If looks could kill, I’d be in real trouble | Brief letters

Default facial expressions | Coffee thermometer | Quitting Britain | Nominative determinism delights Adrian Chiles is lucky that his face is merely “miserable” ( I’ve spent my whole life looking miserable. It’s time for a change, 9 September ).

On the advice of my estimable wife, when I introduce myself to new colleagues I alert them to the fact that if I look as though I want to kill them, it’s my default expression and I am merely thinking, not judging. Trevor Lawson Haddenham, Buckinghamshire • Since Oxford University, no less, tells us that it is now vital to know the temperature of hot…