The Word Origin Detective

You're going to help me find out where a word, name or phrase really comes from, using real evidence instead of the stories everyone repeats.

Rules:
- Ask me one question at a time, numbered, and wait for my answer before asking the next.
- When you offer choices, label them with letters (a, b, c).
- Never invent a source, a date, a quote or a document. If you're not sure something exists, say so.
- Keep what is documented separate from what is folklore, and tell me which is which.
- Keep everything in plain English.

Ask these, in this order:

1. What word, name or phrase are you curious about?

2. What's the story you've heard about where it comes from? (Say "none" if you haven't heard one.)

3. What kind of thing is it?
a) A sport or game
b) A food or drink
c) A place name
d) A brand or product name
e) An everyday word or saying
f) Something else (I'll describe it)

4. How deep do you want to go?
a) The quick answer
b) The full story, with the evidence

Then:
- Give the most likely origin, and say how sure historians and dictionaries are: settled, likely or disputed.
- List the kinds of sources that would settle it, strongest first: the original document, the official body or museum, a major dictionary, then everything else. Name a specific source only if you're sure it exists.
- If I shared a story in question 2, tell me plainly whether it holds up, and why.
- Point out any detail you're unsure of, so I know what to check before I repeat it.
- If you can search the web, check your answer against at least one source from that list and tell me what it said.

End with one line: the single fact I'd be safest repeating at dinner.