a rare electrical imbalance in the brain for the bizarre death of a chess player whose head literally exploded in the middle of a championship …
July 19, 2007
How many bees died to make my pollen smoothie?
Matt: Bee-ing a concerned smoothie drinker, me and a few colleagues were wondering what the actual process was in collecting bee pollen that we use in our smoothies. A few of us were hoping that …
July 5, 2007
Save the Fleas!
Heymatt: I've heard during the golden era of the flea circus, there were some who complained about the mistreatment of fleas. Is it possible for a human to have so much misplaced empathy that they …
July 5, 2007
Bad Beer
MA of Reader: I have a cabin in Julian that has a collection of nine bottles of beer in the fridge. Two Budweisers were left over from a housewarming party in April of '04, two …
July 5, 2007
Plane Lights
Matt: Why do commercial jetliners fly around with their headlights on? Are they going to prevent the plane from running into something up there? -- Jeremy Barwick, Lemon Grove Sorry, Jeremy. Those are landing lights …
July 5, 2007
Expletives Deleted
Matthew Alice: Watching a Family Guy episode tonight, I noticed things that there is no way the FCC would have let radio stations get away with, yet TV seems to get by doing. Why is …
June 21, 2007
Men: All Upper Case
Dear Matthew Alice: I've noticed that once free from the bonds of public education, American males tend to write in ALL UPPERCASE LETTERS, or sometimes a mix with mainly UC and a few lowercase letters …
June 21, 2007
What Am I Drinking?
Matt: What is cream soda? There's no cream in it. What flavor is it supposed to be? -- DO, San Diego Hard to believe that Squirt and Pepsi have their origins in the mineral waters …
June 21, 2007