He thought he was up-to-date on all the latest wine lingo until a longtime wine writer returned his sample request card with a bold, hand-written note on it that stated, “Send me all samples—ABC!” ¶ “ABC” threw my friend for a loop. When he called me, I translated the cryptic phrase—ABC is winespeak for “Anything But Chardonnay.”

Palæography is the study of ancient handwriting from surviving examples.

Is your cat a he or a she?

No, Mis’ Hildreth, ’twa’n’t that she’d aged sence I’d seen her; besides, ’twa’n’t more’n a matter of seven or eight years sence she was visitin’ her ma’s folks in Thornton.