Have I ever heard of anyone buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery?

Search: hollywood forever

Why: We might go to another premiere of Insidious there tonight. (We went to one last night, and the film was awesome. Totes the scariest thing I've ever seen. I could not get out of my house fast enough this morning.) I have only been one time - to Día de los Muertos - and I didn't recognize a single name there. But I did do this:

(It was unseasonably warm.)

Answer: There are a few! These are on the official Interactive Site Map (and some have cenotaphs but aren't really buried there):

• Mel Blanc (1908–1989)
• Charles Chaplin Jr. (1925–1968) - son of Charlie
• Hannah Chaplin (1865–1928) - mother of Charlie
• Lana Clarkson (1962–2003) - murdered by Phil Spector
  
• Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959)
• William C. DeMille (1878–1955) - Cecil's brother
• Douglas Fairbanks (1883–1939) - There is a building on my street named after him.
• Estelle Getty (1923–2008)
• Griffith J. Griffith (1850–1919) - as in Griffith Park
• John Huston (1906–1987)
• Don LaFontaine (1940–2008) - the "in a world" movie trailer guy :(
• Peter Lorre (1904–1964)
• Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952) - Mammy in Gone with the Wind
  
• Darren McGavin (1922–2006) - the dad in Billy Madison
• Dee Dee Ramone (1952–2002)
• Johnny Ramone (1948–2004)
• Bugsy Siegel (1906–1947)
• Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (1927–1959)
• Norma Talmadge (1893–1957) and her sisters Natalie and Constance - I have only heard of these people because I used to live on Talmadge Street in Los Feliz
  
• Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926)
• Fay Wray (1907–2004)

and also:

• Gidget Gein (1969-2008) - one of the guys from Marilyn Manson
• Pauline Pfeiffer Hemingway (1895–1951) - wife of Ernest
  

And probably some other people whose names I either didn't notice or didn't recognize, but you know who they are - like Elmer Berger (1891–1952), inventor of the rear-view mirror.

Source: HollywoodForever.com, Wikipedia

The More You Know: Incidentally, I once made a spreadsheet about Hattie McDaniel and her family (her brother and sister were both actors) because I couldn't believe the number of times they were each credited as Mammy, Porter, or Maid. Rude! Read about her cenotaph and the horrible reason it exists here.

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What's the origin of the word "broker"?

Search: broker etymology

Why: Last night, Jessica Fletcher's niece was a real estate broker. The night before, her stockbroker was murdered! As far as I can tell (not very far), a broker is just a go-between or a middle man. In this economy, he's probably even broker than I am. Hey-o!

Answer: It has nothing to do with "break" or the past tense "broke"! Instead, it all started with the pointy tool Frenchmen of yore used to tap their wine kegs. Its history went like this:

• broche - Old French: "pointed tool"
• brochier - "to broach, tap, pierce (a keg)"
• abrokur - Anglo-French: "tapster, retailer of wine"
• "wine dealer"

• brocour - Anglo-Norman "small trader"
• "retailer, middleman, agent"

And in Middle English, of course, the word was contemptuously used to refer to peddlers and pimps. (Read about pimps here [and male mistresses here]).

Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know: "Go for broke" comes from a Hawaiian pidgen phrase for "shoot the works," used by gamblers risking all their money on a single roll of dice. During WWII, the 442th Infantry, a unit composed of mostly second-generation Japanese-Americans, used the phrase in their fight song (1:15):

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team is the most highly decorated unit in American military history for its size and length of service, with 7 major campaigns in Europe, 21 Medals of Honor, 52 Distinguished Silver Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, and 9,486 Purple Hearts. You can watch this 1951 movie about them online here.

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What's a Dutch uncle?

Search: dutch uncle

Why: Jessica Fletcher told her niece, "Don't force me to Dutch uncle you. I'm only an aunt." Good one!

