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The famed 19th-century lexicographer Samuel Johnson was a lover of learning. As the dictionary maker once wrote, he dedicated his life “wholly to curiosity,” with the intent “to wander over the boundless regions of general knowledge.” (He was additionally a lover of getting bored and moving on, writing of how he “quitted every science at the first perception of disgust.” Respect.) Perhaps Johnson’s greatest legacy, though, was his ardent belief that one didn’t have to know all the answers so long as one knew where to find them. For Johnson, that place was usually in his reference books. For you and this trivia, it’s right here in The Atlantic. Find last week’s questions here, and to get Atlantic Trivia in your inbox every day, sign up for The Atlantic Daily. Monday, November 10, 2025 And by the way, did you know that interpreting by whispering real-time translations into someone’s ear is known as chuchotage? The word is French, so soften those ch’s into sh’s, make that g into a velvety zzzhh, and recognize just how whispery the word itself sounds; that’s why the French formed it that way in the first place. Until tomorrow/à demain! Answers:
