News

This week, Collected Wisdom feels the tang of the sea air in its nostrils as it sets forth across the bounding main to trace a trouser tradition.

THE QUESTION: "I was reading a book that mentioned that bell-bottom pants were long associated with the Royal Navy," says John Manuel of Golden, B.C. He wonders if there was a functional reason for this.

THE ANSWER: "Certainly, there's a very good reason, although left over from the days of wooden-decked ships," writes Fraser McKee of Toronto. "It was so that the sailors could roll up their pant legs when washing down and then 'holy-stoning' or scrubbing the decks on a daily basis.

"They could hardly take them off, and the wider bottoms allowed them to be rolled to the knee."

He adds that in the Canadian Navy, bell-bottoms disappeared with the adoption of the "much-hated and temporary green uniforms," which are "now at least back to navy blue again."

Murray Bonn of Kitchener, Ont., says bell-bottoms had an additional function.

"Should a fully clothed sailor go overboard, the clothing would weigh the unfortunate matelot down. By having wide-bottom trouser legs, the trousers could be quickly removed without first needing to struggle to untie one's sea boots."

He says the wide legs were capable of capturing a large amount of air in them. By scooping air into the legs and knotting them, they could be used as an improvised flotation device.

THE QUESTION: "After 80 years of mosquito bites I still swell up after each bite," writes Ben Tassie of Bracebridge, Ont., where they get their fair share of the flying pests. "Why has my body not developed a system to counteract this?"

THE ANSWER: Mr. Tassie's son Stephen, also of Bracebridge, must be a Collected Wisdom fan (hey, who isn't?) as he sent in this answer to his father's question.

"It is said that there are five stages to mosquito bites. The first: You don't feel the bite, you don't swell up, or itch. The second: You don't feel the bite, but you swell up and itch. The third: You feel the bite and you swell up and itch. The fourth: You feel the bite but don't swell up or itch. The fifth: You don't feel anything."

He says the first stage lasts for the first couple of bites only and it takes a gazillion bites to get to the last stage. "The only people to get to the last stage are those who have spent their entire lives in the bush, such as trappers or foresters. It is an allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva that makes our bodies swell and itch, and some of us will react to a greater or lesser extent to the bite of mosquitoes or develop an immunity to them."

HELP WANTED

Vehicles with nearly vertical back windows, such as minivans, SUVs, hatchbacks and station wagons have rear-window wipers, whereas sedans, with a rear sloping window, do not. Why is that? asks Michael Hayman of London, Ont.

Toronto's L. Jutras asks: Why are we often grouchy when we wake up?

When the police close a highway due to an accident investigation, what exactly are they investigating during the several hours the highway is closed? asks Brenda Eggett of Markham, Ont.

How did 911 get chosen as the number to dial in an emergency? Daniel Molgat of Vancouver wants to know.

Send answers (and questions) to wisdom@globeandmail.com. Include your name, location and a daytime phone number.