Life is full of so many little mysteries, like what those little buttons on suit jacket sleeves are really for and why there’s sometimes a little “v” under your sweater’s collar.

And after reading a recent post shared to Reddit’s r/london, I realised I’d been carrying one such puzzle in my pocket for years.

“When I first came to the UK to study, I was always very curious about why the UK’s subway card has the nickname ‘Oyster Card,’” u/Deep-Ad-3363 wrote.

Here’s the history behind the marine-themed name:

Per TfL, the commuter staple could have been named “Pulse” or “Gem” cards. But of the three shortlisted options, “Oyster” won out.

Launched in 2003, the card was created with TranSys, which contracted Saatchi and Saatchi Design to help work on the branding.

Saatchi, in turn, worked with Andrew McCrum, then of Blue Sky Enterprise at the time and now of Appella name consultants.

An archived page on Appella’s site reads: “OYSTER was conceived, mainly, because of the metaphorical implications of security and value in the hard bivalve shell and the concealed pearl.

“Its associations with London through Thames estuary oyster beds and the major relevance of the popular idiom ‘the world is your oyster’ were also significant factors in its selection.”

The company added that the unique sound of the word, and its “sophistication” – as well as the marine theme of Hong Kong’s Octopus card – were added bonuses.

And the name made the design easier and more playful, too.

“Assumed it was because they came in a clamshell-like wallet,” u/Mattdabes replied to the original Reddit post.

“I’ll never forget our first time in London aged 18 and my friend asked for ‘a mussel card’ by mistake,” u/kaiaemeli added.

And u/Annual-Load3869 wrote, “I always assumed it was ‘world’s your oyster’ but that’s pretty interesting”.

An expectant parent has asked the internet masses whether they think being naked in front of kids is “weird” – and it’s opened up a whole lot of conversation around nudity, children and what’s acceptable.

The parent-to-be wrote on Reddit that they’re having their first child this year and grew up in a “naked household” – where it was totally normal to get dressed, changed, or shower in front of each other. “I’ll also add it was just us girls who did this (no brothers),” she said.

“I’m going to be having a son. Is this concept still weird? My husband thinks so as he grew up with just his mother and much older brother.”

In my household, privacy is limited – I can’t even take a shower without someone barging in to sing Wheels On The Bus at me. And I’m fine with that.

I’m not ashamed of my body and I don’t want my kids to grow up feeling shame around their bodies, either. I also personally think it’s great for opening conversations with little kids around what our body parts are called and what their functions are.

Most Redditors seemed to think nudity is fine, with one caveat. It’s OK until someone – whether you or the kids – becomes uncomfortable.

“It’s nothing to be shamed, and nothing to be forced either,” said one commenter.

Another said their husband stopped being comfortable “fully nude” around their daughter when she was a toddler.

“That’s respected, but it’s also not some huge deal if she runs into the room to tell him about her made up dragons while he’s changing, he’ll cover up or turn away and ask for privacy,” they said.

“At 8 she wants privacy for the bathroom mostly, we respect that, but then she will run around the house naked or just in underwear. She sees me changing frequently and it doesn’t make either of us uncomfortable so for now that’s fine. Everyone gets to say in what level of privacy they want within the family.”

There are definitely rules that are useful to follow, though.

One parent said they have three rules in their household: “Respect anyone asking for privacy, no naked butts on the couch, and we all put on clothes for visitors.”

Another said they have conversations around what’s appropriate to do in private (versus out and about), as well as consent.

“We don’t shame nudity, we explain anatomy using anatomical language, we teach about things that are only appropriate to do in private, and who’s allowed to view/touch his private parts and who isn’t,” they said.

“Whenever our son is ready to keep his nudity private or ask us to do the same, that’s fine, we’ll change. He knows it’s up to him.”

Experts agree it can be beneficial, too.

Amy Lang, a child sexual health educator, told The Guardian that while strict rules and guidelines are needed (ie. telling kids not to touch other people’s private parts), family nudity gives kids the opportunity to talk about boundaries, bodies and safety.

Pop singer Delta Goodrem will compete on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC has confirmed.

On Friday evening, the Australian performer became the third celebrity unveiled for the line-up, fresh from her recent success at the Eurovision Song Contest.

She enthused: “I’ve been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career – from TV, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world.

“There is, however, one stage I’ve never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor! I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Strictly and can’t wait to get started!”

After getting her start in Neighbours in the early 2000s, Delta burst onto the music scene with hits including Born To Try and Lost Without You.

In her native Australia she has an impressive nine number one singles to her name, including Innocent Eyes, Predictable and Almost Here, a duet with her ex-partner Brian McFadden.

Last month, she represented her home country at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria, with her song Eclipse, finishing in fourth place on the night.

