> For the record, I think what you're calling a 'tick' is a virtue. Very kind of you to say. The automatic way I point the question at anybody who crosses my p

> For the record, I think what you're calling a 'tick' is a virtue. Very kind of you to say. The automatic way I point the question at anybody who crosses my path may say otherwise. I have noted that in personal argumentation, in the US and Japan, that the word is not often not used as a tool for inquiry. I've seen it wielded more as an accusation or bludgeon, and it may be this dual-use that make people sensitive to the word itself. The child's response to any answer with a "why?", is truly a really excellent algorithm for getting to the bottom of things.