What’s the Word: You’ve got questions, they’ve got answers
Information. It’s quite the catchword these days. In fact, many pundits are calling this the Information Age. Funny thing is, it seems like it wasn’t that long ago we were talking about the Industrial Revolution, and though most sources seem to list the Information Age as the immediate successor to the Industrial Revolution, it seems kind of odd to me. Shouldn’t there be some kind of “Age of Technology” or something in there somewhere? After all, it’s the development of computers and the Internet, and all the requisite technology that made those things possible, that has created, or at least facilitated, the Information Age.
Of course, I suppose one could argue the invention of the printing press was really the beginning of the Information Age. It certainly made one of mankind’s most wonderful inventions, the book, affordable and available to the general public for the first time.
And what an amazing thing, the book. Inarguably, the printed word has had an inestimable effect on world history, and the development of technology for that matter. The dissemination of information was vital to the advancement of technology, and books and journals provided a portable way to do that.
And books, of course, lead to libraries. Private libraries at first, but public libraries soon followed. Soon everyone had access to large collections of books and periodicals, well, if they lived close to a library anyway.
So, even in the Information Age, it’s probably not surprising that many people might decide the library is a good place to call if they’re looking for obscure information. Of course, nowadays those of us who have access to the above mentioned marvel, the Internet, would probably avail ourselves of that vast repository of information first, but for those who aren’t wired into the information highway yet, or are skeptical of the accuracy of the information contained therein, the library is still a viable source for research and knowledge.
That desire for information, the innate curiosity that drives us to find out why, is the reason for one of my favorite tomes, a collection of trivial tidbits of information called, appropriately, “The Book of Answers.”
This book is a compilation of questions that have been called in to the New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service. The book was put together by Barbara Berliner, who has headed the service since 1986.
Herewith a sampling of some of the choicest and most amusing bits of knowledge from that publication, which should be available in most full service book stores.
What is the origin of to go scot free?
In Old English, scot meant a payment, or one’s share of a payment. To go scot free meant escaping that charge.
Why is a swan song a farewell?
According to ancient legend, it was thought that the swan, silent throughout its life, sang aloud in its final minutes.
What is the original meaning of the phrase to beat the band?
The American expression, not more than a century old, referred to the aim of arriving at a parade site before the band passed.
Are there any words in the English language that use all five vowels?
Several, including sequoia and facetious.
What is the original use of the word chaos?
In Greek Mythology, Chaos was the primal void that gave birth to Gaea (Earth), Tartarus (Infernal Regions), Eros (Love), Erebus (Darkness), and Nyx (Night).
It can also mean the final few hours before the paper goes to press, at least here at the Standard anyway.
(Charles W. Johnson is news editor for the Southern Standard. He can be reached by calling 473-2191 or by e-mail at newseditor@southernstandard.com)