Bare cheek: What a fool believes

Hi! Michael McDonald here again, singer-songwriter with The Doobie Brothers. Ever since I penned our Grammy-Song-of-the-Year-Award-winning number one hit What A Fool Believes with Kenny Loggins way back in 1978, I have been collecting examples of what a fool believes – in other words, writing down the common misconceptions that you hear every day as you go about your business. Now, I already hit you with one a coupla weeks back, but I promised you plenty more, and I don’t aim to disappoint. So here goes.
This Week – Roman Myth
Now, this one is a real humdinger.

I guess this makes me a fool, but I for one always believed that, in ancient Rome, it was a custom of the wealthy to gorge themselves at feasts and then purge themselves (that’s throw up to you and me) just so they could keep going, and that they had a special room called a vomitorium for just this very purpose. But, wouldn’t you know it, this is just another ancient myth!

A vomitorium was in fact the spectators’ entrance to a stadium.

Well, that’s it for this week.
Nice talking to you all.

WHAT WAS THAT?

Can’t remember the name of something? Mike Hunter is the man with the answers

Dear Mike,
I’ll come straight to the point; bearded religious figurehead, died for our sins nailed to a cross, rose three days later, son of god, founder of the religion on which this country is based. Any ideas?
R. Williams, Hove

Dear R. Williams,
I say to you “ask, and it shall be given, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.” Yes, the figure of whom you speak, the way, the truth, and the life himself is, of course, none other than Bob Dobbs.
Hope this has been of help, and keep those letters flooding in folks.
Mike XXX

YOU SAY POTATO…

The English language is known for its many different pronunciations, so if you don’t know how to pronounce a word ask professional linguist Dr. Hardcastle Letwin.
Dear Dr. Letwin,
I think we deserve a definitive answer, so – once and for all – is it scone to rhyme with bone or scone to rhyme with one?
Christine Powell, Hove

Dear Andrew,
The word “scone” is derived from the middle Dutch word “schoonbrood”, meaning “fine white bread”, and the correct English pronunciation is “arse.”
Dr. H. Letwin

Write to Dr. Letwin
c/o Latest 7 magazine.

Hove factually

Five more fabulous facts about Hove.

1 In Hove referring to oneself in the third person is punishable by public flogging.

2 The mineral rights to Hove belong to rock music behemoth Robert Plant, who won them from fellow pop millionaire Neil Tennant in a poker game.

3 Hit HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones is entirely filmed in Hove, with the majority of scenes being filmed on George Street and Blatchington Road.

4 LA riots catalyst and police brutality victim Rodney King lived in Hove between 1992 and 1999 where he ran a landscape gardening business.

5 During the mid 1990s Hove was the base of the Jossantrists, an eccentric religious cult who worshipped Beryl Reid and would only dress in Giles cartoons torn out of old copies of the Daily Express. All 106 cult members committed suicide at 11:59 on new year’s eve 1999 in the belief that they would be reincarnated as the cast of You Rang, M’Lord?