Explainer

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Q&AWhy do Americans call the British ‘limeys’?

First World War

What is the origin of the phrase 'to blow smoke up someone's arse'?

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. (Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images)

Q&AHow much did it cost to build Versailles?

A still from a 1960 film about the Alamo, showing the chapel being covered by troops

Remember the Alamo! What happened in the 1836 siege and battle?

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Q&AWhy do we say ‘resting on your laurels’?

When did Ancient Egypt start and end?

Henry VIII. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Q&AHow many executions was Henry VIII responsible for?

First World War

In WW1, what did the Allies want to achieve?

Q&AWhy were people of noble birth said to be ‘blue blooded’?

First World War

Why is WW1 called the 'Great War'?

A mad is tied to a stake and burned alive as a crowd, including priests, look on

Heresy: a brief history

Man biting a bullet

Q&AWhy do we say ‘bite the bullet’?

General History

What is the origin of the phrase ‘Dutch Courage’?

A depiction of enslaved people in a tobacco factory in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1874

General History

Were enslaved people in America ever paid for their work?

When did the English alphabet first exist, and why are there 26 letters in the order we know them today?

Did Henry VIII love his last wife Katherine Parr?

Q&AWhat is the origin of the phrase ‘going postal’, meaning ‘going berserk’?