Q: While vacationing at the shore with the family many years
ago, I came across some old newspa pers. One of the stories was
about a ship that was involved in an accident. The incident was
referred to as an "allision." I chuckled at the typo and read
on. I keep thinking about this, and I wonder if it really was a
typo. -- Y.L., Buffalo, Okla.   Q: This has bugged me for a long
time. Why is a person who makes or re pairs a stringed instru
ment called a luthier? I don't get it. -- N.N.K., Lakeside, Fla.
A: "Luthier" comes from the French word "luth," which means
"lute." According to my Merriam-Webster dictionary, a lute is a
"stringed instrument having a large pear-shaped body, a vaulted
back, a fretted fingerboard and a head with tuning pegs, which
is often angled backward from the neck."   Q: I watched a docu
mentary several years ago about a group of desert inhabitants
who wore tra ditional veils. Their name incorporated the word
"veil," as I recall. I would like to read more about these
people, but I can't