Answer: Someone who advises or criticizes frankly and sternly! It come from old animosity between the English and the Dutch, who fought in many wars in the 17th and 18th centuries. Though they are pals now, English still has a bunch of demeaning phrases:

• Dutch courage - Courage inspired by liquor
• Dutch gold - Imitation gold
• Dutch treat (or "go Dutch") - Where each must pay his own share

While the "typical" uncle (as in the word avuncular) is kind and indulgent, the Dutch uncle is a total dick.

Source: Wordsmith.org

The More You Know: Pick your Dutch poison!

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What's the origin of the phrase "eat your heart out"?

Search: eat your heart out origin

Why: People on "RuPaul's Drag Race" say things like "Eat your heart out, Bob Mackie" all the time. To be honest, I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. Rizzo says it in Grease.

Answer: First, it's supposed to make the other person feel bitterness or pain as he longs for something out of reach.

The ancients believed that sorrow and envy silently "ate away" at the heart, "each sigh draining blood from the organ." In Henry VI, Shakespeare wrote:

Might liquid tears, of heart-offending groans,
Or blood-consuming sighs recall his life,
I would be blind with weeping, sick with groans,
Look pale as primrose with blood-drinking sighs

We still say someone who is grieving is "broken-hearted."

By the beginning of the 20th century, "to eat your heart out" meant to pine, but you can yell it out as a cry of triumph if you give someone else a reason to envy you, like if you make a better ballgown as a drag queen than he ever did designing for a real lady (or a Cher).

Source: Expressions & Sayings, Phrases, Cliches, Expressions & Sayings

The More You Know:

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What are the four humors and what do they do?

Search: the four bile

Why: Marcel said The Smiths are great because everyone needs a little melancholy in his life (even though I called them "pretty goddamn melodramatic," not melancholy).

That word comes from Greek melas, "black" + khole "bile."

Medieval physiology attributed depression to excess of "black bile," a secretion of the spleen and one of the body's four "humors."

(Also, the name Chloe comes from the word for the greenish-yellow color of bile, too.)

Answer: First, they are outlined the Hippocratic Corpus as a way to balance bodily fluids.

They are!

1. Yellow bile! (gall bladder)
   
2. Black bile! (spleen)
   
3. Phlegm! (brain/lungs)
   
4. Blood! (liver)
   

Each is associated with a season and a quality:

• Yellow bile: Summer; hot & dry
• Black bile: Autumn; cold & dry
• Phlegm: Winter; cold & moist
• Blood: Spring; hot & moist
  

They are also associated with elements and hypochondriac diseases:

• Yellow bile: Fire; too much fire made a person choleric
• Black bile: Earth; too much earth made him melancholic
• Phlegm: Water; too much water, phlegmatic
• Blood: Air; too much air, sanguine

Each had a corresponding body type and complexion:

• Yellow bile: Red-haired, thin
• Black bile: Sallow, thin
• Phlegm: Corpulent
• Blood: Red-cheeked, corpulent
  

and a temperament or personality:

• Yellow bile: Ambitious, bad tempered, vengeful violent
• Black bile: Despondent, introspective, irritable, sentimental, sleepless
• Phlegm: Calm, cowardly, unemotional, pallid, sluggish
• Blood: Amorous, generous, happy, hopeful, responsible
  

and also:

Source: About.com/ancienthistory, Wikipedia,

The More You Know: They also have suggested modern equivalents, as well as Myers-Briggs types:

• Yellow bile: Idealist; NF (intuition-feeling)
• Black bile: Guardian; SJ (sensing-judgment)
• Phlegm: Rational; NT (intuition-thinking)
• Blood: Artisan; SP (sensing-perception)

Which one are you? (I am phlegm.)

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How can I tell a raven from a crow?

Search: crow raven

Why: Yesterday, a giant black bird bigger than Maddie came and sat by the edge of the pool. We thought it might try to snatch up Chloe and carry her away. I have heard people call those huge birds both crows and ravens, but I'm pretty sure they are 2 different animals.

Answer: Here's a secret: the raven is a type of crow! It is in the genus corvus, anyway, and that word kind of sounds like "crow," and the birds in that genus are all small and mostly black... but corvus actually means "raven" in Latin, so make of that what you will. So there are "true crows" like the American Crow, and then there are ravens like the Common Raven. Distinguishing features!

Crow

• Smaller - about the size of a pigeon
• Call is higher pitched and more nasal, like this
• Tail is fan-shaped
• Fly with deliberate flapping wingbeats
  
• Tend to live near cities, buildings, and human developments

Raven

• Bigger - about the size of a hawk
• Call is lower pitched and hoarse, kind of croaky, like this
• Tail is wedge-shaped
• Alternates between flapping and soaring like a hawk
  
• Prefer to live in wilder areas - or near parks or open spaces
  

Source: Shades of Night, Bird Guide

The More You Know: Nevermore!

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I want to see a picture of Rico Genest before he was covered in tattoos

Search: rico genest before; rico genest young

Why: Joel at 2Pz posted this:

it's a nicola formichetti interview where he discusses his own obsession with zombie tatto guy rico genest. he was discovered on facebook. via.

Nicola Formichetti is the new creative designer for French brand Thierry Mugler (now just MUGLER), and Lady Gaga is his other muse.

Answer:

UPDATE!!!!!! Thanks again Joel for this awesome link!!!

Humm. I'm pretty sure that's just a picture of my friend Allen.

ANOTHER UPDATE 11/15/11!!!! Here is a cool video of him covered in make-up to look normal and then removing it to reveal his tatz. It's an ad for Vichy's Dermablend foundations:

---originally ---

I can't find any anywhere! Somebody halp!

But here are some more from now and his krazy tatz:

Source: not Google Images, nowhere --- then Buzzfeed

The More You Know: Speaking of zombies and horror and things that scare me, are you ready to see Insidious? It comes out next Friday, April 1st! It was written by Saw's Leigh Whannell and features Chandler's sister Corbett as not 1, not 2, but 3 different characters! Keep your eyes peeled! (When I saw a screening several months ago, I missed one of her shots because the scene was too scary and I was looking down at my hands, so ... really, keep them peeled.) Go see it!

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What even is a lentil?

Search: lentil

Why: I forgot to bring my lunch today, so I am eating Spinach Lentil Soup from Trimana. I am not sure whether "lentil" is a catch-all term for many types of small legume or if all lentils come from a specific type of plant. This is because the lentils I see in pictures or soups always seem to be a variety of different colors, shapes, and sizes.

The word "lentil" also make me think of Chicken Little.

Answer: The "lentils" you eat - always cooked - are the seeds of the lens culinaris or lens esculenta plant!

They come in hundreds of different varieties that may be round, oval, or heart-shaped. The most common types are green and brown, but others range in color from white to red-orange, yellow to black. Lentils are sold with or without skins, whole or split.

Source: WHFoods, Wikipedia, CookThink, Elements4Health

The More You Know: Here are some good reasons why you should eat some lentils today!

• Lentils are high in protein - about 26%!
  
• Lentils have almost no fat!
  
• Lentils are high in fiber - both the soluble and the insoluble type! Ew!
• The soluble fiber in lentils can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease!
  
• The soluble fiber in lentils can also help prevent wide swings in blood sugar levels!
  
• A whole cup of lentils is only 230 calories!
• Lentils contain folate!
• Lentils have magnesium!
• Lentils have not 1, but TWO B-vitamins!
• Lentils can help increase your energy by replenishing your iron stores!
• Lentils contain high levels of flavones, which have been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer!

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Is Angela Lansbury English?

Search: angela lansbury

Why: A very important announcement!!! The Hallmark Movie Channel is now showing "Murder, She Wrote" every night at 9 and 10 PM! Someone is picking off the visitors to Cabot Cove! Set your DVR to find out whom!

Answer: Yes, sort of! She is even a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) - but then, so is Kevin Spacey. Jessica Fletcher was born in London in Oct. 1925, so she will be 86 this year. That is almost as old as Nana!

