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I agree, that is interesting, and I wonder if it can tell us anything about the development of those languages. I suppose the name "John" started out in some particular form a couple of thousand...

Here's an interesting article on the same subject:

http://www.behindthename.com/articles/2.php

I've often wondered why parents give their children bizarre names. The article suggests that it...

"Will all great Neptune's oceans wash this blood clean from my hand?
No, this my hand would rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine
Making the green one red" - Macbeth

Depends on the floor and if it's cold! I like to walk through grass or sand with no shoes on.

Separate shampoo and conditioner or combined?

There are a few. The nearest to me is Mow Cop, which is actually a folly. It is really atmospheric there. The last time I went there was in a misty November. It seemed Shakespearean somehow, with...

I like history of science best of all. I love to learn how big discoveries came about, and how they were usually not accepted without a struggle. One of my favourites in this genre is Longitude by...

My favourite by a mile is Macbeth, which I studied for my GCSE. I was lucky enough to have an English teacher who helped us fall in love with Shakespeare. I can practically quote the whole thing...

My favourites are Wells in Somerset and Chester.

Wells Cathedral is mainly Gothic. You could spend hours looking at the carvings on the west front alone. Inside there is beautiful, mysterious...

Is marital sex offered in exchange for favours? Sometimes maybe, but I doubt it's the norm. That implies that women 'put up with' sex if they think they can get something out of it, but women like...

Custodial services = prisoner transport

Private hire vehicle = taxi

Waffles is the only sweet I know from Belgium - again, not really a cake though. Unless chocolate counts as a sweet of course! I like Belgian waffles with sliced banana and maple syrup. How do you...

We have that here too. My house has a lean-to porch at the back that is just a corregated plastic roof screwed to some battening against the outside of the kitchen wall, with a 'wall' of...

Cream tea for the UK. I'm not qualified to speak for France, but as an outsider the cake I most associate with France is pain au chocolat.

I agree to a point Tokis - in some, maybe most situations, honesty is the best policy. But I am wary of any statement including absolutes - such as 'always'. I prefer to assess each case on its own...

I'm not sure that's always true. I'm sure there are many situations where keeping quiet is best for all involved. If someone made a mistake years ago, but everything is OK right now, why spoil it...

Well, I would have to disagree with the choice for the UK. Shortbread is Scottish. It doesn't represent England or Wales in any way. You can't choose just one sweet for the whole country anyway -...

That's a good link Ma Cherie. I like that it points out that sometimes euphemisms can be OK - like saying 'passed away' instead of 'died'.

As a union rep, my husband comes across a lot of them,...

Wow, this is an old thread! But still, it's interesting.

My dad is my dad. We are very much alike, both physically and in some character traits as well. Maybe I will post a pic of him and you...

OK guys, I agree! I'd love to see those sites Ma Cherie! :cool:

How do you guys eat spaghetti? I always use a fork in my right hand and wind the spaghetti round it in a spoon held in my left hand. I don't know if that is the 'right' way to do it, but that's...

Have you noticed all those PC ways of saying things that either make it more complicated, or make you feel like you are being tricked?

I saw all these on the way to work this morning (the...

Here is a list Dutch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses. Globally speaking, there are a lot. But from any one place on Earth you will probably only get one or two in a lifetime. ...

Maybe Nuri can enlighten us, but I don't think Scotsmen generally wear kilts. Don't they just wear them at special occasions, like weddings or Hogmanay?

In the UK it varies a lot depending on the situation. If it is just me and my husband, pretty much anything goes, although I do sometimes nag him to eat more slowly and quietly! We always eat on...

Your decision to try getting up at the same time every day seems like a good one. It works quite well for me - I have the occasional lapse, but I stick to it most days. Knowing I have to get up to...