Although the words "minestrone" and "minister" may seem unrelated definition-wise, they share the same pedigree. The name of the soup is derived from the Italian for "something served," and "minister" as a verb means "to serve." Speaking of soup, the Indian mulligatawny (literally "pepper water") has nothing at all to do with Mulligan stew, word-wise or cuisine-wise.

We're just the right age to be fans of the late '60s-early '70s rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. With all their hit tunes, we were surprised to learn that the group never had a No. 1 Billboard song. But they came tantalizingly close.

Five CCR songs reached No. 2: "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Travelin' Band" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." (Thanks to Ken Clark of Kent, Wash.)

The world's only diamond mine that is open to the public is located in:
A) South Africa
B) Australia
C) Arkansas
D) Aruba

Previous answer: Actress Anne Bancroft was only six years older than Dustin Hoffman, her co-star in "The Graduate."

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