The hiccup is that she became a naturalized American citizen in 1951, after a failed marriage to a bisexual and during her 54-year marriage to British born producer - and producer of "Murder, She Wrote" - Peter Shaw.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: How many of the distinguished EGOT awards has Angela Lansbury won? Well, not all of them yet, but here's crossing my fingers for a roll in whatever Tom Hopper makes next year. She has:

• Emmys - 18 nominations! (mostly for "Murder, She Wrote," obvi, but also for 2005 crossover episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law & Order: Trial by Jury")
• Golden Globes* - 6! wins! (4 for "M,SW" and others for The Manchurian Candidate and The Picture of Dorian Gray) and 8 other nominations!
  
• Oscars - 3 nominations! (for the 2 movies above and also Gaslight [1944])
• Tonys - f!i!v!e! wins! - tying neverheardofher Julie Harris for the most a performer has ever received (for Mame [1966], Dear World [1969], Gypsy [1975], Sweeney Todd [1979], and Blithe Spirit [2009])
  

*The G in EGOT stands for Grammy, not Golden Globe.

She also won the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, the year before Elizabeth Taylor, and was the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year in 1968. She could teach Betty White a thing or two.

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What's the origin of the word "gallivanting"?

Search: gallivant etymology

Why: Last night, Chandler was out gallivanting with his friends while I was stuck at home without a phone or enough "RuPaul's Drag Race"* to entertain me.

*Full episodes online here

Answer: Nobody knows, but maybe it comes from the word "gallant"! Here is a little 1809 snippet from "Songs from the Exile" from The Literary Panorama:

Young Lobski said to his ugly wife,
"I'm off till to-morrow to fish, my life;"
Says Mrs. Lobski, "I'm sure you a'nt",
But you brute you are going to gallivant."

What Mrs. Lobski said was right,
Gay Mr. Lobski was out all night.
He ne'er went to fish, 'tis known very well
But where he went I shall not tell.

That's sweet.

Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know: Did you ever read "Goofus & Gallant" in Highlights? Go on a story adventure with them here!

Those are awful names for children.

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What is Friendship Bread?

Search: friendship bread

Why: On Facebook:

Rachel - Does anybody have a friendship bread starter??? I haven't made it in forever, but I'd really like to make it again...since it's sourdough, I know I can't just start it when I want.
Kim - Well when u do make it, share the love with me! I love friendship bread :-)
Rachel - As soon as I get some I will!
Ashley - Agh.... I just gave my starters away! You might be able to find a starter recipe online. Good luck!
Rachel - I can't, I've tried. If anyone you gave starters to has one, I'd love a heads up! I'd be happy to go to them to get a starter :)
Amber - I've made the starter before, if you want I can start one up?
Rachel - Seriously?!? OMG! I'd love you!!! (This is the friendship bread where you get the starter and then you have like a week of "coaching" it and then when you bake you have a loaf of friendship bread and another starter right?)
Amber - Yes, that is the one. It will take me 10-11 days before I will have a starter for you.
Rachel - You are my favorite person right now!!!!

Answer: It's an Amish thing! Or, at least, the name is - it's called Amish Friendship Bread.

Amish Friendship Bread is not just a delicious and sweet bread, it's also a way to bond friends by sharing countless loaves of bread baked in different kitchens that all began from the same bowl of simple ingredients.

Here's a recipe for a friendship bread starter:

It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

Source: Moms Who Think, Armchair World

The More You Know: And then this:

Day 1 - Make or receive the starter
Day 2 - Stir
3 - Stir
4 - Stir
Day 5 - Add 1 cup each of flour, sugar, and milk
6 - Stir
7 - Stir
8 - Stir
9 - Stir
10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for 3 of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.


via One more Moore

To Bake

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork, beat by hand until well-blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

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What's the origin of the term "piping hot"?

Search: piping hot

Why: The heating instructions on the back of Nutrisystem dinner boxes say to "serve piping hot." It sounds terribly unprofessional. I hate it.

