Think of the swarming gnat clouds as insect Tinder

Today’s question: Why do those little, tiny gnats fly together in a fluttering circle for hours? They usually are at face level when you’re walking, and it’s not cool to run into them. What’s the purpose? “Gnats” is kind of a catchall word for any number of small flies — fruit flies, midges, no-see-ums and so on. If they’re small and fly and annoying, it’s easier to just call them all gnats.

Those clouds of gnats you sometimes see are made up of males, and they are on the lookout for what many males are looking for — sex. Such a cloud is called a ghost. The guy gnats somehow orient themselves on a fixed spot and start zooming around while they wait for females to show up. Mosquitoes do the same thing. It is probably more efficient than each individual male going out alone to find a mate. Because they live only a few weeks, they don’t have a lot of time to fool around.

One thing I read said the male gnats zooming around like that are also showing off their flying skills to impress the babes, but I’m a little dubious about that one.

Another thing about this swarming thing is that it makes it harder for a predator to focus on a single target.

What is the origin of the word “panhandle,” meaning “to beg”?

“Panhandle” is an Americanism that dates to the mid-19th century. It took on the meaning of begging in the 1890s because of the resemblance of an outstretched arm and hand to a pan’s handle.