Editing Notes & Queries (section)

{{about|the newspaper column|the quarterly publication with the same title|Notes and Queries}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Primary sources|date=April 2008}}
[[File:The Guardian 2018.svg|thumb|Logo of ''[[The Guardian]]'' since 15 January 2018.]]

'''Notes & Queries''' is a weekly column in ''[[The Guardian]]'' [[newspaper]] which publishes readers' questions together with (often humorous) answers submitted by other readers.

The column first appeared on 13 November 1989, and was the idea of leader writer and columnist [[David McKie]] and [[Alan Rusbridger]], then newly appointed as features editor of the paper. David McKie says he was inspired by seeing an information exchange notice board outside the poetry library at the [[Royal Festival Hall]] in [[London]].

Although originally envisaged as a serious column, ''Notes & Queries'' quickly became known for the bizarre and whimsical nature of its questions and the wit and humour of its answers. Spin offs from the column include six books and two [[BBC]] television series. It has also given rise to various imitations and parodies.

The very first question to appear in ''Notes & Queries'' was:

{{blockquote|How do you stop a neighbour's cat scratching up your garden?}}

As well as serious answers, one reply was "Concrete one or the other", thereby setting the tone for subsequent answers (and subsequently questions). Other notable questions that have been featured include:

* "How can I weigh my head?"
* "Why is water wet?"
* "Are slugs edible?"
* "Is this a question?"

Commenting on the continuing popularity of the column, its founding editor [[Brian Whitaker]] has said, "If Notes & Queries has any serious purpose, it is surely to promote a healthy scepticism about what we see in print."