Trivia

Q. What’s a “dornick”?

A. A rock of a size suitable for throwing.

Q. Who was the first movie stunt man?

A. Lt. H.H. Arnold. He did the flying sequences in the 1911 silent film “The Military Air Scout.”

Q. Redwood bark is fireproof, so redwood trees never go up in smoke, right?

A. Not quite right. Fire can burn inside a redwood.

Twice around Australia’s coasts is almost equal to once around the world.

Largest dragonflies that ever lived had wings as big as crows’ wings.

The sport of fencing is not as old as, say, rock throwing, but it’s pretty old. Archaeologists have turned up evidence indicating ancient Egyptians fenced as far back as the 12th century B.C.

Q. In theatrical talk, what’s it mean “to paper the house”?

A. Give away tickets to fill the seats.

How to eat cucumbers the ancient way: Dip each raw slice in salt water before you take it as a bite. Such was the common practice in biblical times.

No matter how much cracked crab you’ve eaten, it’s highly unlikely you’ve ever referred to its pincerlike claw as a “chela.” But that’s what it’s called.