How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop? The world may never know, according to the old commercial, and the same is true for hiccups.

Sort through your memory and try to remember what your diaphragm is and what it does. It's a dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen, and plays an important role in breathing.

Your diaphragm involuntarily contracts when you hiccup. The contraction causes a brief, immediate closure of the vocal cords, which makes that distinctive "hiccup" sound.

As for what causes those hiccups? Well, like we said - the world may never know, but that won't keep us from wild speculation.

Eating or drinking too fast, being nervous or excited or suffering from an irritated stomach or throat are prime culprits.

In rare cases, pleurisy - inflammation of the membrane lining of the lungs and chest cavity - pneumonia, certain stomach or esophagus disorders, pancreatitis, alcoholism or hepatitis might also cause hiccups.

Hiccups, though, are likely the least of your worries if you suffer great pain and discomfort as a result of any those maladies.

Why are pretzels shaped so weird?

There are a few different thoughts.

Monks in seventh-century France are responsible for inventing the pretzel.

They used the baked bread to reward children for learning their prayers. The shape is said to represent the arms of a child, folded in prayer.

"Pretiola," the Latin root of "pretzel," means reward.

A popular legend about a baker going to jail also exists. The baker liked his booze - apparently, a little too much - and was sentenced to jail.

The judge told him he could remain free, if he made a small cake through which the sun could shine three times.

So he made a pretzel.

That's pretty suspect, but the inspiration to avoid hard time on the rock will help men move mountains.

Another theory states the pretzel is of German origin, and was originally shaped like the letter "B" for the German word for pretzel, "bretzel."

It's the weekend - research the topic. Go buy a bag of Rold Gold's and some beer and engage in some responsible taste-testing.

Decide if you like the prayer version, the jail version or the German version of the pretzel's origin.

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