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Come with Collected Wisdom now as we don our hat, goggles and motoring gloves and head for the open road. And before you get in, would you mind crank-starting the engine?
THE QUESTION: Mississauga's Susanna Austin wrote: "Why is the storage compartment in a car called a glove compartment? I don't know anyone who keeps their gloves in there."
THE ANSWER: "The term comes to us from the early 20th century, when cars did not have enclosed passenger compartments," writes Ravi Deshpande of Toronto.
"Consequently, driving a car was frequently a cold experience, even in warmer weather." In addition, he says, gloves were useful to provide a better grip on the steering wheel in those pre-power-steering days.
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"However, conventional gloves were too thick (think about trying to drive with mitts on), so special, purpose-made, thin leather 'driving gloves' were designed. These were worn only in the car and were essential, so a small compartment to store them was placed in the dash and called, well, the glove compartment. We rarely, if ever, use it for that purpose today, but the name stuck."
Incidentally, he adds, this era also gave us the terms "driving coat," a thick wool coat cut short to allow the driver to sit comfortably, and "trunk," which is exactly what the rear storage compartment was — a trunk mounted on the rear of the chassis.
THE QUESTION: If Sharon Housser of La Have, N.S., wants a pot of boiling water, is it more economical for her to fill the pot with cold water and let the electric stove heat it, or fill the pot with hot water, making the time until the water boils on the stove considerably less?
THE ANSWER: Don't use water from the hot tap, writes Guy Oram of Kingston. "Use the stove and a pot that covers the hob well (heat the pot, not the room) and fill it only with what you need. Running the hot tap fills the pipes with hot water that goes cold in the pipe after you turn the tap off," thereby wasting energy.
Adds Greg Dawson of Vancouver: "I am not sure if starting with hot water is more economical, but after seeing the gunk that came out of my hot-water tank after I flushed it last year I know for sure I would not want to drink water from it."
THE QUESTION: Victoria's Neil Neate wonders why avocado skins take so long to break down as compost.
THE ANSWER: "Why compost them in their natural state, when you could put them in a log fire and add the potash that results to the compost?" says Tony Hirons of Toronto.
HELP WANTED
Peter Gower of Kingston writes: "I have never heard of a swimmer being hit by lightning. Is it safe to swim in a storm? What happens when the water is hit?"
Toronto's Robin Barfoot says he has been told that when you're cooking soft-boiled eggs you should crack them with a spoon immediately after removing them from the pot. "Is this a common practice and, if so, what is its purpose?"
What are the savings (if any) from filling your gas tank only half full each time you go to the pumps, since a lot less weight has to be transported? Tony Dekeukelaere of Simcoe, Ont., wants to know.
Send answers (and questions) to wisdom@globeandmail.com. Please include your name, location and a daytime phone number.
