Ten Answers to the Odd Questions That Appear Under the Dictionary.com Banner When You Look up a Word.

* You can play Jeopardy and work out the question.
** Due to the questions seemingly never being updated, I have had to steal a couple from alternative sources.

Answer:

1. Twenty days before and after the conjunction of Sirius (the Dog Star) and the Sun. In the middle ages, in the Meditteranean, this would fall in line with the hottest days of summer, and be associated with disease and discomfort.
2. A greyish yellow.
3. An inexperienced person.
4. Hypocorism.
5. Theodore Suess Geisel.
6. Where one stands.
7. A framework of sticks.
8. To grapple or struggle with or as if with the claws of hands.
9. The dot on top of the little letter 'i'.
10. Ancient clans who wanted people removed from their community (without actually murdering them) would burn down their houses.

Answer—which is actually the question, or, Question—which is actually the answer:

1. Why is the phrase 'dog days of summer' named for something in outer space?
2. What colour does the Spanish name Isabella refer to?
Irony: A friend by the same name associates words with colours. There’s a name for that. That will have to be another question.
3. What does the jay in jay-walking mean?
4. What is the technical name for what couples do when they call each other 'Sweet-knees and light; honey-bunchells and being', or, 'Mint Cream Deluxe'?
5. What is the still rather wacky, real name of Dr Suess?
6. What does the -stan at the end of Pakistan or Kyrgyzstan or any number of other -stans literally mean?
7. What is the original meaning of the word 'barbecue'?
8. Scrabble is a fun game, but what is the not-so-fun definition of 'to scrabble'? That sounds a lot more like the last game of scrabble I played.
9. Without being rude,what is the meaning of the word 'tittle'?
10. What is the origin of the phrase 'to get fired'?