When it comes to linguistic quirks, there are few places as bountiful as New England. There are — of course — the well-known stalwarts like that famed intensifier “wicked” and the fact that what the rest of the country calls a water fountain, New Englanders call a “bubbler.” But there are plenty of others. Firefighters are called “jakes” in some circles; rubber bands, in some places, are known as “elastics;” and in locations all over New England you can make a quick run to the “packie,” which is short for “package store,” neither of which is a term for “a place to buy beer” anywhere else. Like many transplants to this area, Boston resident Vasant Marur has spent years getting acquainted with a fair number of these terms and turns-of-phrase. But even after a decade living in the Fenway neighborhood, there was one local etymological oddity that continued to confound him: Why are some Boston-area convenience stores called spas? Got curious questions? Let Curiosity Desk reporter Edgar B. Herwick know... he might just look into them for you: https://www.wgbh.org/news/the-curiosity-desk Follow Edgar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ebherwick3 Follow Edgar on Instagram: https://instagram.com/ebh3mlc