This year’s Strictly Come Dancing casting announcements are coming in earlier than usual, with the line-up usually beginning to get unveiled around August time, ahead of the show’s September return.

On Wednesday, fans of the long-running BBC dance show were surprised when, out of the blue, EastEnders favourite Lacey Turner, best known for her performance as Stacey Slater, became the first star revealed to have signed up.

A day later, it was revealed that former Love Island champion Dani Dyer would also be competing in 2026, a year after having to pull out of the series days before the first live show after sustaining a serious injury.

It’s well-documented that the upcoming series of Strictly will be markedly different to recent seasons, most notably thanks to its new presenting line-up, a mass exodus among the show’s resident troupe of professional dancers and, reportedly, a revamped studio.

A parenting coach has shared the two-word response parents can use if their kids are being disrespectful – and it’s surprisingly simple.

In a TikTok video, Mike Wallach, who runs Apparently Parenting, said: “Stop letting your kids walk all over you with this one trick.

“It’s super simple – and when done correctly, they rarely push back against it.”

The parenting coach and behaviour analyst said if a child is disrespectful or rude towards you, all you need to say in response is: “Try again.”

This can be used in a variety of scenarios, added the parenting coach, such as “when they slam the door, when they yell back ‘no’, when they’re playing too rough, [or] when they snatch a toy out of someone’s hand”.

“They immediately know what needs to be done to change their behaviour,” he explained.

Of course, some younger children might need a bit more direction than simply “try again”. If they say something rude to you, or shout at you, you could respond: “That’s not how we talk to each other. Can you try again?”

If they shout a demand at you, like “I want a snack!” you could respond: “Let’s try that again. How do we ask nicely?”

When kids are rude it might be tempting to raise your voice, but parenting pros suggest remaining calm and speaking in a steady voice, otherwise the situation will likely escalate.

According to My Parenting Solutions, asking for a replay is “so simple and effective”. But if your child is having a tantrum, it’s probably best to wait until they’ve calmed down to encourage them to try again.

The method can work well, because you’re giving children the opportunity to practice acting respectfully.

Yes! If your child is being angry or rude, or having constant tussles with siblings, ‘special time’ might just help.

Child psychologist Dr Becky Kennedy, founder of Good Inside, described it as the “best bang-for-your-buck” parenting strategy.

Put simply, ‘special time’ is a period of time you carve out in your day where you and your child have one-on-one time together.

“So often, our attention as parents is split between work, siblings, admin, getting everyone fed, and the endless mental to-do list and demands on our time and resources,” Anna Mathur, a psychotherapist and author of The Uncomfortable Truth, told HuffPost UK.

But special time “cuts through that noise”.

It could be five minutes, it could be 15 minutes – but the idea is you get rid of all distractions and just sit and spend time with your kid.

Mathur said it works because “even 10 minutes of dedicated one-on-one time is a statement that tells your child: you matter, you’re seen, I want to be with you” and helps kids “feel emotionally secure, which strengthens their nervous system and improves behaviour”.

In Russell T Davies’ new drama Tip Toe, Alan Cumming and David Morrissey play feuding neighbours whose turf war spirals out of control with tragic consequences.

But in real life, it turns out the pair are lifelong chums.

Outside of Tip Toe, Alan and David have been friends for around 40 years and, in fact, were even neighbours for a long time.

Speaking to BBC News in the lead-up to Tip Toe’s release, David explained: “We have to do some pretty tough stuff, but the great thing about being with an actor who is a friend is that you can really push it.”

He added that after shooting a “very confrontational” scene, he and Alan would be “hugging each other and making sure each other are alright”.

Alan also told ITV’s This Morning that his friendship with David “really helped” them get through what might otherwise have been quite a difficult shoot due to the show’s heavy subject matter.

In a separate interview, Russell told The Hollywood Reporter: “It turned out [Alan has] been best friends with David Morrissey for 40 years, and they’d never appeared on screen together.

“When they did their first little scene on Canal Street, we all gave them a round of applause. It was such a lovely moment.”

The Bafta winner also told Channel 4 that it was Alan who suggested that David could play Clive, having already been cast as Leo in the early stages of the creative process.

“He said, ‘oh, I’ve sent the script to Dave’. And we were like, ‘brilliant, imagine getting David Morrissey as well’,” Russell recalled. “And it happened!”

Russell enthused: “The fact that that they’re friends in real life, it just shows how great actors they are because they fucking hate each other [in the show] and it’s visceral and uncomfortable.

“[Being friends] gave them a lot of freedom, I think. They didn’t have to spend time getting to know each other, so I think they felt very free to go for it.”

He added: “They’ve been mates for 40 years, so they knew they could go for it. And I think there’s a real boldness in what they do together.”

The brutal finale of Tip Toe premiered on Channel 4’s streaming service over the weekend, with Russell previously opening up to HuffPost UK about what went into the unflinching scene.