The number of things I don’t know is infinite. The list is long and inexhaustible, while the list of things I do know is fairly short – but I’m fine with that. I couldn’t begin to understand quantum physics and I wouldn’t want to acquire a knowledge of dentistry. Although that might have been handy during the first lockdown when just about everything was closed and I gather that people were having a go at DIY dentistry. Can you imagine? It brings to mind those barber-surgeons of long ago, who’d cut your hair or yank out a tooth. Maybe both at the same time.
There are some things, however, that I do vaguely wonder about and have never got round to looking up. No time like the present, I thought, so here goes:
1) Can it ever really be too cold to snow? Apparently not. According to the National Snow & Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, it can snow at incredibly low temperatures as long as there is some source of moisture. They also helpfully point out that it can be too warm to snow, but I think I could have worked that out on my own.
2) Why do British people feel the need to say ‘dib dib dib’ whenever Boy Scouts are mentioned? This one’s easy – I’ve just looked it up and it was part of a Scouting ritual known as the Grand Howl. It’s really ‘dyb dyb dyb’ , short for ‘Do Your Best’, to which the boys replied “We’ll dob dob dob” (Do Our Best). I was a Girl Guide in Canada and we were far too busy to indulge in such nonsense. We had important things to do like selling cookies and working on our Homemaker’s Badge.
3) If our western governments are massively in debt, who are they borrowing all that money from? Elon Musk? The Queen? Elton John? The answer is very disappointing. They sell government bonds (which are basically IOUs) to financial institutions such as insurance companies, banks and pensions funds. I was hoping for something much more exciting like the loans Charles II was secretly forced to secure from Louis XIV of France to pay for his many mistresses and lavish lifestyle.
4) Did doctors in England ever really write the disparaging ‘NFN’ (Normal for Norfolk) comment on patients’ notes? According to Dr Adam Fox of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, they did, and it’s just one of the many colourful acronyms doctors enjoyed. As well as NFN, I learned that TEETH translates as Tried Everything Else, Try Homeopathy, and UBI refers to an Unexplained Beer Injury. Apparently, these terms aren’t used much any more and are definitely no longer written on patients’ notes now that people can request access to their medical records. I wouldn’t be happy if I looked at my records and found GPO scrawled on them – Good for Parts Only.
It is said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but I think that the tiny speck of knowledge I’ve acquired in answering these questions won’t endanger myself or anyone else. Just think – I could have enrolled on an online dentistry course instead.
Entertaining as ever – and informative as well! I had fleetingly asked myself about No 3 & No 4 – so thanks for saving me the effort of finding out. 👍😘
That’s nice to know – my blogs are rarely useful!
You made me smile! I think we should all send you our random questions and task you with answering them. You are good at researching obscure things.
!
I was going to say that I have an obscure brain, but first looked up its meaning, just to be safe. Obscure is defined as “not discovered or known about; uncertain”, which I think sums it up pretty well.
Well done!!