# questions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 24, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098 "2000-03-24T20:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Banana\_tree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Banana\_tree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banana_tree)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/1 "2000-03-24T20:52:00Z")
What is a free gift? Aren’t all gifts free? and If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan? and If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors? * * * Banana\_tree I saw a tree, it was a banana tree. I wanted a banana, from the banana tree. So I kicked the tree, and a banana fell. Sciddly doo dop dee ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/2 "2000-03-24T21:16:00Z")
Banana, I’m disappointed. You didn’t ask what is the third word that ends in -gry! ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/3 "2000-03-24T22:07:00Z")
_What is a free gift? Aren’t all gifts free?_ Yes they are, the word “free” is redundant. _If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?_ [If Teflon is nonsticky, how do they get it to stick to the pan? (13-Jan-1995)](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_173.html) _If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?_ Please provide evidence that there are locks on doors. If there are, a multitude of reasons may be imagined. Just one: you might have to leave the store in the case of a forced evacuation due to a civil emergency (flood, tornado, etc…) Banana\_tree, what is the purpose of these questions? A genuine desire for knowledge, or the wish to stump the teeming millions with childish riddles? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/4 "2000-03-24T22:09:00Z")
With a name like Banana Tree, I would at least expect a comment about the poisonous spiders coming to the U.S. in banana shipments, too. And here’s [Cecil’s answer](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_173.html) to the teflon question. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/5 "2000-03-24T22:11:00Z")
Dammit, Arnold. You beat me with a link again. You are getting as bad as Manhattan is with the link to an explanation of shotgun gauges. ---
**Author:** ![Banana\_tree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Banana\_tree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banana_tree)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/6 "2000-03-24T22:12:00Z")
What does redundant mean? * * * Banana\_tree I saw a tree, it was a banana tree. I wanted a banana, from the banana tree. So I kicked the tree, and a banana fell. Sciddly doo dop dee ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/7 "2000-03-24T22:17:00Z")
It means you should buy a dictionary. Or go here [www.onelook.com](http://www.onelook.com) and take a gander. ---
**Author:** ![Banana\_tree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Banana\_tree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banana_tree)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/8 "2000-03-24T23:25:00Z")
I cant read sliglacvian (or whatever language that was) * * * Banana\_tree I saw a tree, it was a banana tree. I wanted a banana, from the banana tree. So I kicked the tree, and a banana fell. Sciddly doo dop dee ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2000, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/9 "2000-03-25T00:28:00Z")
## It was Polish, the language of my ancestors. You have to select the “General” dictionary before entering the search. “The dawn of a new era is felt and not measured.” Walter Lord ---
**Author:** ![Banana\_tree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Banana\_tree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banana_tree)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2000, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/10 "2000-03-25T02:41:00Z")
what do you mean by the word “free” is unemployed? (I looked it up) * * * Banana\_tree I saw a tree, it was a banana tree. I wanted a banana, from the banana tree. So I kicked the tree, and a banana fell. Sciddly doo dop dee ---
**Author:** ![coosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@coosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coosa)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2000, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/11 "2000-03-25T08:22:00Z")
Banana tree, first of all, since you seem to be having trouble with the online dictionary: from Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary: redundant: 1) exceeding what is necessary or normal; superflous 2) characterized by or containing an excess, specifically, using more words than necessary. Secondly, you need to read the information under the forum headings on the main message board page to be sure you are posting your questions and/or comments to the correct forum. This topic, for example, should be in the General Questions forum. It might help if you cruise around the board a little first and read some of the threads in the different forums to get an idea of what is appropriate to each area. You can also do a search of either Cecil’s columns, Mailbag answers, or the Message Board to see if your questions have already been discussed. With that out of the way, Welcome to the Straight Dope! Be friendly and polite until you learn your way around and the other posters get a chance to know you a little, and you’ll do just fine. There’s a low tolerance for bullsh\*t, however, (except when appropriate) so I advise you to keep it to a minimum if you don’t want to get blasted by someone. * * * Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the hydrant. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/12 "2000-03-28T03:18:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Banana\_tree: > \*\*what do you mean by the word “free” is unemployed? > (I looked it up) > > \*\* I would assume that the term “unemployed” refers to the fact that the word “free” doesn’t add any information not included in the word “gift”; therefore the word “free” isn’t serving any purpose (i.e. isn’t “employed” in any useful manner). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/13 "2000-03-28T04:01:00Z")
Actually, looking at the dictionary, it appears that this is a list of British terms and their American equivalents; unless Arnold Winkelried is British, the question of what “redundant” means in Britain is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/14 "2000-03-28T15:46:00Z")
To make it perfectly clear for Banana Tree: I am not British, I am Swiss. The meaning of redundant that I used in my explanation of free gift was the meaning 1a found in the dictionary listed below. Banana Tree, if you need an online dictionary, here is a dictionary defining common english words. [Merriam-Webster®"][http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=redundant](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=redundant)]Merriam-Webster®]([http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=redundant](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=redundant)) WWWebster Dictionary entry for redundant Main Entry: **re·dun·dant** Pronunciation: -d&nt Function: _adjective_ Etymology: Latin _redundant-, redundans,_ present participle of _redundare_ to overflow — more at [REDOUND](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=redound) Date: 1594 **1 a :** exceeding what is necessary or normal : **[SUPERFLUOUS](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=superfluous)** **b :** characterized by or containing an excess; _specifically_ : using more words than necessary **c :** characterized by similarity or repetition \ **d** _chiefly British_ **:** no longer needed for a job and hence laid off **2 : [PROFUSE](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=profuse), [LAVISH](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=lavish)** **3 :** serving as a duplicate for preventing failure of an entire system (as a spacecraft) upon failure of a single component - **re·dun·dant·ly** _adverb_ ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/15 "2000-03-28T15:47:00Z")
(Sorry, I made a mistake in my previous post. If a moderator has time to remove it I would be appreciative.) To make it perfectly clear for Banana Tree: I am not British, I am Swiss. The meaning of redundant that I used in my explanation of free gift was the meaning 1a found in the dictionary listed below. Banana Tree, if you need an online dictionary, here is a dictionary defining common english words. [Merriam-Webster® WWWebster Dictionary entry for redundant](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=redundant) Main Entry: **re·dun·dant** Pronunciation: -d&nt Function: _adjective_ Etymology: Latin _redundant-, redundans,_ present participle of _redundare_ to overflow — more at [REDOUND](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=redound) Date: 1594 **1 a :** exceeding what is necessary or normal : **[SUPERFLUOUS](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=superfluous)** **b :** characterized by or containing an excess; _specifically_ : using more words than necessary **c :** characterized by similarity or repetition \ **d** _chiefly British_ **:** no longer needed for a job and hence laid off **2 : [PROFUSE](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=profuse), [LAVISH](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=lavish)** **3 :** serving as a duplicate for preventing failure of an entire system (as a spacecraft) upon failure of a single component - **re·dun·dant·ly** _adverb_ ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/16 "2000-03-28T16:23:00Z")
Redundant means self-repeating. Saying the same thing again. Repeating oneself for the sake of repetition. Not adding any new content. Again, I am repeating myself to say the same thing I just said, which is redundant. Get it now? In other words, a gift is free, unless it’s a gift that comes with a “price”, i.e. strings attached. Got any more stupid questions that have already been answered? ---
**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions/1098/17 "2000-04-03T05:38:00Z")
but what about gift tax!