What's the origin of '(the) great white hope', meaning someone upon whom all hope of success rests or something thought to be a forlorn hope? It's usually used sarcastically, when the speaker thinks...
There's a bird, which I can't see, singing somewhere in the garden. It sounds to be high up in some tall hedge or tree. The 'song' is a constantly repeated phrase on one high note :...
When is a strait 'straits' ? We have the 'Straits of Gibraltar' and the 'Menai Straits' (sometimes inaccurately termed the Menai Strait) but we have 'Cook Strait' yet neither the strait nor the...
Which native British duck is it that acts as a 'nanny' to the broods of her own and others' ducklings ? Years ago, on the Stour in Essex, I used to witness this strange procession along the shoreline,...
A deceased's estate consists entirely of quoted shares, to a substantial value , c?1 million,at time of death. There is but one beneficiary, her son. The Will did not bequeath the shares as a specific...
If someone buys shares now and sells, say, next year, at a profit , is the CGT on the profit calculated at 18 per cent (which I believe to be the new rate), from the price now or is it still under the...
How long does it take a dog to digest a portion of proprietary tinned dogfood , from 'entry to exit', as it were ? And does it digest dog biscuits at the same rate and,if not, what rate ?
What mischief is this restrictive clause , now found in motor insurance policies ,aimed at preventing? " This policy does not cover use to secure the release of a motor vehicle, other than the vehicle...
An insurance company has just told me that if I have a 4 year no claims discount on one car and I then get a second car, so I then have two,an insurance company will not allow me a no claims discount...
1) What book do you recommend to someone who is just about to start researching family history? 2) My maternal grandfather was married to my grandmother but nobody in the family ever talked about him...
I got a lot of crocus ( not specie but normal spring flowering hybrids) in November, left them in their bags, bags opened for air,in a cold place but forgot all about them. Not surprisingly they've...
My computer has gone silent. I've tried checking the settings and they show sound on and volume up and the volume 'wheel' under the screen (it's an hp pavilion) is turned up. What could be the reason...
Look, it must be possible to identify the computer used by this nuisance and refuse him or her or postings whatever version of pseudonym used and whatever the email address. It's all very well our...