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Illustration by Holly Randall
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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
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Things you always never wanted to know
"Therein" is the only seven-letter word in the English language that contains 10 words without rearranging any of its letters.
The word "pound" is abbreviated "lb." after the constellation Libra because it means "pound" in Latin, and also "scales." The abbreviation for the British Pound Sterling comes from the same source: It is an "L" for Libra/Lb. with a stroke through it to indicate abbreviation.
The white part of your fingernail is called the lunula.
The Boston University Bridge (on Commonwealth Avenue, in Boston) is the only place in the world where a boat can sail under a train driving under a car driving under an airplane.
It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is "shake" and the 46th word from the last word is "spear."
The word "posh," which denotes luxurious rooms or accommodations, originated when ticket agents in England marked the tickets of travelers going by ship to the Orient. Since there was no air conditioning in those days, it was always better to have a cabin on the shady side of the ship as it passed through the Mediterranean and Suez regions. Since the sun is in the south, those with money paid extra to get cabin's on the left, or port, traveling to Asia, and on the right, or starboard, when returning to Europe. Hence, their tickets were marked with the initials for "Port Outbound Starboard Homebound," or "POSH."
The word "checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat," which means "the king is dead."
A group of frogs is called an army. A group of rhinos is called a crash. A group of geese is called a gaggle. A group of ravens is called a murder. A group of officers is called a mess. A group of larks is called an exaltation. A group of owls is called a parliament.
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