Question:
Why are there so many earthworms on the sidewalk when it rains?

Answer:
Earthworms breath air, just like humans. So when they’re underground, they make sure to have air holes. When it rains, the rain often clogs up the earthworms’ air holes, forcing them to come out on the sidewalk.

Question:
Why doesn’t drinking water cool your mouth after eating spicy food?

Answer:
The spices in most of the hot foods that we eat are oily, and, like your elementary school science teacher taught you, oil and water don’t mix. In this case, the water just rolls over the oily spices.

So what can you do to calm your aching tongue? Try one of these three methods. Eat bread. The bread will absorb the oily spices. A second solution is to drink milk. Milk contains a substance called “casein” which will bind to the spices and carry them away. Finally, you could drink something alcoholic. Alcohol will dissolve the oily spices.

Question:
Why do Canadians say “mush” when they want their sled dogs to move?

Answer:
When they wanted their sled dogs to go forward, early French-Canadians used to say “marchons,” which meant “go” in French. When English-speaking drivers tried to copy the expression, they mispronounced it and said “mushon.” Later, they abbreviated this mispronunciation and simply said “mush.”

Question:
Why is a quarter called “two bits?”

Answer:
In eighteenth century America, the Spanish dollar was a popular coin. It was made out of silver and was so large that people often cut it into smaller pieces, or “bits.” Each bit was one-eighth of the original coin and was therefore worth 12.5 cents. Later, when the American quarter came into use, it was said to be worth “two bits.”

Question:
They weren’t invented in France, so why does everybody call them “French fries?”

Answer:
It’s true, the French fry wasn’t invented in France. (It’s origin is probably British.) But the “French” in French fries doesn’t refer to its country of origin. It refers to the way in which this side dish is prepared.

Food that is cut into strips is said to be “Frenched.” Since French fries are strips of potato that have been fried, they became known as French fried potatoes, or “French fries.”

Question:
Why is New York called “The Big Apple?”

Answer:
New York’s nickname “The Big Apple” was coined by jazz musicians, who used to say “There are many apples on the tree, but to play in New York City is to play The Big Time . . . The Big Apple!” Later, the New York City Convention and Visitors Bureau popularized the nickname because the Bureau thought it gave the city a “bright and shining image.”

Question:
Why is it called a “hamburger” if it doesn’t contain ham?

Answer:
At first glance, it seems that the word “hamburger” is a combination of the words “ham” and “burger.” Therefore, one naturally assumes that a hamburger is a burger that contains ham.

But the word “hamburger” actually traces its roots back to Hamburg Germany, where people used to eat a similar food called the “Hamburg steak.” Eventually, the Hamburg steak made its way to the United States, where people shortened its name to “hamburger.”