The Straight Dope 08/25/2006

THE STRAIGHT DOPE 08/25/2006

Dear Cecil:

Popular opinion holds that gasoline is unstable and lasts six months at
the most; some claim it loses its "edge" after as little as two weeks.
Practical experience seems to show that gasoline can be stored without
special precautions for years with no noticeable deterioration. Storage
conditions are supposed to make a huge difference, but in my observation
they don't. What's the straight dope on this? --Sean Costall, via
e-mail

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Cecil replies:

I know what you're thinking. This stuff was stored in the ground,
admittedly in unrefined form, for millions of years without losing its
potency, but once topside it's got the shelf life of a tomato? Doubtless
the risk of gas going stale is often exaggerated. Still, no getting
around one basic truth: in principle gas can go bad.

The shelf life of gasoline depends on the type of gas and the storage
conditions and can range from a couple months to a couple years. One
wild card is that gas you buy at the pump may already have been in
storage for anywhere from days to months.

What makes gas go stale? Usually the first thing that happens is . . . 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060825.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

So I'm talking to my buddy about some irrelevant topic, and he answers
with "ixnay to that" to one of my statements. That got me thinking--what
the heckles does "ixnay" mean, anyway?. I know how pig Latin works, but
what does nix mean? --Josh

SDSTAFF Fierra replies:

You may think that as you are talking about Pig Latin, nix should come
from Latin itself, but it doesn't. It actually means "nothing, none" and
comes from German nix a variant of nichts "nothing"1. It is first listed
in generic English usage in 1789, but as part of the name of a con trick
(Nix the Buffer) in 1812.  

However, "nothing" or "none" doesn't really sound like a suitable
warning to shut up when eavesdroppers, malfeasants, or adults are
around. It's probably an abbreviation for "Say nothing", and either came
into being as a way of saying that without sounding like you're up to no
good, or arose naturally as a shorter, faster warning. Naturally, ixnay
makes the warning longer, but if the people you are around do not know
Pig Latin, it goes back to not sounding as though you are up to no good.

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mnix.htm


STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 10/12/1990

Dear Cecil: 

About a year ago I asked the question, `when did mankind figure out that
SEX = BABIES?' (I mentioned that I'd read about the discovery being
alluded to in some Abyssinian or Hittite texts.) So far I haven't seen
the answer in print. What's holding things up? --Larrie Ferreiro,
Alexandria, Virginia

Dear Larrie:  

Keep your pants on, stud. You know how much I hate reading stuff
in Hittite. Besides, looking at it purely from the standpoint of global
priorities, we can probably assume ignorance on the SEX = BABIES
front has reached historical lows. Although you never know. Some think
Australian aborigines still haven't figured it out, a matter I'll return to
directly, and I remember a couple high- living creatures in high school
who seemed to think they were exceptions to the rule.  

The general run of humankind is thought to have tumbled to the concept
early in the New Stone Age, which began after 10,000 BC. A couple
things may have contributed to the discovery. First, what with the
invention of agriculture, looking for food did not occupy every waking
moment and people had some time to contemplate the mysteries of 
their environment.   

Second . . .

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_210.html

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