allen ives Member Profile in The AnswerBank

Clairebear

up the duff

what is the origin of the phrase 'up the duff'?

StevieT

Oldest building in Essex?

Where is the oldest building in Essex?

allen ives

I watched old Brookside on Living for years. Then, with no warning, it switched to Sky 1 about six months ago. Last week, again out of the blue, it finished, in the middle of the storyline. Where's it...

allen ives

George Orwell's recordings

Where can Joan (and me) hear George Orwell's recorded voice?

vittoria

Vauxhall/Vogsal

I have been thinking about this for a while but I am not sure how to ascertain: What is the origin of the word Vauxhall as in Vauxhall Station, London SW8, England? Is there a connection with the word...

Nick Adams

Up the Dancers

There is a common saying in the north of England when sending children to bed. The saying is 'get up the dancers'. Can you explain the origins of this saying?

lynner1

Shell Centre

How old is the Shell Centre on York Road, London?

PhilD

When was champagne invented

What year was champagne first invented?

potent

Who knows?

The background to the phrase "charity begins at home", please?

andy hughes

Toilet requisite

Why do we say 'bog standard' for something run-of-the-mill?

lrussell

Emergency services

What was the emergency number before 999?

Kerrick

Second World War toll

How many people died in the Second World War?

barrywom

Piddle-what?

I was driving through Dorset the other day and nearly crashed the car laughing after I saw a sign for a town called Piddletrenthide. How on earth did a name like that come about?

cpmcmahon

Nightmare future

Which crime writer dreamed up a nightmarish future in which no children have been born for 25 years?

DOUBRIS

Last witch

Who as the last witch to be tried in England?

lovelylad

Presumptious

What's the difference between 'presume' and 'assume', if you're saying 'I assume that is what you meant', for e.g.? Lots of people seem to use the two words interchangeably.