Answer: It comes from the whistling sound of steam! In 1390, Geoffrey Chaucer used the term in The Canterbury Tales in the 2nd story, "The Miller's Tale."

He sente hir pyment meeth and spiced ale
And wafres pipyng hoot out of the glede.

[He sent her sweetened wine and well-spiced ale
And waffles piping hot out of the fire]

Lol, pipyng hoot. A fesnyng of frendschip.

And in 1601, in Philemon Holland's translation of Pliny's Natural History:

"Beanes... fried all whole as they be, and so cast piping hot into sharp vineger."

Source: Phrases.org.uk

The More You Know: Why pay the piper when there's free piping down the street? 6:30:

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How old is Mike Krzyzewski?

Search: mike krzyzewski

Why: He just won his career 900th game! He is the second winningest coach of all time, behind only Bobby Knight with 902. That means that if Duke wins 3 more games this season - including the championship - Coach K will be #1! Let's all cross our fingers!

Answer: He's 64! WHAT! That's older than my dad! He was born in Chicago in Feb. 1947. He has always looked exactly the same.

1991:

2010:

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Mike Krzyzewski is married to Carol “Mickie” Marsh, originally from Alexandria, VA. Coach and Mrs. K have three daughters, Debbie Savarino, Lindy Frasher, and Jamie Spatola, and five grandchildren, Joey, Michael, Carlyn and Emelia Savarino, and Quin Frasher. I learned how to spell Krzyzewski when I was, like, 8.

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What's the origin of the word tournament?

Search: tournament etymology

Why: How are everybody's brackets doing? I am 24-4. Thanks for nothing, Villanova.

Answer: It comes from French! Torneier means "to joust or tilt," and a torneiement was a "contest between knights on horseback." In the 1300s, that word came to mean something about a "medieval martial arts contest," and we started using it how we do now - regarding games of skill - around 1761.

Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know: What's the origin of "seeding" in basketball? First used in tennis (1924), it comes from the idea of spreading certain players or teams apart - like seeds - so they will not meet too early in a tournament. Barry O wants all of the #1 seeds in the Final Four. OK!

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I want to see a picture of Kurt Cobain and RuPaul

Search: rupaul cobain

Why: Ever since my hairdresser told me that Logotv.com has full episodes online, I have been watching the everliving shit out of "RuPaul's Drag Race." Last night while watching Delta Work and Shangela act the fool on the runway, Chandler queried aloud whether RuPaul had penned the lyrics to her 1992 hit "Supermodel (You Better Work)" herself. (She did.)

But then we saw this:

Singer Kurt Cobain of Nirvana cited the song as one of his favorites of 1993 and the two were photographed together at the MTV Video Music Awards that year.

Answer: Oh lor, there are tons!

Source: Google Images

The More You Know: Speaking of Dave Grohl, he is apparently the most recent "rock star" to get all pissy because he doesn't want his songs to be on "Glee." Remember: the Kings of Leon people did that a few months ago, telling NME:

"We got an offer to appear on an episode of Ugly Betty. They wanted us to play ourselves. We were supposed to come in and help her out with some problem or other."

The band also confirmed they had rejected an offer from Glee, with Jared saying: "We could have sold out so much more. We turn stuff down constantly."

Here's the thing, though. I have it on pretty excellent authority that nobody ever asked Kings of Leon if "Glee" could use their songs in the first place. They were saying that to sound fancy, and since Ryan Murphy is an idiot, it caused a whole heap of drama. Anyway, I'm just saying. It makes me wonder about Dave Grohl, who otherwise hasn't been in the news much lately. Slash, too.

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I want to read about the science of waiting in line

Search: readers digest waiting in line jockeying

Why: To show Brian, who said people don't often line up in Korea. I read about "queueing theory" in Reader's Digest last weekend when I was riding on an airplane.

(In case you don't know this about Reader's Digest, it is the perfect accessory for air travel: compact enough to fit in your carry-on, dense enough to entertain you for up to 3.5 hours. Get a subscription today!)

