Q. A television journalist interviewing Steven Spielberg recently claimed that the term blockbuster came about as a result of long lines that wound around the block awaiting tickets for opening of Jaws. Spielberg said that he thought it came from the word for a large bomb. Who was correct?

A. Mr. Spielberg was correct. The first use in 1942 of the word blockbuster referred to a very large bomb. The movie Jaws may have been the first summer "blockbuster" movie, but as such, it reflects an extended sense of blockbuster that had already been in use for many years.

Our dictionaries put definitions in historical order, so click here to see the Collegiate Dictionary entry that shows the history of this word.

Q. I notice you don’t include the word switchel in your Collegiate Dictionary. What can you tell me about switchel? I’ve heard that back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, people drank this to help the digestion and quench thirst.

A. In fact, you can find switchel in our unabridged Webster's Third New International Dictionary, which defines it as "a drink made of molasses or sometimes honey or maple syrup, water, and sometimes rum and usually flavored with ginger and vinegar."

People interested in old-fashioned or country drinks have posted plenty of references to it and recipes for it online. (There are about as many variations of the recipe as there are sources.)

Our dictionary entry states that the word switchel is of unknown origin. One Web site claims the drink originated in the West Indies, and that is at least plausible, given the typical ingredients. The claim is also made that because of the drink's traditional popularity among people working in the field, switchel is also known as haymaker's punch.

Q. I stumbled across the dictionary entry for thank-you-ma’am. The definition (“a bump or depression in a road”) looked so odd, I just wanted to be sure it’s right.

A. Yes, we are sure the definition is right. As the etymology states, we think the term comes from  the head nodding that can occur when someone drives over a bump or rut—nodding that is similar to the way you might nod your head when saying "thank you" to someone. Here are three examples of "thank-you-ma'am" from our files.

"They got to the main road from Brattleboro.... The side road ran, turning and broken by several well placed thank-you-ma'ams, to the left into the heavy maple roads uphill."—William Carlos Williams (1952)

"We went like the wind over the hollows in the snow; the driver called them 'thank-you-ma'ams' because they made everybody bow."—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1849)

"Yes Ma'am”: Phrase used to describe a big bump in the road. As in: 'The school bus was going fifty on Route 7 in Waldo and hit a few Yes Ma'ams, shaking up the nervous first graders.' (Also known as “Thank You, Ma'ams”)—Down East Magazine (2001)