Dear Mr. Alice: Why is it that so many people bite their nails? -- Michelle, the net It's been studied scientifically, so there are a few reliable things known about onychophagia. Unfortunately, "why" isn't one …

Matt: How did Jeopardy get its name? What does jeopardy have to do with the game and the way it's played? What's the danger? Also, why do contestants have to answer in the form of …

Dear Matthew Alice: "I thought I would die laughing." When something makes you laugh so hard you can't breathe, is there a chance you'll never stop? Is this unhealthy? -- M., San Diego Well, A.M., …

Dear Matt: Why do we call cow meat "beef," pig meat "pork," but we call chicken and fish by their names? -- SG, the beach Let's see. Who can we blame this one on — …

Matt: Did you ever hear of the Great Boston Molasses Flood, sometime back in the 1920s? Lots of people drowned in a nasty, sticky, slow death. Details, please. -- Tim, not in Boston Just my …

Matt: My girlfriend claims that black olives are harvested later than the green olives and that they're actually the ripe form of the olive. I say no. Settle the argument. -- Chris, the net Hate …

Hey Matt: I've noticed that when the planes begin to take off from the airport at 6:30 a.m., the first plane is always a small propeller commuter plane, which is immediately followed by the big …

Matt: I don't mean to be morbid, maybe just inappropriate, but over the years I keep hearing of pedestrians being hit by cars who literally fly out of their shoes. I'm not talking about your …

Matt: My boss told me today that kiwi fruit is a genetically engineered fruit crossing a peach with a banana. PUH-lease tell me this is a farce! -- Gretchen, the net Would you rather be …

Heymatt: What's the difference between a hare and a rabbit? Size? Musical stylings? -- Jay, the net Hair. Hair stylings. Well, actually baby hair. Hares are born with hair, rabbits aren't. Hare babies have their …

Matt: I cannot urinate with some guy standing next to me at the men's room. I know I'm not the only one. I see others afflicted with this block. On a radio show I heard …

Hey Matt! How much gold is in Fort Knox? Is it true that it hasn't been physically audited since the Eisenhower administration? Why can't we sell off the gold now and fund Social Security or …

Dear Matt: Did Doritos ever have a sour cream and onion flavor? I could swear they had them when I was a kid, green bag and all, but my friends say it never existed. Please …

Hey Matt: Why is it that when a man is standing at a urinal urinating, he indulges himself in the urge to expectorate? I do it, I'll bet even you do it! I've seen it …

Dear Matt: My boss says that Queen Victoria died by being crushed by a horse in an unusual kind of "riding accidentl" He says she had a stallion rigged up I some kind of a …

Dear Matthew Alice: Every time I watch the show Cops, I wonder why the arrestees would consent to being on TV. There is a disclaimer at the beginning that says, "All suspects are innocent until …

Hey: I've always wondered about the Subaru six-star logo? What's the deal? Is it a constellation? -- Tad, the net It's a star cluster in the constellation Taurus. We call it the Pleiades. It's actually …

Hello: My dad has had a broken hip which he recuperated from with the basis surgery. Recently he sets off the alarms as he goes out of most every store. His hip surgery was about …

Heymatt: What do people who are blind from birth "see" when they are dreaming? -- Troy Dante, La Mesa Well, Troy, they don't see nuttin'. At least according to Cousin Wildomar Alice's neighbor's niece Loretta. …

Matt!: Quick, before they disappear completely. I've always wondered what the K in Kmart stands for. Do you know? -- Rex, the net Kafka? Knackwurst? Kinky? Kayak? Knucklehead? Kudzu? Was the emporium founded by a …

Heymatt: Salt and pepper. Salt and pepper. Never anything different on the table. Why salt and pepper? How long have we been in this culinary rut? Why salt? Why pepper? Why not tumeric and chervil? …

Help!! Twitching!! My left eye is twitching because my husband twitches every night before completely sound asleep! I have been married 20 years and love my husband dearly, but I would love to know why. …

Heymatt: I haven't been to the dentist in a while and am due for a cleaning. Over the weekend I got sick and puked a few times. I swear the stomach acid in the vomit …

Hi Matt: I was recently doing some deep thinking on the origin of the cow bell (as a musical instrument). I can't figure out if it's the chicken or the egg. Did we put the …

Heymatt: If my best friend or uncle entered the federal Witness Protection Program, would I even know it? I mean, would he and his family just disappear? What explanations are given, if any, to friends …

