If a king sleeps on a king-size mattress and queen sleeps on a queen-sized mattress, what does a prince sleep on? This riddle—or its answer—may keep you up at night. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Royal...
In Leonardo da Vinci, biographer Walter Isaacson notes that da Vinci was fond of riddles, including this one: Winged creatures will support people with their feathers. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Da Vinci Riddle”...
The Spanish word for straw is paja. In Italian, it’s paglia, which also gives us the name of the opera Il Pagliacci, the Italian word for clowns. In the past, clown costumes were made of the same fabric used to cover straw mattresses. This is...
mattress v. phr.— «A mattress is not just something that is manufactured for the purpose of sleep and rest. It is used also to refer to women who have a large number of male sexual partners.» —“Withdrawals and...

