It's become not much different inside many new cars.

Instead of plain English – check oil, for instance – there is an inscrutable symbol that lights up when the oil level (or pressure) is low. What could it possibly mean?

How could one know?

That light lit up while my sister was driving her Subaru Crosstrek recently. Not knowing what the light meant, she puzzled over it and kept driving. This is generally not a good idea. Engines tend to not run long when they've lost oil pressure, as from running too low (or out) of oil.

It is why in the past cars had an immediately comprehensible "oil" light that lit up if they did not have a gauge that registered oil pressure. Such lights were often characterized as "idiot lights" by those who esteemed gauges – chiefly because when the light came on, it was often already on the verge of too late. A oil pressure gauge will give you more warning that there's a problem developing with the lubrication system – just the same as a temperature gauge will let you know the engine is beginning to run hot before it actually overheats – if you pay attention to the gauges.

Idiot lights were meant for the people who didn't pay attention. The idea was that at least they'd notice the light burning bright in the dash and – because it was impossible to not know what the light meant (unless you were illiterate) – the driver would immediately understand there was a serious problem and stop driving the car immediately.

But when the curious little icon lit up in the dash display of my sister's car, she understandably had no clue what to make of it. How could she be expected to know what it meant since it is not clear what it means? The icon shows what looks like a tea pot with a squiggly line underneath.

It could mean Ra is displeased. Or perhaps Anubis sends salutations?

Maybe time to stop for tea – in Egyptian?

And so she kept on driving. Luckily, it was just that her engine was about two quarts low and so she made it home without her Subaru's engine locking up or suffering some other oil-related catastrophic failure.