# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674 "2020-04-13T03:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 429
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8571 "2024-01-07T20:13:14Z")
> [@Casparlatete](#): > > I read in the 16th century, England completely controlled the channel, nothing could pass through it without being allowed to by the British That’s a pretty exaggerated statement. > **[People-smuggling in Tudor and Jacobean times – Historia Magazine](https://www.historiamag.com/people-smuggling-in-tudor-and-jacobean-times/)** ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8572 "2024-01-07T20:39:59Z")
The [Mallard Song](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard_Song) is sung in All Souls’ College, Oxford, two hundred and one times every century. It is sung once a year at the Bursar’s Dinner in March and the college’s [Gaudy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudy) in November and also sung in a separate special ceremony once a century. The ceremony was last held in 2001, we are not going to see it in person ever. Which is OK, it reads like a pretty silly ceremony. [![](https://tofonikokouneli.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Obelix-Britons-crazy-1000x1024.jpg) ](https://tofonikokouneli.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Obelix-Britons-crazy-1000x1024.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8573 "2024-01-07T21:27:58Z")
At dinner the other day the question of the difference between lamb and mutton came up. Although I knew, and an ordinary understanding of the term “lamb” would suggest, that lamb is from a younger animal than mutton, lamb is less than one year old, mutton is at least three years old, and in between is hogget, a word I had never heard before (and incidentally, which Firefox spell check doesn’t recognize). I realize this may not come as news to Brits and other furriners. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8574 "2024-01-07T22:04:55Z")
Speaking about animals and food, the difference between lamb/mutton and sheep, beef and cows, pork and pig, veal and calf and so on is that the one word with the Old English root (sheep, cow, pig and calf) was used by the aborigine Saxon farmers, that is, the peasants, who raised them for sale but could not afford them, and the French, i.e. Latin root (pork (porc), beef (beouf), mutton (mouton) and veal (veau)), was used by the haughty conquerors (like William), who ate them but would not touch them when still alive. When animals were in the stable or on the farm, they kept their Old English names: pig, cow, sheep and calf. But when they were cooked and brought to the table, an English version of the French word was used (pork, beef, mutton and veal). It is a bit more complicated than this (think of venisson, chicken, turkey and fish), of course, it always is, but that is the [gist of it](https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/words-and-their-stories-pig-or-pork-cow-or-beef/4104856.html). ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8575 "2024-01-08T00:40:11Z")
This discussion of the language difference between domestic animals and food is in the opening chapter of Ivanhoe, a conversation between the swineherd and someone I forget now, as it’s been a good thirty years since I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8576 "2024-01-08T09:30:15Z")
I read Ivanhoe as a child, ages ago, in Spanish. Now I wonder how they translated that part, as Spanish does not make that distinction, or whether the translator simply skipped it. The Editorial Bruguera, a big editor of children & youth literature, was infamous for the wanton abridging of classics of literature. All books ended up being about 200 pages long! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8577 "2024-01-08T11:33:09Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > following up on a link of the water-clock thread (FQ?) … I found out that: > > 1°C water is 7 times more viscuous (sp?) than 99°C water … I’ve often noticed that pouring boiling-hot water sounds different from pouring room-temperature water. I wonder if this is why. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8578 "2024-01-08T12:40:20Z")
Similarly, I always felt that cold (above freezing) wet roads and highways were more slippery than warm ones, but I always assumed it was due to the pavement being a bit harder when it’s cold. I wonder if part of it is just the water itself being more viscous. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8579 "2024-01-08T12:58:28Z")
It’s a plausible theory. Afterall, the viscosity of engine oil matters: if it’s too low, it can’t keep moving engine parts separated from each other, so the same might be true for water viscosity and hydroplaning. However, room-temperature water viscosity is a closer match for ice-cold water than boiling water is (see plots on **[this page](https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/water-dynamic-kinematic-viscosity-d_596.html)**): compared to room-temperature water, ice water’s viscosity is only 70% higher. I think a likely bigger factor is the stiffness of tire rubber at low temperatures. On clean and dry roads, I’ve noticed that my traction is lower at freezing temps than it is at summer temps, and I’m pretty sure the different stiffness of the tread compound at different temps is coming into play. ---
**Author:** ![Casparlatete](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/casparlatete/32/3377_2.png) [@Casparlatete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casparlatete)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8580 "2024-01-08T16:41:06Z")
OK accepted. There’s always been smuggling, a bit risky if you were caught though. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8581 "2024-01-08T23:42:30Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > mutton is at least three years old, and in between is hogget, a word I had never heard before (and incidentally, which Firefox spell check doesn’t recognize). As in Farmer Hogget in _Babe_ ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8582 "2024-01-08T23:51:26Z")
I think hogget is a British term. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8583 "2024-01-09T00:12:24Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I’ve often noticed that pouring boiling-hot water sounds different from pouring room-temperature water. I wonder if this is why. Water near the point of freezing is gloppy. This is the first time I’ve used that description but I think that if you were to film a warm water balloon bursting versus one that held water near the freezing point, the description I am using would be perfectly clear. The difference is pretty amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8584 "2024-01-09T21:40:03Z")
I come from (close to) sheep country and used to work in animal health. Never hear the word. Sorry. j ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8585 "2024-01-09T21:43:13Z")
You are in the UK, I’m presuming? Well, never heard it in the US. A stumper. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8586 "2024-01-09T21:55:23Z")
I learned recently that in many (most?) modern semi tractors there is a lever on the steering column that brakes only the trailer brakes, so that if you start to fishtail or jackknife you can brake the trailer independently (and potentially accelerate in the tractor) to straighten everything out. You can also do this with pickup trailer brake controllers, and apparently it’s pretty much the only way to get a wayward trailer back in line… ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8587 "2024-01-09T22:06:47Z")
I looked up “hogget” in the OED. It is indeed British, refers to yearling sheep of either sex; cites are from the 19th century. Common terminology in Australia and New Zealand. I’ve never heard it in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8588 "2024-01-09T22:08:35Z")
I’ve heard “hogget” a British context as a culinary term. My great-grandmother was a Hogg, which surname is, I believe, related. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8589 "2024-01-09T22:23:18Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > I learned recently that in many (most?) modern semi tractors there is a lever on the steering column that brakes only the trailer brakes, so that if you start to fishtail or jackknife you can brake the trailer independently (and potentially accelerate in the tractor) to straighten everything out. You can also do this with pickup trailer brake controllers, and apparently it’s pretty much the only way to get a wayward trailer back in line… When I worked on a farm years ago the pickup truck had a hand-controlled brake for the trailer. I never understood why that was there. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8590 "2024-01-09T22:35:51Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > You are in the UK, I’m presuming? Yeah. This farmer/butcher is based not far from where I grew up and clearly they use the word hogget: > **[Heritage Meats - Herdwick Hogget, Herdwick Mutton and Belted Galloway Beef](https://heritagemeats.co.uk/lamb-hogget-mutton/)** > > Testimonial from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Their Herdwick Hogget is among the finest I have tasted Maybe it’s an old term that is coming back into use. Otherwise, I’m surprised I hadn’t heard it before. j [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=428) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=430)