Pizzas galore!

Godfrey Manning, Edgware, Middx

The scene is set with the actor looking at a reflection of the camera lens and not themselves — the key is to look as if they are preening without actually seeing what they are doing. This way the camera stays out of the reflected image providing a cinematic trick!

Rhea Livesey, Glasgow

Questions

Why is tinfoil so called when it is made of aluminium?

N. Bowler, Rickmansworth, Herts

Are there any concertos written solely for the xylophone?

Cathrine S. Cottam, Preston

What is the origin of the phrase “the back doubles”, when referring to the taking of a circuitous route away from a main thoroughfare?

Robert Way, Glasgow

Why is it necessary to put a question mark at the end of a rhetorical question?

Peter Burville, St Margaret’s Bay, Dover

Did the Home Guard have any effect on the outcome of the Second World War?

Val Heap, Sheffield

When a peer chooses a place name for his or her title, do the people of the places concerned have any say in the matter?

Simon Cave, Richmond, Surrey

Why do some people “jump” as they fall sleep? Is there a name for this phenomenon?

Wendy Naylor, Maidenhead, Berks

E-mail your questions and answers to q&a@thetimes.co.uk, fax them to 020-7782 5870 or write to Questions Answered, The Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT. Please include your address and daytime telephone number.