Musical Moods
This is another term for church songs
What are hymns? Hymns are religious songs sung during worship. The word hymn comes from the Greek word hymns, meaning “a song of praise.”
One of the world’s favorite flavors of ice cream, its source is a bean pod
What is vanilla? Vanilla bean pods come from the vanilla orchid, a vine native to Mexico and Central and South America
This American city is known for being windy in more ways than one
What is Chicago? While Chicago gets its nickname for its political “wind,” Antarctica is one of the meteorologically windiest places in the world. Antarctic winds consistently exceed 100 miles per hour (160 kph) each winter
This is the term for performers singing without instrumentation.
What is a cappella? Cappella means “chapel” or “choir”; a cappella means “in a church or in a choir.” Gregorian chants are performed without instrumentation
Mama mia! This is the word for ice cream in Italian
What is gelato? Gelato’s fat content is lower than ice cream’s because it contains less cream and more milk. It is softer with fewer ice crystals and is generally served at a higher temperature than ice cream
While snowstorms blanket the United States and Europe, in the Middle East they have these storms, which also reduce visibility to next to nothing
What are dust storms? They’re also known as dust devils. They sound and feel like hailstorms, and they can ground airplanes.
Often sung at funerals, this is the term for a mournful song of grief.
What is dirge? Dirges are traditionally somber, minor-key tunes. New Orleans breaks with traditional funeral events and holds jazz processions—one from the funeral to the burial and one leading away from the cemetery. The first procession plays more traditional dirges, and the final procession features upbeat music.
This fruit flavor makes up one-third of Neapolitan ice cream
What is strawberry? We can thank Italian immigrants from the 19th century for introducing the U.S. to this tri-flavored treat from Naples
This first weather-measuring gadget is still in use today
What is a rain gauge? It dates to 500 BC, when the ancient Greeks used it.
Imagine coming out of the eye doctor’s office, prescription for new eyeglasses in hand, and hearing this apropos tune by Johnny Nash as background music
What is “I Can See Clearly Now”? Would you break out laughing? Perhaps it should be titled “Eye Can See Clearly Now.”
The inventor of Good Humor Bars also invented these.
What are ice cream trucks? Harry Burt of Youngstown, Ohio, introduced both inventions to the world in the 1920s
Move over, Florida; the sunniest place in the world is in this U.S. state.
What is Arizona? It averages 11 hours of sunlight per day
“Greensleeves” shares a melody with this Christmas carol.
What is “What Child Is This”? Both songs evoke deep emotions. “Greensleeves” is an old folk song dating to the 16th century, most likely originating in England
Oh the agony! This is the two-word synonym for ice cream headache
What is brain freeze? You can eat your ice cream slower to avoid these headaches, or you can try this scientifically proven method: Prepare your palate by drinking something warm before every few bites of ice cream.
Before we had meteorologists, some people relied on this creature to tell the temperature
What is a cricket? Crickets chirp faster when it’s hot. Dolbear’s law is a formula that calculates the temperature based on the number of chirps per minute