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Do I Really Know What I Think I Know?
If I don't have insurance and borrow a friend's car, am I covered by her policy?
If you're driving a friend's car and you smash it up, your friend's collision insurance will likely pay out for the damages to the vehicle. (That's true even if you have your own policy, though your own insurance would probably have to pay for any personal or property liability, medical expenses and possibly other costs beyond the limits of your friend's policy.)
How many kegels does one actually need to do to make a difference?
Kegel exercises—the tightening and releasing of the pelvic floor muscles—strengthen the muscles that support the uterus, bladder, intestines and rectum. Gynecologist Arnold Kegel, MD, originally developed the exercise in 1948 to help women restore vaginal muscle function after childbirth; it was later found that toning those muscles also boosts arousal during sex. To find the muscles, if you haven't already, pretend to stop yourself from urinating. You should feel a contraction from your anus to your vaginal region. Try holding the muscles there for five seconds. Release and rest for five seconds, then repeat. Practice until you can hold and release for ten seconds. Experts recommend ten repetitions of ten-second contractions, three times a day.
What is a second cousin, and how does that differ from a first cousin once removed?
Your second cousin is the child of your parent's first cousin, while your first cousin once removed is the child of your first cousin or the first cousin of your parent. So, let's say Joe and Jane are first cousins: Joe's children and Jane's children are second cousins to each other. Jane is a first cousin once removed to Joe's kids (and Joe to her kids), and is also first cousin once removed to her dad's or mom's first cousin.
Is it butt naked or buck naked?
While many etymologists agree that the standard expression is buck naked—it's appeared in works by William Faulkner and Margaret Mitchell—its origin is a matter of speculation. Some believe it may have come about as a more polite variation on butt naked. Others believe that buck is the older term and refers to buckskin; bare buttocks are, at least proverbially, as smooth as the skin of a deer. If you prefer to avoid etymological controversy, just go with stark-naked.
—Naomi Barr, O's chief of research
