What is engine braking on 18-wheelers and why is it banned everywhere? I often see signs in smaller towns that say “no engine braking!” in reference to trucks I’d imagine that it’s noisy or somehow dangerous Google searches only turn up manufacturers of engine brakes What is it? Why’s it banned everywhere?
Origin etymology of surname Eighteen - Straight Dope Where does the English surname ‘Eighteen’ originate from? Is it English in origin or does it have a non-English origin? Is it from the number or is it etymology different? I must add I live in Berkshire in the UK where this surname is pretty rare, but I know of several (AFAIK unrelated people) with this surname all from Berkshire It may just be a fairly localized surname What intrigues
Men getting taller after age 18-19. How common is this? According to Wikipedia, men reach their maximum height at the average age of 18, so if that’s correct (it’s not cited) then there must be a fair number of men who continued growing for a few years past that age Anecdotally I have heard of some guys getting noticeably taller during college On TV, Glee star Chris Colfer (Kurt) shot up by what must have been several inches after the first
Difference between 18 8, 18 10 and 18 12 stainless steel flatware Stainless steels are rarely so precise in composition For example, type 304L stainless steel, which would be suitable for flatware, has a specified chromium range of 18-20% and a specified nickel range of 8-12%, and so encompasses “18-8”, “18-10” and “18-12” Slight hijack… Why would you think that 304L would be the choice for flatware? L indicates low carbon content in the steel
Corporal Punishment on an 18 year old student - Straight Dope Further, everywhere I’m familiar with eighteen year old school students can leave school premises at any time The case in Texas, the student asked to leave and withdraw from the school
2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament Pool - Straight Dope I just submitted my bracket I picked Duke to be upset in the Sweet 16 round because Screw Duke My comment from last year’s thread: 2025 College Basketball Tournament Pool - #5 by Ponch8 Same comment applies this year Go Gators - Defending National Champions! 🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊
Crossword Puzzles - Love em or . . . dont - Straight Dope I love crossword puzzles, and just made my greatest read ever Clue: SOS, for one Eleven letters, all I had was a ‘P’ at position 1 And the answer was… Well, we’ll get to that in a minute Thoughts on Xwords: Merl Reagle, a genius The Washington Post “Crossenergy”, pretty good too One thing I hate, is the classic “Start of a quip ” Hey, I don’t mind a challenging xword
Frontrunners for Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 Unjoined print is always easier to read than joined print But it’s harder to write Heck, i mostly swype, which is even more joined than “joined print”, in terms of the physical action used to create it Interesting that the UK teaches a simpler joined handwriting It’s useful to be able to take notes without electronic aid I teach college kids (i teach square dancing, a gym class