Dear Matthew: Why do people have those firefighter stickers on the back of their cars? I figure the driver must work for the fire department. But why are they advertising it? Is it in case …

Hi Matt: Articles have been written regarding the uncertainty of the future of the Social Security system. The system is nearly 70 years old and they probably add thousands of people each day. My question …

Heymatt: Clockwise, beginning with the car furthest to the right of all others, one at a time. What is so difficult about that? Apparently, roughly half of the drivers in San Diego (according to my …

The Alices took a vote last week, and the majority favored canceling Christmas. Or Holiday, or whatever it's called now. But of course the elves didn't fill in the bubbles, and in the recount, Grandma's …

Hey Matt: If I were to go to all the laundromats in San Diego County and collect all of the lint from the dryers, would I be able to make it into articles of clothing …

Heeeey, man� Like, there's this place in, um, up north-- what's it?-- Kern. Kern County, man. Waaaay up there. No beach. No�. Hey, got some Doritos, man? Goldfish crackers, maybe. Oh, uh-- yeah. This place. …

Hi Matt: I was out golfing on a sunny day and I noticed my eyes have these little marks in them, like you're looking through a microscope at little amoebas. They move around but don't …

Dear Matthew Alice: I remember hearing on the news once that in one of those Southern states some men had been charged with attempted murder for hiring a hit man to kill a judge. The …

Hey Matt: On a recent Sunday morning, a thunderstorm woke me up. I thought I would go peepee and return to bed. Once in the bathroom, it occurred to me that I once read you …

Hey Matt! My friend, who always complains about my yard sales, had his car swiped. It was an older model. Probably a Tercel. Ugly poop-purple colored. I told him, from my ESP powers, that "Jimmy" …

Hey Matt! When I'm in the hot tub, my head perspires�. Does the bod do the same under the water? Eewwwwwww! -- Bobby T, Hillcrest Yo, Bobby. Wake up and smell the chlorine. You're sweatin' …

Matthew: I think we live in the First World, and I'm pretty sure places like Haiti are in the Third World. That must mean there's a second world, so what's the deal with that? -- …

Mr. Alice: They're back. Lava lamps. I thought we were rid of them 30 years ago, but a friend of mine just bought one. I have no idea why. After trying my best to ignore …

Mattster: Consider this. Could a pigeon walk if you put his neck in a brace? I say no. -- Birdman, San Diego Of course the elves couldn't resist this one. They headed out with Grandma's …

Matthew: It's coming up on holiday time again, and I can't wait until egg nog is back in the dairy case. Why don't they sell it all year round? -- Waiting, the net Eggnog in …

Dear Matt: How high up over a country is international air space considered to begin? -- J.K., Leucadia Can't pull any official treaties or international agreements out of the hat to answer this one. Before …

Hello, Matt: I was talking to a customer at my business yesterday about the election. I commented that I found it handier to go to the Registrar of Voters office on Ruffin Road and vote …

Mr. Alice: Here it is. There is a mouse, a rodent, and a mouse, a thing you direct the arrow with on your computer. Plural for a mouse, the rodent, would be mice. I know …

Heymatt: Do you think the president carries a wallet? I can't imagine he ever has to pull out a credit card or cash or flash his drivers license. -- Wondering, the net Not even Grandma …

Matt or Grandma Alice: Can you pinpoint when it was exactly that farting became a social faux pas? Flatulence is totally natural. My twin sons fart all the time. Why when someone farts in, say, …

Hey Matt: Where did the saying "good money" come from, as in, "I paid good money for that car"? -- Dawn, the net People might just mean "a lot of money" when they say good …

Hey Matt: My boyfriend says that The Jerry Springer Show is fake, that the guests are really actors, not insane trailer trash dating their sisters. Is he right, is it fake? -- Farah Daye, the …

Dear M.A.: I give my dinner plate to Queenie the Loveable Lab every night, and will lick it clean (except when we have broccoli). But why when she's through is the plate so slimy? It's …

Smoking Mattster: Tell my friend that clove cigarettes are worse for you than regular cigarettes. Thank you. -- A Friend, Chula Vista Dear Your Friend: Clove cigarettes are worse for you than regular cigarettes. Best …

Hey, Matt: How is it going? How was summer vacation? Here's my question. Can cats and dogs really feel the vibrations of a pending earthquake? The reason I ask is, this morning the cat was …