The Straight Dope 08/23/2002

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The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 08/23/2002

Dear Cecil:

I'm always hearing it tossed around as fact that women are
paid less than men for the same work. Most folks seem to
treat this as common knowledge. Seems, then, that the smart
thing for businesses to do would be to hire women
exclusively. So, is it a bunch of hooey? -- RevMarTye,
Houston, TX

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Cecil replies:

If you want to be literal about it, yes, it's a bunch of
hooey. Paying women less than men for the same work violates
U.S. law. The federal government being the model of
efficiency that it is, we can be sure this type of
discrimination has been totally stamped out. One may object:
But everybody knows women get paid less than men! Of course,
but the question was about pay for the same work. The thing
is, women, in some people's eyes, don't do the same work as
men. They stay home having babies and knitting dirndls while
the men are out hunting bear and fending off the Visigoths,
so naturally they get paid less. You may detect a note of
sarcasm here, but dressed up in slightly more refined terms
this is largely the argument used to explain wage
differentials today.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020823.html


STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

Can you shed any light on the etymology of "Spotted Dick"?
It's a British concoction, a steamed, log-shaped suet
pudding studded with currants, hence the "spotted." But why
the "dick"? 

The first explanation that leaps to mind seems highly
unlikely, but I haven't been able to find a detailed and
credible account of how this venerable dessert really did
get its name. The best I found in over 40 pages of Google
results was someone who thinks he read somewhere that the
words "dick," "dog" and "duff" when applied to puddings were
all derivatives of the word "dough." OK, "duff" and "dog"
seem pretty plausible linguistic mutations, but even
allowing for strange regional British accents, "dick" seems
a little bit of a stretch. My British parents are also at a
loss to explain. --Jayne 

Cecil Adams replies:

We just tackled the origin of "Dick" as a nickname and a few
other usages--a riding whip, an apron, abbreviation for
"dictionary," a policeman, a declaration, and (of course),
the penis. With all these varied usages, you got a problem 
with "dick" being also derived from "pudding"? 

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspotteddick.html


STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 04/18/80

Dear Cecil: 

Why do Eskimo people stay there? --David K. and Phil V.,
Chicago  

Gentlemen:  

Why do you guys stay in Chicago? At
least the Eskimos have cheap rent and easy parking. In
addition, Arctic peoples possess various physiological
properties that make them well suited to life amid the
icebergs, and in fact cause them to endure considerable
discomfort if transported to a warmer locale. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_091.html

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