Libraries
Library card sign-up month occurs during this month of the year (yay! back to school!)
What is September
Dialing it for directory assistance may be old news, but as slang for "information", this number is still in service
What is 411
Some fungi form umbrella-shaped "fruiting bodies" that hold fungal reproductive spores; stir-fry enthusiasts know them as these
What are mushrooms
The Hass variety of this food traces its lineage back to a single tree planted by postman Rudolph Hass in the 1920s
What is an avocado
The U.S. Constitution says the president must take one of these before entering office
What is an oath
Margaret Mitchell went to the Atlanta library while writing this novel to fact-check if iodine was used in Civil War hospitals
What is gone with the wind
From the hours worked at a typical job, this term now refers to the job itself--just ask Sheena or Dolly
What is 9 to 5
Perhaps due to its reddish-brown color, a fungal plant disease shares its name with this pesky end product of iron oxidation
What is rust
Less is "S'more"? This cracker was created by a preacher who hoped that eating it would promote abstinence
What is a graham cracker
A popular British dish of sausage & potatoes is called bangers & this
What is mash
The initialism of the New York public library is NYPL; as an acronym, some enjoy pronouncing it like this body part
What is nipple
You don't need perfect vision to ask this trucker-inspired version of the question "Where are you?"
What is "What's your 20?"
As an alternative to pumice, enzymes from the fungus Trichoderma reesei can be used to "distress" this type of denim
What is stonewashed denim
Named after a Russian ballerina, this meringue-based dessert is nicknamed "Pav" in Australia
What is Pavlova
A common way to greet a friend in Australia is to say "G'day," this
What is mate
On display at the Newark Public Librarv is the copy of "Portnoy's Complaint" this author inscribed to his parents
Who is Phillip Roth
As slang, it sounds a lot less serious than "shoplifting" -- though your arresting officer might not agree
What is a five finger discount
A BBC documentary sequence about a so-called "zombie fungus" inspired this video game, now a hit HBO series
What is the Last of Us
Featuring fried chicken pieces in a sweet sauce, this Chinese takeout favorite is named after a 19th century military leader
What is General Tso's chicken
The Romans really soaked up in this English city, named one of the great spa towns of Europe
What is Bath
She wrote "I was 6 when my father walked me to my first library"; she was 37 when her novel "The Joy Luck Club" was published
Who is Amy Tan
It's the number Gordon Ramsay might bellow to announce he's removing an item from the menu
What is 86
Scientists use this internet-inspired pun name for the vast network of fungi swapping nutrients beneath the forest floor
What is the wood wide web
A famed veal dish including shrimp & crab meat is named after this crooner, who might have asked for it to be made "My Way"
What is sinatra
This number is the measure of an aircraft's speed compared to the speed of sound--the Concorde's was as high as 2.04
What is mach