Ask Rachel

Interesting fact: There’s loads of stories for the ori- gins of “on the wagon,” but it appears one with the most veracity is that it was short for “on the water-wagon,” which were horse-drawn carts that dampened dusty dirt roads. No word on how fast the horses travel from Col- lege to 32nd.

Interesting fact: The upright bass got a boost in the 17th century when wound gut strings appeared for the first time. Hey, they had to do something with all those animals they ran over on the river trail.

Interesting fact: “Off the cuff” originated in 1938 and refers to actors and speakers who would read lines written on their shirt sleeves, rather than preparing and memorizing them. If you choose to draw a connection between this off-the-cuff fact and my work on this page, that’s on you.

Interesting fact: Actually, time runs faster at higher elevation than at lower. So I got it wrong. The important thing is that I tried. It’s all relative anyway.

Interesting fact: All-season tires are like the tennis shoes of the car world. And once you start paying atten- tion, you’ll be surprised how many tennies people wear in slushy weather.

Interesting fact: Peanut allergies cause more deadly anaphylaxis than any other food allergy. In other words, it can kill you in a Jif.

Interesting fact: It takes about two weeks after getting a flu shot for your antibodies to develop. That means, for two weeks, you still get to be a hypochondriac.

Interesting fact: I did not get Follies tickets this year, because I believe firmly that my Saturday mornings are for sleeping.

Interesting fact: The Cranberries were originally named The Cranberry Saw Us, which incidentally is also the title of my upcoming independent horror film.

Interesting fact: There’s, honest to Marx, a type of cheek kiss called the socialist fraternal kiss. It’s a special greeting between statesmen of Communist countries. Though it sadly has given way to the socialist fraternal embrace.

Interesting fact: Hitting a deer will not, in fact, raise your auto insurance rates. Unless it does. Just be glad we don’t live in West Virginia, where the odds are 1 in 44 that you’ll hit one.

Interesting fact: There is truly no interesting fact about The Home Depot.

Interesting fact: We may have nine “Star Wars” movies, but that can’t touch George Lucas’ other great cinematographic achievements: we’re now up to 14 “Land Before Time” films.

Interesting fact: Missy Votel’s coupon book interview is the only one in compliance with the Associated Press style guide. Probably. I didn’t check, but I know firsthand that girl’s dislike for the Oxford comma.

Interesting fact: Even Harvard University once changed its name from Harvard College. And look – it’s still standing.

Interesting fact: Scabies infections happen when a female mite burrows into your skin to live and deposit eggs and now I really wish I hadn’t looked that up.

Interesting fact: Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid because it does not behave as predicted by the big man’s laws. Same goes for gelatin, glue, quicksand and ketchup. 

Interesting fact: Hot chile burns calories by triggering a thermodynamic burn in the body, which speeds up metabolism, thereby enabling one to eat even more chile.