The test: Gravy boats Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Thu 29 Apr 2010 08.00 BST First published on Thu 29 Apr 2010 08.00 BST Gravy boat A colourful and pleasingly rotound gravy jug that pours without any drips and looks far more expensive than its very reasonable price tag. £9.50, johnlewis.com 08456 049 049 Photograph: Sarah Lee/Guardian Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Maxim gravy boat with saucer Straightforward porcelain gravy boat and matching plate.

SEMANTIC ENIGMASWhat is the origin of the silent 'w' before 'r' in English words such as 'wrap', 'write', 'wring' etc? BEFORE the 17th century the 'w' was pronounced. Other letters ('g' in gnaw and 'k' in knee, for example) fell silent too, but were trapped in the spelling as written English fossilised into its present form. They are all of ancient Germanic origin and were pronounced in Anglo-Saxon. German, which is generally spelt as spoken, writes reissen (cognate with 'write') without the original 'w' and nagen (cognate with 'gnaw') without the original 'g', but has kept the 'k' in knie because it is pronounced.

The ObserverBangladeshWhen her widowed mother remarried, Parvin Rema, then 13, was part of the deal – one of several such arrangements in Bangladesh. Abigail Haworth talks to mothers and daughters about a particularly knotty relationshipAs a child in rural Bangladesh, Orola Dalbot, 30, enjoyed growing up around her stepfather, Noten. Her father died when she was small, and her mother remarried soon after. Noten was handsome and energetic, with curly dark hair and a broad smile.

Mind your languageLanguage This article is more than 12 years oldCurvy + hairy + size 10 = real woman?This article is more than 12 years oldCathy RelfAs 'unreal woman' becomes the new pariah, let's have more honesty and clarity about body image"Real", says the OED, means actually existing, genuine. It's often used to signal a contrast with something unreal, fake or conceptual. Thus real fruit content, real diamonds, real life. Where there's no doubt, we don't use it.

World cinemaInterviewEmily Browning: total controlMaddy CostaShe turned down the lead in Twilight and now stars in a film about sex work. Emily Browning tells Maddy Costa that yes, she knows exactly what she's doingEmily Browning spent the spring of 2011 ricocheting from one controversy to another. Sucker Punch, a hyperactive video game-influenced fantasia in which she starred as the scantily clad Baby Doll, was released at the end of March to a barrage of dreadful reviews deriding its "