Answer: Here is the text of the article (by Tarah Knaresboro from Popular Mechanics.) It's pretty short:

Everything You Need to Know About Surviving a Line

Waiting in line is a universally despised experience, but scientists around the world are dedicated to making it less odious. In June, Taiwanese researcher Pen-Yuan Liao published an equation that predicts when a customer will avoid a line if he feels it’s too long. Liao’s formula calculates the expected length of a line and the mean arrival rate to determine the number of customers who will retreat. His research, intended to inform stores’ staffing needs, represents only one niche in the growing field of queueing theory.

The owners of corporations, amusement parks, banks, and fast-food chains can scan the monthly journal Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications for trends that suit their clientele. “There’s no such thing as the perfect line,” says MIT queueing theorist Richard Larson. “The trick is to convince people they’re being treated fairly.” Many people’s aversion stems from bad design, Larson says. “Some large companies don’t even know the kindergarten basics.”

But now you do. Start with the line lexicon:

Jockeying: The act of switching to a parallel line.

Faffing: The time delay when a person gathers his things after paying at checkout—an average of 3.17 seconds.

Reneging: A customer leaves a queue he believes he has spent too much time waiting in.

Balking Index: An equation that predicts when someone will turn away from a long line.

First In, First Out: The principle stating that the person who has waited the longest will be served first.

6 Qualities of Queueing Up

1. Customers waiting in parallel lines jockey, feeling sure the other line is faster.
2. Distractions, such as TVs and smartphones, shorten perception of time.
3. Without signs displaying wait time, people overestimate it by 23 percent.
4. The more people waiting behind a customer in line, the less likely that person is to renege.
5. Lines surrounded by lavender scent tend to be less annoying.
6. Serpentine lines look longer, increasing balking loss, but people feel they are more fair.

Also, according to resident advice-giver Jeanne Laskas, it is poor etiquette (and unnecessary) to have a friend or family member stand in one line while you wait in another in case one moves more quickly. Very rude indeed.

Source: RD.com

The More You Know: The word "queue" comes from the French word for "tail." In the 1700s, a "queue" was a braid of hair.

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What is a Chinese auction?

Search: chinese auction

Why: Jeff said:

Is it racist to have a "Chinese Auction"
at a Boy Scout flea market.

I thought it was and told them so last night,
but they said "You're no expert on how they hold auctions in China".

Answer: It's a kind of silent auction / raffle hybrid!

In a chinese auction, customers buy a number of tickets for a set price, then use the tickets to bid on the items on display by dropping them in a bowl next to the item.

Buyers are free to put as many tickets as they want in the bowl. At the close of the auction period, the winning ticket for each auction item is then drawn from the corresponding bowl.

Obviously, the more tickets a person deposits in the bowl, the higher the chance that he'll win the item. That means that highly desirable items will draw a lot of tickets, just as they would draw a lot of bids in regular auction.

That's part of the big draw for a chinese auction. Ticket costs are low compared to the ultimate value of the auction items, so lucky winners will get a great deal.

I've never heard of such a thing, but it seems so obvious and smart. What pains me, though, is that even if you put in 20 tickets each worth $5, another person could put in only one $5 ticket and still win. Can you imagine? I would be livid.

There are a few variations of such a thing; you can read about them here in case you're planning a fundraiser.

Source: Fundraiser Help

The More You Know: If I had to guess, I would say the idea of a "Chinese auction" did not really originate in China (although it seems like something they would like, whatwith their affinity for communism and all). Other misnomers associated with places:

• Chinese checkers did not originate in China (nor in any part of Asia).
• Guinea pigs do not come from Guinea (nor are they pigs). The "Guinea" may be a re-analysis of "Guyana,"- though they originate from the Andes, and Guyana.
• Arabic numerals originated in India, though they came to be associated with the Arab world.
• The Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) did not originate in Norway, but from North China.
• French horns originated in Germany, not France.
• The English Horn is, in fact, neither English nor a horn.

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