I AM interested in ancient Egypt and all things Egyptian but I am unsure as to the exact origins of the name Egypt. Is it an etymological reference to the great Aegean? - Andrew Lightfoot, Bridlington.

EGYPT was known to the Romans as Aegyptos and to the Greeks as Aiguplos. The Greek word developed from the Egyptian Hut-ka-ptah and this translates as Temple of the Soul of Ptah. Ptah is a god who is said to have created mankind through the power of his heart and his speech. However it seems that the Temple of the Soul of Ptah was a prominent ancient building in the Egyptian city of Memphis, but the Greeks adopted this name for the whole country. Ptah was a sun god and it is believed that the Greeks adopted the name Hut-ka-ptah for the whole country because of the dark, sun-glazed people.

WHAT is the origin of the word tabby as in tabby cat? Is it anything to do with the name Tabitha? - A Hagger, Durham.

THE word tabby ultimately derives from a district of Baghdad called al-attabiya. It was in this quarter of the city that a material was manufactured that came to be known as tabby. It was a kind of brownish silk with a wavy, watery pattern. This pattern has given its name to the familiar brownish-silvery coloured cats with dark wavy blotches and stripes called tabby cats. Tabbies are not a breed of cat - the name is given to certain moggies, moggy being the name given to non-pedigree cats.

WHO is attributed with saying, justice delayed is justice denied. - A N, Durham.

It is not known for certain who first used this famous phrase, but it is often attributed to Prime Minister William Gladstone 1809-1898.

I AM interested in the name Myles Meehan who has a gallery named after him in Darlington Arts Centre. - Sheila Brotherston, Guisborough.

MYLES Meehan was a Gatehead-born amateur painter and sculptor. He studied at Croydon and Chelsea Art Colleges in London. A founder member of Croydon Art Club in 1952, he later became its chairman. He moved to Darlington in 1969 and died in 1974. Thanks to Chris McIntyre of Darlington Arts Centre for helping me with this one.

MY husband and I would like to sit in the audience during some of the TV shows. Could you please tell me how I go about contacting the different studios? - H Bywell, Shildon.

ONE of the best places to start if you want to obtain tickets for television shows is the BBC website. Tickets for BBC shows can be obtained from www.bbc.co.uk/tickets.

l If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on any of the answers above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF