The Dish on That Dish
In 1976, the FDA banned this color dye No. 2, citing studies that it was carcinogenic.
Answer: What is red? Due to the ban, there were no red M&Ms until they reappeared in 1987.
These two words are exchanged at the altar during a wedding ceremony.
Answer: What is “I do”? While many couple write their own vows, they still say their “I do’s.”
In I Love Lucy, the Ricardos live in this borough of New York City.
Answer: What is Manhattan? Fun fact: In reality, their address—623 East 68th Street on the Upper East Side—would be in the middle of the East River between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island.
A four-letter word beginning with N that describes an alcove or small, recessed section of a room, usually devoted to one activity
Answer: What is nook? Examples include a breakfast nook in the kitchen or a corner of a living room
Clocks go this way at the end of daylight saving time in November, granting a precious extra hour of sleep.
Answer: What is back? In the United States and Canada, we turn our clocks back an hour when we change from daylight saving time to standard time on November 2.
Trademarked in 1986, the name turducken refers to a specific method of combining these three meats.
Answer: What are turkey, duck, and chicken? The dish was reportedly invented by chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1970s.
This 1937 song by the Andrews Sisters warns the listener: Don’t do this with “anyone else but me.” Answer: What is “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree.”
Answer: What is “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree.”
Green Acres and Petticoat Junction are both set in this small rural community.
Answer: What is Hooterville? Though both series are set in the mythical town of Hooterville, the town appears differently in each series.
A burglar, robber, extortionist, etc.
Answer: What is crook? Crook is not a legal term; rather, it is a generic name we give to perpetrators who commit a crime.
These U.S. national political “contests” are held in November.
Answer: What are (federal) elections? State and local elections are sometimes held in conjunction with federal elections, but there are no federal statutes or constitutional requirements that mandate them to be held at the same time.
Despite unclear origins (either invented in Italy or New York), this tomato-cream sauce made with this alcohol remains a favorite for penne lovers.
Answer: What is vodka? Various chefs have laid claim to the invention of the sauce, tracing it back to the 1970s.
Neither underdress nor overdress, but it’s important to do this.
Answer: What is dress for the occasion? When you’re underdressed or overdressed, you can feel conspicuous, and that ruins the joy of the occasion.
Andy, Aunt Bee, Opie, Barney, Goober, and Gomer live here.
Answer: What is Mayberry? The Andy Griffith Show is emblematic of small towns in the 1960s.
One who is not an accountant but tracks inflows and outflows
Answer: What is bookkeeper? The bookkeeper records transactions, though there can be some overlap with the accountant’s work. The accountant also analyzes data and performs audits, and some are tax preparers. Bookkeepers and bookkeeping are the only two English words with three sets of double letters.
November is the only month this classic British playwright never mentioned in his plays or sonnets.
Answer: Who is William Shakespeare? No one knows if it was an oversight or intentional.
1973 saw the beginning of this science, often used in food production, in which an organism’s DNA is manipulated to alter its traits or produce desired characteristics.
Answer: What is genetic engineering? Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are now commonly found in grocery stores.
Men wear this color and type of jacket at white-tie affairs.
Answer: What is black (evening) tailcoat? The dress code for a white-tie event is strict. For example, the shirt must be wing-collared, and a white vest coat is required.
The 1960s spy sitcom Get Smart is set in this city.
Answer: What is Washington, D.C.? In the show, CONTROL’s assignment is to neutralize KAOS, a malevolent international organization. The audience doesn’t ever learn what CONTROL and KAOS stand for, but we learn in Episode 38 that KAOS was founded in Bucharest.
The “Wi” in Wi-Fi is assumed to stand for this.
Answer: What is wireless? Wi-Fi doesn’t really stand for anything, but the organization that thought up the term as part of a marketing campaign used the tag line “The Standard for Wireless Fidelity.” Wi-Fi uses a radio spectrum to send signals through the ether via a network without the use of cables
November is known as this type of meteorological month
Answer: What is transitional? It’s a transition between fall and winter. In many areas of the United States, October brings many warm days. With November’s arrival, you can count on cold snaps. December is traditionally cold in most of the country
In 1986, Swanson frozen dinners swapped out metal trays for plastic ones, in order to be cooked in this device.
Answer: What is the microwave? These dinners are so iconic that, in 1999, Swanson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Old-fashioned Southern etiquette requires you to do this when an elder enters the room.
Answer: What is get up? Southern etiquette is a little more involved than standard etiquette. If someone drops by, you must offer them something to eat and drink. It doesn’t have to be much, but it must be something. And you must act as if it’s nothing: “I just picked up some fresh strawberries. May I offer you some?”
Batman and Robin were headquartered in this city.
Answer: What is Gotham City? The Batman franchise has been filmed in several large cities, including London, New York, and Chicago.
The double-S word astronauts experience in space due to microgravity
Answer: What is weightlessness? Extended periods of weightlessness cause many physiological changes. In June 2024, two astronauts who were originally scheduled for an eight-day trip were stranded on the space station for more than eight months. After that length of time, they could have lost up to 20 percent of lean muscle mass and one to two percent of bone density.
November is derived from the Latin novem, which is this number.
Answer: What is nine? November is now the 11th month of the year, but it wasn’t always. Under the original Roman calendar, there was no January or February, which made November the ninth month.